unfiltered government so you can makeup your own mind. brought to you as a service by your cable or satellite provider. next, a look at immigration detention facilities. the inspector general testified on a report on overcrowding, unsanitary conditions. house judiciary committee subcommittee hearing ran about an hour and a half. >> the subcommittee on immigration and citizenship will come to order. without objection, the chair authorized to declare recess of the subcommittee at any time. we welcome everyone to this afternoon's hearing on overcrowding and prolonged detention at cbp facilities.

i recognize myself for opening statement. in five weeks' time, the inspector general released two alerts detailing dangerous conditions at u.s. customs and border protection facilities in texas. according to the ig, at some of the facilities conditions are so bad that they require immediate attention and action. the first alert focused on the detention of single adults and detailed, quote, dangerous holding conditions at the el paso processing center. unfortunately this report was not a surprise to me and my colleagues, along with vice chair, i visited the same facility a few months ago. even then, conditions we observed were unacceptable. women, children, families were either outside waiting to enter the facility, shoved into overcrowded cells, or sitting in hallways. prior to the visit, we understood hundreds of families

were housed outside for days in a tent behind the border patrol facility. we expected to meet with them, but to our surprise, the tent was empty. it was not until after our visit we learned the families had been transported to another facility the night before. it is unfortunate but not surprising the ig observations are even more disturbing, as demonstrated in the ig report, although the facility's maximum capacity is 125 detainees, approximately 750 individuals were detained on may 7th, and 900 individuals were detained on may 8th. overcrowding to this extent is a clear violation of cbp's own standards which provide that, quote, under no circumstances should the maximum cell occupancy rate set by the fire marshal be exceeded. individuals were held longer than maximum 72 hours set forth

in cbp standards. they have to provide showers for adults after 72 hours, most had not received showers at all. some had not showered in as long as a month. in june, the ig completed another round of inspections, this time in texas rio grande valley sector. here, the ig found serious overcrowding, other dangerous conditions at facilities holding families and unaccompanied children. according to the ig, 31% of children, including children seven years and younger, were held in custody more than 72 hours. some for more than two weeks. this violates not only cbp standards but the flores agreement. we know that conditions documented by the ag are not limited to facilities they visited. in june, lawyers reported horrific conditions at the clint texas border patrol facility, where some children were held for weeks, sleeping on cold

floors, taking care of one another because of lack of attention from guards. just last week, it was reported that a 15-year-old girl from honduras was sexual assaulted by a border patrol agent in yuma while other agents watched. there is a crisis on the border. yes, health and human services needed and now has additional resources so that children can be moved out of cbp facilities more quickly, into kwaeflts built with their needs in mind. the trump administration has made no secret of its intend to do all it can to deter children and families from seeking protection in the united states as the law allows without addressing the root causes that are driving migration to the border. this is sad. mistreatment of children and families is a moral stain on our nation.

the inspector general testifying today, spot inspections by the ig shed light on some of the trump administration worst practices. we cannot look away. well past time for cruelty of the policies to be exposed, for those that led the united states into this disaster to be held accountable. today's hearing is just the beginning of the oversight we will conduct on this important issue. it is now my pleasure to recognize the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentleman from colorado, mr. buck, for his opening statement. >> thank you, chair woman lof lofgren. as i have been saying for months, there's a crisis on the southern border, no surprise that those crossing illegally, border patrol is overwhelmed and over capacity. i applaud the assistant tianj inspector general on conditions the crisis is causing. i hope they'll continue the

investigation, as it effects the most vulnerable among us, children. after months of the president, dhs officials and other officials sounding the alarm about security and humanitarian crisis on the southern border, well before the inspector general reports were first published, i am encouraged our colleagues agree there is a crisis. i am hopeful we can now engage in difficult work of solving this crisis head on. inspector general office issued two reports on overcrowding and prolonged detention in the el paso and rio grande sectors. these reports provide objective perspective on factors outside cbp's control fueling the crisis. prolonging the stay in custody and causing overcrowded conditions identified in the inspector general reports. as of the july 2nd, 2019 report says, cbp detained individuals on a short term basis to allow for initial processing, then transfers the individuals to

other government agencies. but that short term system has been completely broken due to failure to update our laws, there's unprecedented influx of migrants crossing the border illegally. many of the individuals are more vulnerable than individuals that came during prior influxes. so what do we need to do to fix the problem? we need a multi layered approach to a multi layered problem. we must continue to work with partners internationally to support their own law enforcement and anti-corruption efforts. i worked closely with officials in guatemala and seen the good work can be done when close friends collaborate in their common interest. we must continue to expand initiatives to other conditions, honduras and el salvador. support economic development efforts in these countries to further elevate our hemisphere, let people have a chance to prosper in their own countries. we must reform immigration laws, including tbpra and flores

settlement agreement, to be sure they don't enter illegally and use children to do it. exploitation of children incentivized by our laws must stop. we must ensure all efforts combine to ensure that we are protecting vulnerable children. i look forward to hearing about the ig reports and root causes of the crisis on the border. hope to work with my colleagues, republican and democrat, to quickly provide common sense, bipartisan solutions to meet this head on. i am optimistic we can repeat success on issues as important as these. i look forward to the witnesses' testimony and yield back. >> i thank the ranking member. it is my pleasure to introduce today's witness, diana shaw. she was appointed assistant inspector general for special reviews and evaluations for

department of homeland security office of inspector general in march this year. she has also served in several other leadership positions with the inspector general's office, including assistant inspector general for legal affairs, acting counsel to the inspector general, director of special review groups, and acting assistant inspector general for external affairs. prior to joining the office of inspector general, miss shaw practiced law with the white collar crime group, specializing in internal investigations and compliance counseling. miss shaw, thank you for taking time to participate in today's hearing on this critical issue. we welcome you to the committee, look forward to your testimony. i ask you to rise so i can swear you in. [ witness sworn ]

>> the witness answered in the affirmative. we are happy to receive your written testimony. know your entire testimony will be entered into the record and we will like to hear summary in five minutes or so. we have a light or usually a light that tells you when your time is up. when it goes yellow is a minute left, when it is red, five minutes are up. we would love to hear from you at this moment. >> chair woman lofgren, ranking member buck, members of the subcommittee. thank you for inviting me to discuss the recent work on conditions at the southern border. my testimony will focus on dangerous overcrowding, prolonged detention observed by dhsoig inspectors. at facilities in the rio grande

valley. these issues pose imminent threat to health and safety of personnel and detainees, require the department's immediate attention and action. dhsoig conducts unannounced inspections of cbp facilities to evaluate compliance with transport, escort, detention, search standards, known as teds standards. it governs interactions with detainees, providing guidance on duration of detention, access to food and water, access to medical care and hygiene. our unannounced inspections allow instances of noncompliance and propose conservative action. in doing so, we seek to drive transparency and accountability at the department of homeland security. although cbp struggled at times to achieve full compliance with detention standards, our recent

unannounced inspections revealed a situation far more grievous than inspectors previously encountered. for instance, when the team arrived at the el paso dell nor taye processing center, they found this facility with maximum capacity of 125 detainees had more than 750 detainees on site. the following day, the number increased to 900. at all border patrol facilities we visited in rio grand valley, we observed serious overcrowding among unaccompanied alien children, uacs. additionally, we found individuals, including children, are detained well beyond 72 hours under ted standards and flores agreement. at the centralized center in mccallum, texas, many children were in custody longer than a week. some had been in custody more than two weeks.

