Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson to Lead Congressional Delegation Tour of the Homestead Migrant Detention Facility
On Tuesday, July 2, 2019, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson will lead a congressional delegation to inspect the Homestead migrant detention facility and investigate the conditions under which detained migrant teenagers are living.
The Florida lawmaker will be joined by several House members whose areas of interest and expertise will provide an important advantage as they assess whether the children's educational, medical, mental health and other needs are being met. It will be the third tour of the Homestead shelter for Congresswoman Wilson, who also has in the past year visited Casa Padre and Casa Presidente in Brownsville, Texas, and the His House Children's Home in Miami Gardens.
Since the start of the Trump administration's inhumane family separation policy, Congresswoman Wilson has been extremely concerned about the adverse impact it will have on children now and in the future. She has, however, been especially worried about the welfare of the female child migrants, who for a while were not seen in any footage about the crisis.
"After traveling all the way to South Texas to locate the girls separated from their parents and trapped in detention facilities, I was very surprised to locate them just outside of my congressional district. I strongly believe that these young migrant girls, whose plight has generally been ignored by the national media, need to have a greater focus placed on their physical and emotional well-being. And as the leader in Congress of the "Bring Back Our Girls" movement, it is incumbent upon me to lead this effort to protect migrant girls suffering in our own backyards." said Rep. Wilson.
Following the tour, the members will brief the press on how the facility is operating and their assessment of how the children are being treated.
WHO
Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24)
Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security
Congressman John Lewis (GA-05), civil rights icon
Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), co-chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), co-chair of the Black Women & Girls Caucus
Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-05), vice chair of the Democratic Caucus
Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), 2016's Teacher of the Year
Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04), vice chair of the Bipartisan Women's Caucus
Congresswoman Donna Shalala (FL-27), former Health and Human Services secretary
WHEN
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Tour will begin at 1:00 p.m. and is expected to end at approximately 2:00 p.m.
WHERE
Homestead Shelter
920 Bouganville Road
Homestead, FL 33039
RSVP
Please RSVP to Joyce Jones at joyce,jones@mail.house.gov or 202.225.4506.