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US Lawmakers Inspect Crowded Border Migrant Centers

Victoria Macchi

   A day after testifying before members of U.S. Congress on border
   facility conditions, the head of the Department of Homeland Security is
   heading back to the U.S.-Mexico border for the fourth time in recent
   weeks, this time joined by a group of senators.

   The lawmakers, which included 12 Democrats and one Independent, said
   they visited McAllen, Texas -- one of the busiest sites for Border
   Patrol agents detaining people who enter the country without
   authorization -- as part of their oversight duties.

   Arriving early Friday, the lawmakers were scheduled to join Acting DHS
   Secretary Kevin McAleenan to "investigate, inspect, and evaluate
   conditions at facilities on the southern border," according to a
   statement from the office of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

     I'm on my way to McAllen, Texas with [1]@SenSchumer and other
     [2]@SenateDems colleagues to see the conditions of migrants at the
     border.
     Stay tuned for updates.
     [3]#DemsAtTheBorder [4]pic.twitter.com/v8Vcgedtlo
     -- Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) [5]July 19, 2019

   The delegation plans to hold a news conference at 3:45 p.m. (EST) after
   visiting the Donna Soft-Sided Processing Facility, a local
   nongovernmental organization, the McAllen Border Patrol Station, and
   the Ursula Central Processing Center, according to DHS.

   Since the start of the [6]fiscal year in October 2018 through June
   2019, Border Patrol agents apprehended 688,375 people who entered the
   country without authorization, including 390,308 people traveling as
   families, and 63,624 unaccompanied children. The numbers are the
   highest in a decade and include a larger proportion of families and
   unaccompanied minors who require more specialized care.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/SenSchumer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   2. https://twitter.com/SenateDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemsAtTheBorder?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   4. https://t.co/v8Vcgedtlo
   5. https://twitter.com/SenatorMenendez/status/1152204471314919425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   6. https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration

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