under these circumstances, cbp struggled to comply with ted standards. for instance, although all facilities visited in the rio grande had diapers, baby wipes, juice and snacks for children, two facilities had not provided children access to hot meals as required until the week we arrived for inspections. additionally, children at three of five facilities we visited had no access to showers, limited access to change of clothes, and no access to laundry facilities. space limitations effect single adults. lack of space is restricted cbp ability to separate detainees with infectious diseases, chickenpox, skateboard east, influenza from each other and general population. according to cbp management, these conditions effect the health of border patrol agents who are experiencing high incidence of illness. further, there's concern that overcrowding, prolonged

detention is contributing to rising tensions of detainees. a senior member called the situation a ticking time bomb. despite these immense challenges, we observed cbp staff interacting with staff in a respectful member, attempting to comply to standards. notwithstanding efforts, border patrol requires immediate assistance to manage overcrowding in its facilities. cbp is not responsible for providing long term detention. and cbp facilities like those visited are not designed to hold individuals for lengthy periods. however, with limited bed space available at i.c.e. and hhs long term facilities nationwide, they're left in cbp custody until placement can be found. in its response to recent management alerts, dhs described the situation as an acute and worsening crisis.

our observations comport with that characterization which is why we called on the department to take immediate action to begin to remedy the situation. although dhs has asserted it reduced the uacs in custody the last few weeks, we remain concerned it is not taking sufficient steps to address overcrowding and prolonged detention observed, particularly with single adult detainees. we will continue to monitor the situation at the border, have begun new work aimed at identifying root causes of some of the issues. we hope this work will assist the department in addressing these challenges. in the meantime, however, dhs must have a coordinated approach that allows it to make good on safety, security, care of those in its custody. miss chairwoman, this concludes my testimony. i am happy to answer any questions you or the other members have. >> thank you very much for your testimony, for your work and

your report. i now ask unanimous consent that the report itself be made part of the record. before moving to questions, i would like to recognize the chairman of the full committee, mr. nadler, for his opening statement. >> thank you, madam chair. the title of the hearing, overcrowding and prolonged detention of cbp facilities barely begins to convey the inhumane conditions that they're experiencing in facilities along the southern border. today, we are focused on six facilities recently examined by the inspector general office which documented a culture of neglect and disregard for migrants that's profoundly disturbing. the ig report is bad enough, it must not be read in a vacuum. we cannot ignore reports of sexual assault against children at the center in arizona, nor overlook racist and facebook

postings by former officers that disparage female members of congress. not only did they know about the group, appears chief of border patrol itself is a member. this is a context in which we must consider the horrible conditions in cbp facilities. may 30th, 2019 ig issued a management alert that focused on dangerous overcrowding of single adults at the processing center, including packing of 900 individuals into a space with a maximum capacity of 125. and holding 41 in a cell designed to hold 8. this made it impossible for men and women to lie down, some forced to stay in standing room only conditions for days and weeks. photos accompanying the management alert powerfully illustrate suffering at the facilities. though dhs concurred with the ig recommendations, the agency claims it will not be able to

correct problems until november 30th, 2020. 18 months from now. it is outrageous that dhs leadership could read this report and decide men, women and children could be detained in these deplorable, horrible conditions for 18 more months. just five weeks later july 2nd, the ig issued another management alert that focused on dangerous yus overcrowding of children and adults at five facilities in rio grand valley. the they documented some 1500 children and adults were held in short term rooms longer than 72 hours generally permitted, including more than 50 children, seven or younger detained over two weeks. most of these individuals had not showered for the entire duration of detention, even though several were held as long as a month. most are still wearing clothing they arrived in days, weeks, even up to a month before.

that we would treat any human being this way is unconscionable. the situation can't be blamed on increased number of asylum seekers arriving at the southern border. cbp made a choice here. i.c.e. and department of health and human services have the mandate and infrastructure to detain individuals for longer than 72 hours. if those facilities are full, however, cbp has authority to release individuals and families after completion of intake processing. there's no doubt that overcrowding and conditions documented in the six texas facilities warranted release of some asylum seekers. but it appears to be the trump administration policy to continue holding children and families in such conditions as a form of torture in order to deter others from coming. this is neither necessary nor conscionable nor sustainable. there is a humanitarian crisis in central america. the trump administration policies are now creating a

humanitarian crisis in our country too. the ig has done a great service to our nation by regularly and impartially reviewing cbp conditions. their findings require prompt action, consistent with american laws, and american values. later this week, the judiciary committee plans to take up legislation to address deficiencies in cbp custody facilities. i thank the chair of the subcommittee, miss lofgren for holding this important hearing. appreciate miss shaw appearing to discuss her office's findings. i'm glad for her testimony and i yield back the balance of my time. >> chairman yields back. mr. collins will be recognized if he is able to come. otherwise we will invite him to put his statement into the record. to be own, i will go to mr. armstrong for his questions since mr. buck asked we go to him next. >> thank you, madam chair. may 30, 2019, the oig report found conditions of overcrowding

at the processing center, the report on page two noted total apprehensions in the first seven months of 2019 have already surpassed that of total apprehensions of each of the same time periods this fiscal year for the past four years. it also has a chart comparing just for the el paso sector that same time period this fiscal year between october and april compared to last year, states el paso has seen increase of 474% of unaccompanied alien children, 1816% family units, 82% of single adults. are those numbers correct? >> that's data received from cbp. >> el paso experienced the sharpest increase in apprehensions as any other sector, according to the report. >> that's correct. >> if there are no illegal crossings at the border, there wouldn't be overcrowding at the

facilities? >> well, border patrol facilities are specifically for individuals apprehended between ports of entry. those who present remain there, those that cross between go to the bp facilities, border patrol. >> so yes. >> yes, if no one crossed between ports of entry, there would be no one in those facilities. >> further limiting available space was need to separate those with infectious diseases, chickenpox, scabies and the flu. and they only had seven general cells, three small isolation cells, right? >> that's correct. >> and the report noted that ability of i.c.e. to accept single adults into the detention infrastructure is strained, stating that i.c.e. does not currently have sufficient detention bed space to take all border patrol adult detainees. even though the report states in a footnote that i.c.e. accepts single adults into i.c.e.

