THREAD: Today there was a #FamiliesBelongTogether rally in DC. @RepJayapal told of visits with 174 women transferred from the Texas border ICE detention facility to Sea-Tac bureau of federal prisons facility. She is not visible in the videos but her voice is clear and urgent. 1/
“We met with 174 women at the bureau of prisons facility” @RepJayapal #FamiliesBelongTogther /2
“They are almost all asylum seekers. About 50% are mothers. They are from 16 different countries.” @RepJayapal #FamiliesBelongTogether /3
“I told them that there are people across this country who do not want this to happen, who know that this is wrong and are standing up for them.” @RepJayapal #FamiliesBelongTogether 4/
Note: In this clip, @RepJayapal explains the difference between federal facilities and the for-profit contracted facilities that ICE uses, which were the focus of the women’s stories. Her new Bill is called the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act... #FamiliesBelongTogether 5/
PLEASE LISTEN: “No blankets, no mattresses, and no clean drinking water.” @RepJayapal #FamiliesBelongTogether 6/
PLEASE LISTEN: “They were deceived. Their children were not there.” @RepJayapal #FamiliesBelongTogether /7
PLEASE LISTEN: “They could hear their children screaming for them, and some of the children were as young as one year old.” @RepJayapal #FamiliesBelongTogether /8
“They’re not rapists, they’re not murderers, they’re not animals, they’re not gang members. They are WOMEN seeking safety for their CHILDREN.” @RepJayapal #FamiliesBelongTogether /9
“We have mothers here and fathers here who know that they will do anything it takes to bring their children to safety. That is what asylum-seeking is: We bring our children to safety.” @RepJayapal #FamiliesBelongTogether
/10 END
/10 END
