Wisconsin Republican Rep. Sean Duffy criticized Democrats for their inaction regarding the living conditions of migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday night.
“During the shutdown, there [were] a lot of fights that were going on, and you covered them well,” Duffy said to CNN’s Chris Cuomo. “But there was one thing we wanted in regard to the kids. We wanted unlimited beds for border patrol to have housing for children. And Democrats were trying to roll those beds back to 40,000. We ended up getting a little more than 40,000. And the question becomes: Why?”
Congressional negotiators announced an agreement to dodge another government shutdown in February, which included $1.375 billion in funding for a barrier along the U.S. southern border and funding for approximately 40,000 beds for ICE detention beds.
In that agreement, Democrats dropped their request to limit the number of beds ICE is able to use for the illegal immigrants.
Duffy continued, “When you can use kids in a crisis and pull at the heartstrings, you don’t address the root cause of the problem. You and I agree that Congress should make sure the kids aren’t suffering because of bad policy. But we should also work on how to make policies work on our border. Take the incentive away, work on people who come into this country who actually apply.”
Cuomo responded by saying, “Fine, work on all of it. You know? The house is on fire. Put out all of it and then look into why the House got lit up in the first place.”
WATCH:
“The President can’t get Congress to act,” on the crisis at the border, GOP Rep. Sean Duffy tells @chriscuomo, addressing the stalemate over immigration. “I think Democrats hate Pres. Trump so much they won’t give him what could be perceived as a win.” https://t.co/uHV9sXJTL5 pic.twitter.com/urMJPvOcDz
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) June 7, 2019
After the appearance, Duffy introduced two amendments in the House on the Labor/HHS bill they discussed regarding the living conditions for the children at the border. (RELATED: House Passes Mass Amnesty Bill Which Would Give Millions Of Illegal Immigrants A Path To Citizenship)
The amendments would one, give representatives an opportunity to discuss the issue on the floor. Two, it would boost funding to allow the Office of Refugee Resettlement to provide all Unaccompanied Alien Children with child welfare services and “high-quality shelter care,” Duffy’s office said to TheDC.
This comes as the House passed a vote Tuesday that would grant protection from deportation to illegal immigrants and give millions a path to permanent citizenship status.