detention facilities as soon as space becomes available. even though cbp completes processing of individuals in a few days, the single adults are backing up in cbp custody because i.c.e. doesn't have room for them. >> that's correct. and that's according to cbp management. >> and the report indicates that overcrowded conditions are a result of high numbers of people crossing, two, need to separate detainees with infectious diseases, three, inability of i.c.e. to accept single adults from cbp due to lack of bed space. >> those seem to be some of the factors driving the issue. >> so if congress doesn't act to do things such as providing more i.c.e. bed space or by addressing root causes of large numbers of migrants arriving on the southern border, cbp's only option to address overcrowded conditions would be what, to release them? >> that could be one option, creating more space to detain them, but that wouldn't address

prolonged detention issue. >> that's one of the problems with the word immediately. we say immediately, we want something to happen. creating more space cannot happen overnight, right? i mean, you have to, whether it is a tent facility, it still has to be something that can work. i mean, what's a time frame to pull one of these facilities up if everybody moved quickly as possible? >> i don't have precise statistics. i know off site structures are able to be deployed fairly quickly and in management response from dhs to management alert, they indicated some facilities were up and ready to accept individuals, but the more complicated structures would take more time. >> and the reason i talk about immediately, oig response to dhs response said immediate action is needed. i think everybody agrees with that. but other than those steps that dhs is taking within confines of resons congress has given them,

what specifically does oig office expect dhs to do? >> what we put in management alert is we were looking at action to address the issue. the response we got was the larger structure would not be ready until 2020. so we couldn't consider that a resolved recommendation when looking for something immediate. >> that's even before we talk about judicial injunctions, lawsuits, those are going on, none of this is occurring in a legislative vacuum either. >> uh-huh. >> we can't prevent people arriving sick and in need of medical care and segregation, and we already maxed out i.c.e. bed space. i go back to is the only other alternative just to release everybody? >> i can't give you an answer on that at this point. what i can tell you is part of the work we have ongoing is to look at the root causes, allow us to do the deeper dive that would help us present

recommendations we think could help solve the problem. management alerts are meant to shine a light on an issue so important or emergent that we don't want to wait for complete reporting and do the work that goes into creating solutions and recommendations, so this is a preliminary snapshot of the issue. we are doing that more in depth dive at this point, hope to have helpful recommendations come out of that work. >> i appreciate that. i think we need triage, long term solutions. thank you. >> the chairman of the committee, mr. nadler, is recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, madam chair. thank you for testifying here today. we appreciate you being here. i want to discuss two management alerts you put out recently focusing on inspection of the el paso processing center. representative lofgren mentioned, we visited that facility in late march. even then, the facility was extremely overcrowded, people were held for long periods of time.

your inspection found things deteriorated even further. report provides evidence of overcrowding, including photographs, cell with maximum capacity of 12 people holding 76, cell with maximum capacity of 8 holding 41. for each of these cells we understand were only examples of overcrowding, could you estimate the size of the cell in terms of length and width? >> i was not personally there, i am going off the same photographs that you have. i could get that information for you as a take back. >> can you describe conditions of the people in the inside of cells and understanding that you were not able to speak with them directly? >> yes. so based on the photographs and the reports back from my team, many of the people in the cells that were over capacity were standing shoulder to shoulder, there wasn't room to sit down or lie down. >> how do they sleep, standing

up? >> it was a challenge. i think we also reported in some instances individuals were standing on top of toilets to get extra breathing room, so it was very, very crowded. and of course that contributes to a lot of issues, including possibility for transmitting infectious disease and -- >> and lack of accessibility of the toilet for use. >> correct. >> what steps were they taking to remedy the situation, toilets used for standing on instead of for use? >> my understanding is that the conditions were what they were. they were trying to triage best as possible as you saw from some photographs. many individuals at that facility were outside for processing and would never have seen the inside of the facility, so they're making use of the outside parking lot space as an effort to triage, release some pressure on the inside of the

facility. some of the detainees are moved to other facilities as quickly as possible, but even with those measures in place, it was still overcrowded in a way -- >> the report says border patrol agents told us, your office, some of the detainees were held in standing room only conditions for days and weeks. >> that's correct. >> based on these admissions, is it your understanding people in the facility were not able to sit or lie down for days or weeks? >> in the most crowded cells we did not go in to speak directly with the individual detainees, i can't comment on personal circumstances but in standing room only conditions, it is hard to imagine how anybody could. >> and they were there for days and weeks. >> that's correct. >> have you ever been in a cbp detention facility where there were individuals not able to stand for 24 hours, or sit for 24 hours, let alone multiple days or weeks? >> i have not personally. my team has seen overcrowding in

its day. this certainly rose to a new level which is part of what prompted us to write management alerts. >> lastly, want to draw attention to a photo on page six. your team observed staff discarding personal items, back packs, suitcases, hand bag's, a child's doll in a dumpster. did you witness cbp staff opening up, reviewing, assessing condition, inventorying items of immigrants before throwing them in a dumpster? >> i did not personally witness it, our team watched as they confiscated materials and discarded them. they were not being individually reviewed. >> they were not individually inventoried. we don't know what they threw out. >> right. when people present valuables, they were tagged, phones, wallets. larger items discarded. >> to the extent you watched them, can you estimate how long it took to assess the condition of an item before throwing it in a dumpster? >> i don't know. it was a fairly fast assessment.

i could get more details on that. >> and finally, staff told you and the investigators it was necessary to dispose of these items, they presented a bio hazard. based on observations regarding staff treatment of personal items, was staff in position to make this assessment that these were all bio hazards, were you satisfied with the justification? >> i am afraid i don't have information on that. i can tell you under ted standards, typically what should happen is all property should be tagged and move with the individual through the facility. this was i think a relatively new explanation we received, the issue of bio hazard. it was clear some items were wet and muddy, others did not appear to be so. >> a lot of belongings were thrown out with no regard given to safeguarding belongings of the people. >> they were being collected and discarded, that's correct. >> thank you very much. my time expired.

>> mr. steube is recognized. >> thank you, madam chair. miss shaw, isn't it true these locations, el paso, rio grande valley were selected because they had seen unprecedented increases in apprehensions? >> that's one of the factors considered. also complaints through the oig hot line, information collected on past inspections, and we rely on investigators that are in the field, familiar with the facilities to help us identify where we ought to be looking. >> by law, cbp is required to place unaccompanied alien children in custody with health and human services, correct? >> i don't know that that's actually the case, but typically for long term detention, uacs are handed off from cbp. >> it is supposed to happen in 72 hours. if hhs doesn't have a shelter space for a child in cbp

custody, i mean, i don't understand what they're supposed to do if there's not a place to take them. should they release the child on the streets within 72 hours provided for in law for the transfer to occur? >> no, i don't think they should do that. that's the issue. they're having to hold people longer than anticipated under the law. >> it is not cbp's problem, it is a problem, but not really their responsibility if they physically don't have anywhere to legally put the child, they're not going to just release the child out and let the child go because that creates a number of different issues. what are they supposed to do if there's not a place to transfer them to in an hhs bed? >> that's the problem we're seeing. they have limited options. they're holding people longer periods of time than 72 hours. >> it is not that they're actively preventing children from being transferred to hhs custody, it is because they don't have a place to take them.

