Instead of incarcerating refugee children from countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, Oregon Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio says the U.S. should invest in those countries to reduce violence and poverty.
DeFazio says he voted for a House bill last week that would have required the Homeland Security Department to improve the conditions for children detained at the U.S. border. He opposed the Senate bill which included more enforcement funding. DeFazio says the violence families are fleeing in Central America could be addressed with U.S. aid.
“There’s so many good things we could be doing to help lessen the problems than giving them more reasons to try to escape.”
DeFazio is raising money for the organization, Kids in Need of Defense, or KIND. It helps provide migrant children with legal resources.
