The president of the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization toured the same Texas migrant center that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) viewed and saw a completely different scene.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, the president of National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), was “full of indignation” after seeing reports of soiled diapers and centers lacking basic hygiene and sanitary items. Thus, he asked the White House to grant him immediate access to a detention facility.
On Monday, Ocasio-Cortez toured an El Paso County detention center and described horrible conditions at the facility.
“Just left the 1st CBP facility. I see why CBP officers were being so physically &sexually threatening towards me. Officers were keeping women in cells w/ no water & had told them to drink out of the toilets. This was them on their GOOD behavior in front of members of Congress,” she tweeted.
Just left the 1st CBP facility.
I see why CBP officers were being so physically &sexually threatening towards me.
Officers were keeping women in cells w/ no water & had told them to drink out of the toilets.
This was them on their GOOD behavior in front of members of Congress.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2019
Later, Ocasio-Cortez again called these detention centers “concentration camps” on Twitter.
These are concentration camps.
According to concentration camp experts, people begin to die due to overcrowding, neglect, and shortage of resources.
We saw all three of those signs on our trip yesterday. Another person died yesterday.
And those are the deaths we know about. https://t.co/MhujNAYohJ
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 2, 2019
“These are concentration camps. According to concentration camp experts, people begin to die due to overcrowding, neglect, and shortage of resources. We saw all three of those signs on our trip yesterday. Another person died yesterday.”
The stories Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic politicians and media members publicly shared did not match up with what the pastor saw.
“To my surprise, I saw something drastically different from the stories I’ve been hearing in our national discourse. Even as a veteran of immigration advocacy in the U.S., I was shocked at the misinformation of the crisis at the border,” Rodriguez said.
Previously, Rodriguez advised the last three presidents on immigration reform, but decided not to advise Trump anymore after ending the DACA program.
During his visit with other pastors, Rodriguez personally asked the border patrol agents about the described conditions.
“They unequivocally denied it — we were witnessing the identical conditions the attorneys saw when they toured the facility days earlier,” the pastor said.
Rodriguez left his visit encouraged about the dedication of America’s immigration officers. In fact, one border guard shared a message with the pastor before leaving.
“Pastor Sam, what they’re saying about us is completely false. We care about these kids and have a passion for our calling,” Rodriguez said.
The NHCLC leader blamed the broken immigration system on the “consecutive White House administrations” and urged Congress to “address the system they created.”
“Please, President Trump, please White House, work with the Republicans and the Democrats [and] please, please, please, please, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, please come together to solve this crisis, immediately,” he said.
– – –
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Battleground State News.
Photo “Samuel Rodriguez” by Samuel Rodriguez.