>> so we did not observe any indication that cbp was actively holding uacs or minors back from transfer. i can't say with absolute certainty, we haven't finished our work yet whether cbp has some role in delays in transfer. that's something we would be looking at. for instance, if it is a manual process and there's missing information, but cbp has certainly suggested that lack of space at the hhs facilities is part of the problem in terms of the prolonged detention of uacs. >> in your observation, unaccompanied children are moved to hhs bed space as soon as possible? >> as soon as hhs can notify them and transition can be arranged, yes. >> both reports express concern for welfare of the cbp officers and agents and individuals in custody. wouldn't you agree congressionalal inaction to address this crisis puts law enforcement personnel at increased risk of illness,

anxiety, violence. >> i don't have opinion on that. i can tell you it is creating a pressure situation for agents. we did observe agents stressed, anxious, high incidence of illness, not just agents but their families. >> disease amongst individuals coming into custody, and some are contagious diseases. if officers are -- that's putting them at risk to get the ill nls. >> that's true. >> your office remained unsatisfied with dhs response to management alerts. you state in your testimony your main concern dhs needs to take immediate steps, along the lines of what mr. armstrong was asking. wouldn't the other steps be to release single adults like we are forced to do with family units and admit we have a broken system. what else are you supposed to do with the single adults.

>> i don't have an answer on what the solution to the problem is. we are doing a deeper dive to understand all factors, put forward a more comprehensive set of recommendations. based on the initial observations, which we reported in the management alert, we don't have a position yet on what would solve the problem. >> we're talking about single adults. what if some of those are criminals. wouldn't it be your position you don't want criminals released into the american society? >> so when we go in, we look at compliance with ted standards and standards layout how long people are supposed to stay with cbp. we document and report on issues of noncompliance. i am not going to state opinion on the broader question about immigration policy. >> so you don't have an opinion whether we release criminals from other countries into our country. you don't have an opinion on that? >> i have an opinion, but i am here in official capacity as a member of the ig community, i am not here to express my personal opinions. >> i yield back to the chair. >> the gentleman yields back.

the gentle lady from washington is recognized. >> thank you, madam chair and miss shaw for being here. is it true that there could be many reasons for why there is overcrowding in cbp related to policy choices the administration is making? >> we have not done the work yet to determine what the root causes are, but we expect that there are going to be a range of issues that come together, create a set of circumstances. >> that's why you're doing the root causes examination to see why folks are backing up at the border. earlier you said you were discussing ports of entry question, you said that apprehensions are up and that is for between the legal ports of entry, correct? >> that's right. >> so what happens when you have a policy that blocks legal ports of entry for people to enter into, is it reasonable to say people then if they can't come through legal ports of entry would then be crossing between

legal ports of entry, because we have closed legal ports of entry? >> we have not done extensive work on that. in the family separations report we put out last fall we did identify an instance of at least one, possibly two individuals who had suggested there could be an up tick in illegally border crossings when there's backup at the port of entry. but that's something to look into. >> i want to be sure i respond to colleagues across the aisle who are implying that somehow border crossings are up, but the reason they're up is because in part, and you're going to look at this, you don't need to answer the question, because the trump administration has instituted metering, which essentially closed the legal ports of entry, and as miss lofgren said, we have been to the border many times now, we watched this happening where people are turned back from legal ports of entry because of metering. you didn't look at in your

report whether or not i.c.e. beds were filled to capacity, whether or not hhs had space, you just asked cbp, is that correct? >> that's correct. we did speak with i.c.e. and hhs, maybe just i.c.e., and got some preliminary information, but haven't independently corroborated that information. >> if i.c.e. beds are filled, it could be because we're overusing detention itself. i want to quote, this was in an article in "the wall street journal" that said by talking about this as a resource issue, dhs is trying to convince people that the problem is lack of adequate facilities in which to detain people rather than the overuse of detention itself. before i go to the next questions, i want to call your attention to a buzzfeed article july 10th, 2019, where carla provost, cbp border chief said

hhs didn't have bed space as you had mentioned, but hhs is quoted in that article, mr. webber, saying it has taken every unaccompanied child that was referred. in other words, there was nobody border patrol referred that hhs didn't take. so i hope when you look at root causes, you will carefully examine what space was actually available. i want to follow it up for your other, as you go into root causes discussion, propublica said, this is another piece that needs to go to the question the chairman raised about actions and attitude of border patrol, but border patrol agents were passing around a commemorative coin mocking care for migrant children and just indicated we should keep the caravans coming so the money could continue to flow. let me go to health care. given severe overcrowding and condition people arrived in, did

the team believe there were enough health care staff, including doctors and nurses on site, to treat illnesses on arrival or as a result of the overcrowding in. >> so access to medical care is something we look at. we haven't reported on it yet. we are preparing a report to cover all unannounced inspections, which will include access to medical care. i will tell you beyond a fairly straightforward look at what sort of medical care they're providing in terms of access to individuals, emergency services, we at dhsoig don't have the subject matter ex-perfect teape determine whether it is sufficient. something we are considering, funding permitting, try to contract to bring in some expertise. that's something we could consider looking at in future work. >> last thing to raise, according to notes that record discussions between dhs, and

dhsoig leadership, there were situations a mother gave birth, was returned to cbp custody until the mother was transferred to i.c.e. custody. is it your understanding the newborn accompanied the mother when she was returned to cbp detention, and what justification did they provide for continuing to detain a newborn baby and postpartum mother? >> i'm sorry i don't have information about that particular case. >> thank you. i yield back. >> gentle lady yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. >> thank you, madam chairman. first, to continue that point, whether they come through legal ports of entry or cross the border between ports of entry, have we seen increase in illegal immigration in the past year? >> i can tell you based on apprehension data we got there's a significant increase, particularly in el paso and rio grande valley >> not just increase, significant increase, coming through the legal ports of entry or come illegally across the border itself. >> that's correct.

