REPRESENTATIVE SYLVIA GARCIA JOINS BICAMERAL CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS TO CALL ON THE NINTH CIRCUIT TO UPHOLD PROTECTIONS FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN IN FLORES AMICUS BRIEF

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) joined the U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, Immigration Subcommittee Ranking Member Dick Durbin and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Joaquin Castro, Representative Veronica Escobar, and 112 of her colleagues in submitting an Amicus Brief in Flores v Barr. The Brief urges the Ninth Circuit Court to reject the Trump Administration's latest attempt to gut the Flores Settlement Agreement, which provides vital, long-standing protections for migrant children. Flores is key to ensuring there are minimum health and safety requirements for the custody of children.

"This administration's decision to roll back the Flores Agreement is an affront to the rights and protections of migrant children in U.S. custody," said Representative S. Garcia. "This President has made it a cornerstone of his administration to target migrants and refugees who look to America for an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. He has ripped babies from their mothers and fathers, caging them in baby jails." "I urge the Ninth Circuit Court to uphold the Flores Agreement, which has for decades limited how long migrant children can be detained under U.S. custody and protect them from physical and emotional harm," concluded Representative S. Garcia

In addition to Schumer, Merkley, Feinstein and Durbin the Brief was signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Senator Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senator Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Senator Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Senator Robert P. Casey (D-PA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Senator Bernard Sanders (D-VT), Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), and Senator Edward Markey (D-MA).

In addition to Pelosi, Nadler, Lofgren, Castro, Escobar, and S. Garcia, the Brief was signed by U.S. Representatives Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Karen Bass (CA-37), Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Brendan Boyle (PA-2), Julia Brownley (CA-26),Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), Sean Casten (IL-6), Judy Chu (CA-27), David Cicilline (RI-1), Gilbert Ray Jr. Cisneros (CA-39), Katherine Clark (MA-5), Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Emmanuel Cleaver (MO-5), Steve Cohen (TN-9), Luis Correa (CA-46), Philips Dean (MN-3), Peter DeFazio (OR-4), Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Val Demings (FL-10), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Ted Deutch (FL-22), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Eliot Engel (NY-16), Anna Eshoo (CA-18), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Ruben Gallego (AZ-7), Jesús "Chuy" Garcia (IL-4), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Al Green (TX-9) , Raul Grijalva (AZ-3), Debra Haaland (NM-1), Alcee Hastings (FL-20), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Henry C. "Hank" Jr. Johnson (GA-4), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Derek Kilmer (WA-6), Mike Levin (CA-49), John Lewis (GA-5), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Ben Luján (NM-3), Betty McCollum (MN-4), James McGovern (MA-2), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), Grace Meng (NY-6), Gwen Moore (WI-4), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (Fl-26), Grace Napolitano (CA-32), Joe Neguse (CO-2), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Chellie Pingree (ME-1), Mark Pocan (WI-2), Jamie Raskin (MD-8), Kathleen Rice (NY-4), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-5), Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), José E. Serrano (NY-15), Donna Shalala (FL-27), Albio Sires (NJ-8), Adam Smith (WA-9), Darren Soto (FL-9), Jackie Speier (CA-14), Greg Stanton (AZ-9), Eric Swalwell (CA-15), Mark Takano (CA-41), Bennie Thompson (MS-2), Dina Titus (NV-1), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Norma Torres (CA-35), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Filemon Vela (TX-34), Nydia Velázquez (NY-7), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Peter Welch (VT-At Large), John Yarmuth (KY-3).

Click here to read the full Amicus Brief.

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional district.