Last Thursday, after an unconscionable delay, Congress passed an emergency funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), two federal agencies leading the United States’ response to the humanitarian and security crisis on the southern border.

A week ago, I made a now-familiar journey to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where I visited two U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities that serve as migrants’ first point of contact once they reach the border. Recently, an unprecedented number of people have entered the U.S. without legal status, overwhelming all personnel and resources allocated for migrant care.

It takes a team effort to process and care for migrants who enter the U.S. While CBP centers serve as migrants’ first stop in the country, the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) cares for the unaccompanied alien children who arrive without a parent.

As both a physician and a Texan, I take oversight of border operations seriously. In 2014, our nation experienced the ramifications of President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which resulted in thousands of unaccompanied children embarking on the dangerous trip through the Mexican desert to cross our border. I began taking regular trips to ORR shelters in Texas and around the country, where I found alarming conditions at facilities run by the previous administration.

Thanks to our work in Congress, conditions in ORR shelters drastically improved in the past five years. Though Obama-era shelters were operating without even a doctor on staff, HHS now provides medical and mental health care, education, clothing, nutritious meals, toiletries (including soap and toothbrushes), well as other critical services – such as screening for human trafficking – to all unaccompanied children.

Let’s be clear: The men and women of ORR do not separate families (neither does any other federal agency – except to remove children from dangerous situations such as the custody of human traffickers or violent felons). They do not restrain or detain children. They do not keep kids in cages. ORR officials simply care for unaccompanied children in specially-designed shelters before they are placed with a verified sponsor, usually a family member, in the United States.

This spring’s unprecedented surge of border crossings has interrupted the federal government’s ability to care for migrants. Under law, all unaccompanied children who reach a CBP processing center must be transferred to an ORR shelter within 72 hours. Unfortunately, ORR is currently near capacity (about 14,500 beds), so children are staying longer in CBP facilities due to the lack of space.  

Given the numbers, this reality is less than surprising. In May 2018, almost 52,000 people crossed the border. This year, CBP stopped nearly 150,000 migrants in May alone. At this rate, the U.S. government is simply unequipped to handle the humanitarian and security crisis that is steadily worsening.

For years, I have been sounding the alarm on the need for additional support. Since 2014, I have traveled to the border ten times and have made numerous trips to ORR shelters. Last August, I traveled to Central America – alone, because I couldn’t find a House Democrat willing to go – to see firsthand the conditions that spur people to leave their home countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Though the House finally cleared a supplemental funding bill to provide desperately-needed resources last week, this short-term fix is not a real solution.

To change the status quo, Congress must act. We should begin by ensuring that CBP, HHS, and other agencies are fully-equipped to enforce the laws that Congress passed. Then, we must work together to find realistic solutions that will create effective border security, including enhanced barriers. Finally, Congress must ensure that taxpayers’ foreign aid dollars are helping to build a better life for those in need – and not lining the pockets of corrupt officials in Central America.

The tragic situation on the border is beyond denial, and I am relieved that Democrats finally are opening their eyes. It is past time for Congress to deliver the results that Americans expect from their elected officials. For the sake of the American people, our international neighbors – and yes, for the children – we must put aside petty politics and pass real solutions that can become law. I can’t speak for others, but I am ready to get this job done.

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