>> can you tell us, as these illegally immigrants enter, what's done to screen for disease, criminal records, verify actual identity as well as an actual family relationship with the children they're bringing. >> so i can't, i don't have the details. cbp does initial processing. at that point if the adult has arrived with a minor child, they do what they can operationally feasible to evaluate the parental relationship between the child and parent. they do a screening for medical which can vary from asking someone how they're feeling or if they have illnesses to looking for indications of illness. >> suppose someone comes through a legal port of entry through san francisco or new york. >> a legal port of entry? >> a legal port of entry, legal

immigrant entering the country. how is the screening for the issues, disease, criminal record and the like, how is that conducted, how does it differ with those coming illegally across the southern border. >> i see. when someone presents at port of entry without travel documents. >> right. >> right. i would have to get back to determine whether there were material differences in the way they're processed. i'll get back with my staff and get you details on that. >> one of the great concerns is there's little screening going in as far as disease. if you're asking somebody how they're feeling, you're not screening thoroughly for disease. if you're not able to verify their identity, run criminals records, doesn't sound like you're doing much to screen for criminals entering the country. and with the actual family relationships, i am told, perhaps you can help me on this,

that there is a fairly large percentage of children brought into the country by illegally immigrants that are not related to them. >> i heard the reports. we haven't done work on that. >> let me ask you, why aren't you working on that issue? >> resource issue, but something that we are constantly considering. we're looking at issues, doing risk based analysis. >> i think those issues are critical to the security of the southern border, and absolutely central to what's going on down there. >> very important issues, absolutely. >> let me expand on the point mr. steube raised. a child was apprehended by customs and border patrol, have to be released in 72 hours under flores agreement, is that correct? >> yes. >> and if cbp apprehends children, they're only allowed to release them to hhs? >> if it is an unaccompanied

alien child, the child is supposed to be transferred to hhs custody. >> that's not just a choice, that has to happen. they're legally required to release them to that one federal agency, is that correct? >> i believe that's correct. >> and the tbpra requires unaccompanied children being released to the hhs, that hhs is then supposed to process the children, find relatives and foster care for them. so the federal law requires them to be released solely to hhs, the department and regulations, consent decree it is to be done in 72 hours. that's not happening, right? >> correct. we have prolonged detention in many cases. >> so cbp is between a rock and a hard place, they're violating their own regulations and flores agreement by keeping the children, they would be violating by releasing to anyone other than hhs who doesn't have capacity to accept the children,

is that what's going on? >> cbp cannot eskt a transfer to i.c.e. or hhs, they need i.c.e. and hhs to find a suitable place. >> how important is the money the president requested months ago and house democrats delayed before releasing it a week or two ago. >> we have not looked at that. we have ongoing work that is evaluating what cbp plan is for deploying funds. >> how long will it take funds to be deployed? >>o i couldn't tell you. some are meant to be spent this year. there's a small window where it could be spent. >> the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes. >> thank you. i want to thank inspector shaw for being here and testifying. you decided to spot check an

inspection, processing center. you had complaints. who put in complaints? that was one of the reasons you made that inspection happen quickly. >> just to clarify, that's generally how we identify where to go with unannounced inspections. doesn't suggest we got a particular complaint about any particular facility, it is one of the factors we look at. >> the hot line, who calls in, officers working there, citizens? who calls in? >> we get upwards of 30,000 complaints a year that come from everyone across the country. it might be internal, a dhs employee, might be a concerned citizen, sometimes it is an advocate for someone in detention. we get the full range. >> you have visited dozens of detention centers in your career. have you ever seen overcrowding conditions comparable to those we're seeing today? >> our inspections team some of

whom have been doing this a decade had never seen anything like this before. >> looking back at the '80s and '90s, in this country for a number of years from central america. what is it that's different this time? under the obama administration, i remember as a state senator going to visit some of the facilities and i concur with you, i've never seen anything like this. in your deep dive, will you be able to determine what the difference is in terms of what is caused this situation to spring up on us all of a sudden? we will be trying to understand that, and identify those issues within the limits of our jurisdiction. so we oversee the department of homeland security. we will be looking at factors that impact them. we will not be able to opine on broader policy questions but certainly we'll be looking at things like volume and the demographic of folks who are crossing. because obviously the more family units and uac's we

receive, the more constraints there are on space because there are rules. >> you talk about the volume, but i know in the past we've had time periods when the volumes have been comparable. yet the circumstances we see here are not comparable. >> i do know that in 2014, we saw an influx of inaccompanied alien children crossing at that time period we saw high rates, we saw some overcrowding, prolonged detention, but this is something we have not seen before. >> in 20 14, you checked those alien children for criminal back grounds? >> dhs oig? >> yes. >> no, we did no. >> or other agencies. >> i have no information on what dhs might have done in those cases. >> should we be checking those children for criminal back grounds. >> i have no idea. that's not what we do at dh dhs oig. >> as you do your deep dive,

what is it that is different now? again, i've seen this, i know during the salvadoran civil war, massive number of refugees, that was a time period i inspected facilities in the state of california, never have we seen these kinds of conditions. and again, folks at the border being overwhelmed. border check points. crossing between border checkpoints. we've got to figure out the adverse conditions and i hope do you the deep dive and not policy. and give is some facts, compare and contrast, past years versus current years, what have administrations done different that have led to situations less serious than what we have here today? thank you, madam chair, with that, i yield the remainder of my time.

>> in terms of comparable volumes, i understand this isn't your job, but it is the work of the agency that reports these. in 2014, the agency reported and i'm going to ask you if this is correct. i'm not trying to lead you, but ask you if this is approximately correct, the agency reported approximately 2,000 individuals per day crossing the border. and in 2019, we have between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals per day crossing the border. do those individuals sound approximately correct? >> i'm sorry, i don't know that information but i could get back to you with more details on that. >> what you would like to know if there were comparable numbers, i don't believe there were comparable numbers. i believe the surge we have seen in individuals in the last few months, is unprecedented and has

put an unprecedented amount of stress and strain on the system. and so i would appreciate knowing that. you, you were at some of these facilities. >> not me personally, my team. >> and did your team give you feedback? and i'm going to ask you to take your official hat off for a second. as a person, it pains me to see individuals in this kind of crowded condition. did anybody express that to you? >> on my team? >> yes. >> what i can tell you, and i like to stay close to our public reporting. but i can tell thaw the day in a they completed their second day of inspections, the team was concerned and immediately emailed me, with photographs and a summary of what they had seen. based on that information, i made an immediate decision that we needed to put out a management alert and it needed to be done within three to four weeks, so we could shine a light on the issue, because it was

something we had never seen before and the risks associated with the overcrowding. >> as a person there were individuals on the team that were concerned about the conditions that, that these immigrants were being held in. >> absolutely. they immediately identified the risks associated with that. >> were there also concerns about the staff, that was there, and the stress that was placed on the staff? >> we tried to talk to staff when we do these inspections and hear their points of view as well. we did ask them and got information about the higher rates of illness, we did report on some staff experiencing low morale. looking to make early retirement. so we do try to collect that information as well. and we reported on it because we found that also to be a risk factor and concerning. >> i guess what i'm trying to figure out is, were there any staff that were happy that they were working in these kinds of conditions and happy that they were trying, that they were

holding peoplinge ing ing a as being held? >> our observation was that everybody was challenged by this. >> we heard the word torture used earlier by the chairman of the full committee. did your staff or team see any torture? you know what torture is you're an attorney. >> yes. >> there is an international norm for torture. did you see or -- >> we did knoll knot evaluate if torture by any sort of legal definition was taking place. what we do look at are the minimum standards which were not being complied with in terms of overcrowding in terms of the conditions. so we did find that concerning. >> when you do this deep dive will you be looking at the interior of the country and noting the impact that immigration has, particularly on small rural communities, where an influx of individuals can literally bankrupt a school district and in putting stress on a school district having monolingual spanish speaking or foreign speaking students in

