Immigration
DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America who crossed into Texas are overwhelming Border Patrol Agents.
Bill Holston heads the Human Rights Initiative in Dallas, which helps the children gain legal status in the U.S. "These are traumatized kids. They've made an arduous journey from Central America."
But immigration courts are backlogged, which means it often takes years before the children can go before a judge and find out whether they can stay or must leave.
During my tenure in public service, first as a state legislator and now as a United States congressman, it has been painful to watch our broken immigration system prevent Texas from reaching its full potential.
It's been more than a year since the Senate passed a bipartisan immigration bill, yet House Republican leadership has refused to bring comprehensive immigration reform to the floor for a vote.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas is running out of room to house the thousands of Central American children who illegally crossed the border.
And Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, says the solution is not to continue piling them into bus stations and other makeshift shelters — including unused schools in North Texas — as officials try to find the best way to return the children safely to their families in countries as far away as Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Texas is running out of room to house the thousands of Central American children who illegally crossed the border.
And U.S. Rep. Kay Granger said Saturday that the solution is not to continue piling them into bus stations and other makeshift shelters — including unused schools in North Texas — as officials try to find the best way to return the children safely to their families in countries as far away as Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f30UqRTjbJw
The border is secure. It's more secure than ever. It's so, so secure.
Since our founding, the United States has been a beacon of hope for immigrants, and I am happy to help the latest generation of newcomers navigate the immigration and naturalization process.
USCIS and Congress
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Texas leaders say it's time to stop talking and take action on the growing humanitarian crisis at the border.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is the latest Texas official to weigh in with proposed legislation to grapple with the dilemma, in which a growing number of children continue illegally crossing the country's southwest border into this state.
Cornyn plans to file a bill along with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, to speed up deportations of thousands of Central American children — and ensure their safety while they are here.
On July 10, 2014 Rep. Marc Veasey of Texas asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives for one minute regarding the humanitarian crisis along the US border:
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to do the right thing: to work across the aisle and take swift action to address the humanitarian crisis that our Nation is currently facing.
Rep. Mark Veasey (D-Texas 33rd) with Tim on Thursday talks about unaccompanied minor children coming from Central American across the southern US border.
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