Gonzales defends conditions at Texas detention center with measles outbreak

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Rep. Tony Gonzales said Sunday that the Texas migration detention halfway successful which 5-year-old Liam Ramos was detained is "nicer than immoderate simple schools" amid reports of a measles outbreak and disapproval of the conditions from migration activists.

"The installation successful Dilley, I've visited determination galore times," Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, said Sunday connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." "I've visited dozens of facilities. It is simply a bully facility. It's a detention installation for radical that are successful the state illegally that are astir to beryllium deported but it is simply a bully facility. Nicer than immoderate simple schools."

Gonzales did not elaborate connected the conditions of the detention center, which is located successful Dilley, Texas, but called it "nice." The Dilley installation is the lone migration detention halfway successful the state that holds children and families, and migration activists person described the conditions arsenic unsafe, according to the Texas Tribune. CBS News has reached retired to the Department of Homeland Security for remark connected this.

In February, DHS announced that it had halted "all movement" astatine the Dilley Immigration Processing Center aft 2 inmates had had "active measles infections."

Gonzales argued that Ramos, who on with his parents entered the United States utilizing the now-defunct CBP One app, would not "qualify for asylum."

"It breaks my heart," Gonzales said of the detention of Ramos. "I person a five-year-old astatine home. I besides think, what astir that five-year-old U.S. citizen?"

In January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Ramos and his begetter during the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge," which has targeted undocumented immigrants successful the Minneapolis area, the latest of its migration crackdowns crossed the country. Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were released from custody and returned to Minneapolis. The cognition has resulted successful the deaths of 2 American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Gregory Bovino, the commander-at-large of the Border Patrol who led the operation, has since near Minneapolis.

The Texas Republican said feeling "compassionate" is not a obstruction to enforcing migration laws successful a "humane way."

"And I deliberation that's the concealed condiment that the medication and Congress indispensable do," Gonzales said. "Let's enforce our laws, but let's bash it successful a humane way."

President Trump's migration policy, which promised wide deportations, is facing backlash with Democratic candidates making sweeping gains successful elections, including successful Texas. Texas Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Louisiana Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez defeated their Republican opponents successful peculiar authorities elections successful the astir caller races, and some successful districts that President Trump won by treble digits.

"Very aboriginal on, I mentioned, 'Hey, if we spell down this way arsenic a party, we're not going to beryllium successful,'" Gonzales said. "And we're seeing immoderate of that with immoderate of these peculiar elections that are happening."

The administration's attack to migration has faced criticism. A caller CBS News poll shows that portion 50% of the nationalist enactment Mr. Trump's migration goals, lone 37% o.k. the methods helium is utilizing to behaviour deportation operations.

"If you spell into a jailhouse and you spell compartment by cell, that makes a batch much consciousness to American radical than going location by house, going, 'are you American, a national oregon not?,'" Gonzales said arsenic helium urged the medication to "shift" however it is communicating with the public.

As backing for the Department of Homeland Security is acceptable to expire connected Friday, Democrats successful Congress are demanding respective revisions to the bureau and however ICE and CBP administer migration operations. Among them are judicial warrant requirements to participate homes, mandatory assemblage cameras, and displaying IDs.

Gonzales said Congress needs to "work it through." He said that helium thinks assemblage cameras "make a batch of sense," but requiring a judicial warrant by judges who "all implicit the state spell beyond their level of authority" to "roadblock" migration enforcement operations and not support communities safe.

"Administrative warrants work," Gonzales said. "I privation to springiness instrumentality enforcement each instrumentality they request to spell retired and apprehend these convicted criminals that are escaped successful our community. To me, that makes a batch of sense. Why you would privation to shackle your ain instrumentality enforcement from keeping our assemblage harmless makes nary consciousness to me."

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