that school district and try to still educate english-speaking students where class size is increasing? will you have any deep dive on the effect that vast numbers of illegal immigrants create on a health care system in small or rural communities? will you have any deep dive on the impact that vast numbers of illegal immigrants have on the justice system in, in smaller or rural communities? >> so that's probably beyond the scope of the work that we will be doing. although we always do look to try to understand effect of the findings that we make. so we would be looking at that. but probably not doing the deep dive that i hear you describing. >> and will you in this deep dive look at the causes of why people are coming to this country and the numbers that they're coming to? and especially taking advantage of the asylum laws, if they're being coached to give certain answers when they arrive in this country so they don't identify

economic reaps for being here, but rather they identify personal risks and safety reasons. >> so we'll follow the facts where they lead us. doing in-depth research in a foreign country about the circumstances, there's probably beyond our scope, but certainly at the time that folks are presenting or being apprehended we'll be looking at the reasons that they're giving. we'll be looking at the explanations provided by management and trying to independently corroborate whatever we can. >> my time is up and i yield back. >> thank you so much for putting this hearing together and ms. shaw thaw for being here today. as i understand it, you did not personally visit these centers, but had you a team, right? >> that's correct. >> how much time did they spend there? >> two days in one instance. and i'm trying to remember for the june trips if it was two or three days. >> they were able to get a good

flavor for two days 0or three days of all the operations of these facilities? >> yes. >> yeah. >> well you, were you able to, to identify, i know you said in your testimony you mentioned at-risk populations, which you describe to be the unaccompanied minor children and their families. could you characterize for me just what you mean by at-risk? and what precautions that we're taking for these at-risk populations? >> at risk is defined in the ted standards, it includes minors, pregnant individuals. people whose safety may be compromised for some other reason. that's defined, that's the population that we look at. and in particular, our unannounced inspections this year, we're focused primarily on children so either children who were physically separated from their children while in custody or who had arrived unaccompanied. >> would that also include young

women that were pregnant or came through or anyone that came through with any young children? >> yes. >> newborns or toddlers? >> yes. pregnant women and women traveling with children. >> are pregnant women shackled? >> are pregnant women shackled? >> shackled? i would have to get back to you on that. i don't believe so. but -- >> i know there were some reports on that. did you see any children or anyone under 18 years old shackled in any way? >> no, i don't believe our team observed anybody in the facilities in shackles. >> now i understand that you said that you made reference to someone suggesting that it was a ticking time bomb. that you know, anybody in the texas heat. that has to be standing up. i would dare say for even less than a day, would be i know i would be able to handle it. so what if anything do you think that they should be doing to avoid the potential of a riot or

some serious you know, issues happening to any one of these facilities, particularly in the adult area? >> the short answer is any relief that they can give to the system. would help certainly with the overcrowding and the prolonged detention. we don't yet have work that would allow us to propose solutions. that is part of what we're hoping to do with our deeper dive. but before we can make recommendations, we need to better understand the root causes. the full range of root causes and from there we can inform our recommendations for the department. >> most of those again are impacted by policy decisions made by members, all the way from the white house down on how people should be treated. and how they should be handled, don't you degree? >> i haven't done the work yet. we will report faithfully our findings. >> now tell me again what you plan to do this deep dive? >> we've started the work. it's a deep dive so it's going

to be a lengthier evaluation. it's not something we would want to rush, at the same time we understand it's very time sensitive. we're going to be to be working as expeditiously as we can to get the reporting out. >> what did the people at these facilities tell thaw the folks were eating? >> i'm is sorry. >> could you repeat that? >> what were they eating? >> what were they eating. there was range, i know baloney sandwiches, sometimes if it was possible, frozen food, that had been heated. >> was it the famous frozen burrito? >> it may have been in some instances. >> ho whoever has that contract is doing well. so -- as we reported in one of the management alerts, the children who were supposed to have at least two hot meals a day had not received them until the week of our arrival. and so what we saw was really a range. there was not a lack of food. but you know hot meals -- >> hot meals. >> and a variety. >> and in emergency situations we talk about three hots and a

cot. they're not for sure getting a cot. they're for sure not getting even two hots. not even one hot. >> until the week of our inspection. >> we understood through an foia request that there was not a food contract and pemployees wee using their own credit cards to order $10,000 worth of food each day. are you aware of that? >> that's what we reported. >> do you know why they were not able to correct that. >> i think it's a timing issue. my understand something they've addressed the food contracting issue. if it's the instance i'm thinking of. it just took them longer. >> just quickly for the record, i sit on the education committee of the texas state senate there was never a school district that came to us, to tell us that they were bankrupt. because of migrant children overflow or any spanish speakers, i think that's one of the big myths that goes around among many others. about the impact of immigration. >> the gentlelady's time is

expired. and we would turn now to the gentlelady from florida. miss marcel powell. >> thank you, ms. shaw. thank you for coming in and testifying for that report. the report that was issued by your office showed that the administration is detaining people in horrible inhumane conditions at the border. there's severe overcrowding. at some facilities a cell that is meant for 35 people has over 155 people. they're kept in standing-room cells for days, sometimes weeks as you mentioned, no place to lie down or have any breathing room. i think we're losing all human decency in this country. the reports show there are not showers available. toilets and sinks are not available for the people that have been apprehended. and what was so shocking to me, is that i heard vice president pence when he visited the facilities last week and he saw these inhumane conditions. and he saw for himself, the overcrowded cells that we are

showing, this afternoon in the hearing and his comments were, what we saw today was a facility that is providing care that every american would be proud of. and so -- i ask you, ms. shaw, from what your office saw at these facilities, are these conditions something americans should be proud of? >> so i obviously can't comment on the conditions that vice president pence observed. but from the conditions that our team observed, during our two unannounced inspections, we found serious issues with the overcrowding and prolonged detention which are not in compliance with cbp's own standards for minimum care. >> you believe we could do better than that? >> i think what our reporting shows is that there is room for improvement. >> so and also to reply to some of my colleagues across the aisle that say that we haven't provided the resources, i want to remind everyone here today in

2017, the house of representatives sent 12.2 billion to cbp. and the democratic majority, house of representatives, has sent to date in 2019, $14.7 billion. so the resources are there. the apprehensions are high because we are not processing asylum requests and because this administration has chosen to detain people seeking refuge and asylum. a question that i want to turn to now is the oig's management alert about the rio grande valley facilities. the report states that 31% of the children held at these facilities had been there longer than 72 hours. 165 of the children have been living in these horrible conditions for weeks. ms. shaw, isn't this prolonged detention of the children in violation of the flores agreement? >> the flores agreement does

seek to have children moved out within 72 hours. >> and were, what were the reasons that the cbp gave you for holding these children for so long? >> so cbp's assessment, the individuals we spoke with indicated it was a lack of space available to take both minors and single adults. we have not finished our deep dive to independently corroborate whether that's true. or whether there are other issues impacting that. but that is something that we will be looking at very carefully. >> and did your team find that the children were being kept in cells like you, we described, overcrowded cells where there's not enough room for them to lay down or with basic health sanitation resources? >> so the cells that we observed holding family units, people with children and then also unaccompanied alien children, were overcrowded. it in some instances didn't allow for laying down a mat even though it was possible to lay

down. so that situation was very crowded. maybe not as significant as what we saw at the el paso del norte facility. but certainly concerning and made compliance with the ted standards very difficult. >> did the team that visited the facilities talk about the demeanor of the children? >> they did. you know as you might expect, there's a range. but that is something that we observe when we go on site. and you know, we saw overcrowding. people who had been there a long time. children who were confused about their circumstances and what was happening. >> so it was clear, also, that we continue to separate children from their families at the border. >> well i can tell you in cbp facilities at a minimum there is physical separation happening all the time. simply because the rules dictate what populations are allowed to be detained in the same space with others.

so there may be instances where parents are separated from their children while they're in physical custody. we didn't evaluate whether legal separations or separations with a legal impact were happening. that was outside the scope. >> and the gentlelady's time is expired. >> quickly age range of kids being detained? >> we saw a vast range. i think at one of the facilities or at least in the rio grande valley, we saw at least 50 uac's under the age of seven. >> the gentlelady from texas. ms. escobar is recognized. >> madam chair, thank you so much for holding the hearing today. ms. shaw, thank you for being here. think it's porps that we focus on solutions and while some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to focus on resources i would like to remind them that there was an emergency supplemental passed in february there was another emergency supplemental passed a couple few months later and things haven't

changed. so for many of us it's not simply a question of resources it's a question of policy. i represent el paso, texas at the very hearst of your investigation. and i have seen these conditions over and over again. and so i'm asking you questioning coming from a place of deep knowledge of what's happening in my own community. we've been hearing for a long time that the conditions in cbp are this ways because i.c.e. beds for single adults are not available. isn't it true that cbp has ability to release migrants from custody the same way that i.c.e. does? >> sorry i couldn't answer that question for you. >> it does, and i would like you to include that in your deep dive, please. >> what justification if any of your investigators ask, did cbp provide to explain why it is refusing to release people, even though migrants are suffering in appalling conditions for weeks on end? >> that's not something that we reviewed as part of these

inspections. >> i would like for you all to follow up on that please. is it your understanding that i.c.e. beds are available, but that the agency is refusing to accept single adults in order to insure bed availability for increased interior enforcement, such as the recent raids the administration has ordered? >> i don't have any information on that. i'm sorry. >> i would love for the oig to look into that. because obviously one has to wonder how can the administration conduct such significant interior i.c.e. raids if there are no beds available? i would very much like for to you look into that. also michelle, are you aware that the el paso, border patrol station 1, there is a pretty significant soft-sided facility? >> i believe that's correct, yes. >> and my staff visited border patrol station 1, the week before there was a congressional delegation visit to clint. and there were 2 00 women who

had been held for over a month outdoors, in 90-plus degree heat and just yards away, there was nearly empty soft-sided facility. do you know why that is? >> that's not something that our teams observed. so i'm afraid i don't have any information about that. >> would you all look into that, please? would you mind as a follow-up? cy would ask if you believe there are other policy decisions by the administration, such as family separation that has exacerbated the increasing number of individuals arriving at our border. that by separating families, we could very well, or the trump administration could very well have made challenging situation far, far worse. >> as part of our root cause analysis, we will be looking at various factors. one could be policy. we don't make policy on behalf of the department. we evaluate compliance with

policy. in looking at cause and effect it's something that might come up. >> zat the el paso i.c.e. detention facility. we have heard from lawyers that there are a number of single adults in long-term detention. some up to a year. some longer than a year. essentially being held by the administration, even though they don't have a criminal record. even though they have a sponsor in the country. and have you all looked at anything like that? >> we haven't looked at that specific issue. but we also conduct unannounced inspections of i.c.e. facilities to evaluate their compliance with their own standards. we do interview individuals, hear about how long they've been detained and collect evidence about that. >> i would urge you to do that. we keep hearing over and over again, that we need more i.c.e. beds, the interesting detail,

there has been starting sunday, i.c.e. raids all over the country. where will people go if there are full i.c.e. beds? and also would like for to you look at the long-term detention. i want to say in closing that i find it deeply troubling that at a hearing where we're looking at horrific conditions, for people in our custody that we get a request from the ranking mek, that you look at the impact that spanish speakers are having on schools in rural america. thank you for your time today. >> the gentlelady's time section pyred. the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee is recognized. >> i add my appreciation for the hearing at this time. i thank the assistant attorney inspector general, ms. shaw, i thank you for your presence here. i noticed the date on the initial report. coming from your visit. to the various sites.

it says may 30th. is that the date that the secretary received her report? >> no, that was the date the report was published. for the public. we send over draft reports for management comment. >> what date did the secretary get the report? >> for the may 30th, i believe we sent it to them on may 20th. >> may 20th? >> yes. >> thank you. >> as you well know, you've seen a series of congressional groups, and as well, the vice president. and i assume you watch television, social media and you've seen some similar sights that you've seen? that you saw when you inspected? >> i think so, yeah. >> and so, can you explain to me why the secretary of homeland security and his staff from may 20th, to july 2nd and july 1 st when i was in the area, then

just last week. last thursday for the vice president, why conditions were exactly the same? >> i can't comment on what the conditions were at the time of their visits. so i wouldn't be able to compare them to what we saw. >> do you look at television? >> i don't get to watch much television. >> if it was overcrowding. is that not a challenge that what you reported on may 20th, was still going on on last thursday. >> i can't comment on -- >> if it was, would that be a problem? >> overcrowding of facilities is noncompliance with ted standards, that continues to be a problem. >> it's what you reported to the secretary, is that not correct? >> correct. >> and in your report. let me read into the record, you said this is for your action, is our final management alert. management alert. dhs needs to address dangerous overcrowding among single adults at el paso processing center.

the purpose of which is to notify you of urgent issues that require immediate attention and action. if those same conditions were at another site, say mcallen, would that also require urgent attention. >> depending on the seriousness of the issue, yes. >> if it was the same as what you saw -- >> this level of overcrowding was significant enough that we put out a management alert before continuing our deeper dive. >> do you believe it's important that you had the opportunity to visit without notice? >> yes, i think that that helps us get the best information. >> is that important as far as you can relate, to have the opportunity to visit without notice as relates to oversight? >> for our oversight. we consider it important to be able to come unannounced and see issues as they are that day. >> it might likely be as important for members of congress on the oversight

committees? >> i don't have an opinion on that i'm sorry. >> you mentioned that oversight warrants having the opportunity to visit. let me ask about morale without notice. morale. did you take note of the fact that morale among the staff might be challenged, border patrol? and also that they were experiencing a lot of illnesses. would impact would that be? ? a you will we reported were observations in the information we collected. certainly it seems to be contributed to a very stressful environment. i think folks generally seemed tired and overworked. beyond that, i don't have any additional information. >> you watched a lot of men standing in a crowded circumstance? >> yes in one of the detention holding cells. >> with that kind of crowded atmosphere, without make anything judgments about those individuals, is that something that could possibly create a violent situation, violent

response? a natural normal response, a frustration among those who were detained. not that they are violent. but because of the conditions? >> i i can't make a general statement butky say when we observed in the rio grande valley that tensions were very high and as soon as our presence was known among the detainee, they did express frustration and try to get our attention. it became serious enough that we ceased our work and didn't press further which we would typically do. just in order to make sure that we were maintaining the safety for both personnel. dhs personnel and the detainee. >> you saw children were likewise situated -- >> the gentlelady's time is expired. i want to summarize the top line findings of your july 15

report. my understand something the this report and the one from may and july, all come from the inspector general's office, conducting unannounced inspections at cbp. >> i'm sorry, the july 15 report? >> that's your statement for tod tod today. >> got it. >> on the first page it indicates that your inspectors observed dangerous overcrowding and prolonged detention, is that right? >> that's correct. >> and that included noncompliance with standards applicable to schirld. including lack of access to hot showers and change of clothes. >> and those alerts raised the attention of the dhs leadership and requested immediate action, correct? >> right. >> you recommended that the department of homeland security take immediate steps to alleviate dangerous overcrowding and prolonged detention. >> that's right.

in your conclusions you say the department has not developed a long-term plan to address these issues, is that right? >> that's our understanding, yes. >> and that the department's response to your management alerts is not sufficient. >> correct. >> before december 2018 new york city child had died in customs and border patrol custody in a decade. but at least seven children have died in custody of customs of border patrol since last year. so i think all of us have a lot of concerns about what goes beyond being a troubling statistic. but a horrifying fact. is that children are dying in american custody at the border. correct? >> i think we have confirmed that we have ongoing investigations into several of those deaths. >> i wanted to follow up on exhibit or a figure that chairman nadler was looking at. ask a couple of question. it was figure 5 from the may 13:30th, 2019 report.

>> the explanation for that photo stopped me in my tracks. it indicates that your team saw hundreds of detainees in lines surrendering their valuables to customs and border patrol. so money and phones. but your team also observed staff discarding all other detainee property such as backpacks, suitcases and handbags in a nearby dumpster. and figure 5 which we have up now. showing backpacks, handbags and a doll. these are the detainees' personal possessions, correct? >> correct. >> is it not standard policy to throw away the personal possessions of people seeking asylum in this country, is it? >> no the government standards say you should be bagging and tagging property and it typically would be stored. >> the gentlelady's time actually expired because we got a late time on the clock and i'm

wondering if you could yield back so i can just make a few comments and then we will go to vote because we are over our time. >> of course. >> i would like to -- >> i yield back. >> yield back. >> i would like to make a couple of points. >> dilly was empty and burke was empty when these pictures were taken. so there was capacity in i.c.e., it was unused. it took the obama administration ten days to build a surge capacity in 2014 when there was a surge of individuals coming over unaccompanied minor children. and it is not correct that this is illegal to aid the immigration nationality act provides that individuals seeking asylum may do so. either at ports of entry or between ports of entry. so it would be a miss gnomer to say this is illegal entry. in fact it's provided for in the

immigration and nationality act. i would like to confirm that you, in your further looking will take a look at the border patrol facebook group, the 9,5 00 current and former border patrol members whose postings were racist and dehumanizing. that's part of what you're going to be looking at? >> one of the projects that we recently put a proposal together for and we will be doing, is looking specifically at who within dhs senior leadership was aware of it? how they utilized that site, if at all? and what action has been taken. >> thank you. we have reports out of yuma that are horrifying about conditions and also sadly a report, unconfirmed about an allegation of sexual assault by a border patrol agent. against a 15-year-old. honduran girl. can you confirm that you're looking into these incidents as well? >> i can confirm that we are

investigating the circumstances surrounding allegation of the individual. >> i would ask if possible within your scope. that you take a look to the to see if there are other allegations of sexual abuse that have come in or can be confirmed he we want to make sure that none of that is happening. i understand that you did an inspection of clint before conditions deteriorated. are you going to continue to take a look at border patrol stations? >> we intend to continue our unannounced inspections next year. we don't advertise where we're going. but yes, we'll continue to monitor the situation carefully. >> i would like to close with this. we have a large number of people seeking freedom at our border. pursuant to the immigration nationality act. some of them will qualify, some of them will not. we are seeing a management

failure here. unwillingness or inability to use facilities that are available. instead piling people up in these border patrol stations. the family case management program that was fully funded at the beginning of this year that had a nearly 100% track record for people showing up to their asylum hearings. has not been implemented, with no explanation at all. so i appreciate your appearance here today. your good work. i think we will see you again. and i will now conclude today's hearing. understanding without observation all members have five legislative days to submit additional written questions to the witness or additional materials for the record. without objection, the hearing is adjourned. >> thank you.

spacesuit testers and designers. ryan magata and m.i.t. professor, david newman. >> give you your oxygen. you have to scrub out your

carbon dioxide. you have to worry about thermal temperature control. now you want the person to stay alive, be safe and get their work done. >> at 10 :00 p.m., the 197 0 film -- "moonwalk one" showing prelift-off preparations for apollo one. >> 2:10 and counting. oxidation of the tanks. t-minus 1:35, the third stage completely pressurized. t-minus 60 seconds and counting, we passed t-minus 60. 55 seconds and counting. neil armstrong reported back that he received good wishes, thank you very much. we know it will be a good flight. >> and sunday on oral histories at 8 :00 a.m. eastern, apollo 11 flight director gene kranz talks about training for the mission,

spacecraft problems and the july 20th moon landing. >> and they're all cheering and you get this weird feeling, it's chilling that it soaks in through the room and i get it and say my god, we're actually on the moon. explore our nation's past on american history tv. all weekend, every weekend. only on c-span 3. this weekend on our companion network, c-span. congressman derek kilmer. chair of the new democrat coalition. will join us to discuss his legislative priorities. he's on newsmakers, sunday at 10 :00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span.

a hearing from a house ways and means subcommittee about how last year's tax law increased taxes on many people because of the cap on deductions for state and local taxes. local officials from new york, ohio, pennsylvania and virginia testified at the hearing. >> subcommittee will come to order. subcommittee on select revenue measures is gathered today to hear testimony in how recent limitations to the s.a.l.t. deduction armed communities, schools, first responders and housing values. before i begin my opening statement, i would like to yield to the chairman of the full ways and means committee, richard neil for his opening remarks. >> thank you, chairman thompson. i want to acknowledge you for indumpinging me with time to speak. your leadership on this committee and the s.a.l.t. workin