{"id":32636,"date":"2018-06-04T13:03:35","date_gmt":"2018-06-04T20:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=32636"},"modified":"2018-06-04T13:03:35","modified_gmt":"2018-06-04T20:03:35","slug":"merkley-rebuffed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2018\/06\/04\/merkley-rebuffed\/","title":{"rendered":"Merkley Rebuffed"},"content":{"rendered":"

From time to time I get a reminder of why I took the time in 2008 to volunteer for the campaign of Jeff Merkley [D-OR], who defeated Goose-step Gordon Smith in the US Senate and is now serving in his second term.  Today was one of those days, as Jeff traveled to Texas to stand-up for kids that Republicans had ripped from their parent’s arms and warehoused there.<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\"0604MerkleyIDC\"<\/p>\n

America’s inhumane<\/a> immigration system has come under growing scrutiny in recent days after President Donald Trump introduced his new policy<\/a> of separating migrant children from their families, and when a sitting U.S. senator attempted on Sunday to examine the conditions of one immigrant detention center in Texas\u2014where "hundreds" of children are reportedly being held<\/a>\u2014facility staff refused to allow him inside and called the police<\/a>.<\/p>\n

"The attorney general’s team and the Office of Refugee Settlement, they don’t want anyone to know what’s going on behind these doors," Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore) said after arriving at the Brownsville, Texas facility, which is run by the Southwest Key Program (SKP), a "non-profit<\/a>" government contractor.<\/p>\n

Merkley didn’t simply arrive at the facility unannounced. As the Oregon senator explains at the outset of his video [click through to see<\/em>] of the attempted visit, he contacted federal officials and SKP to request access to the detention center, which is a former Walmart with completely blacked-out windows.<\/p>\n

After Merkley repeatedly asked officials at the facility to allow him to speak with a supervisor who could give him a tour, local police arrived and questioned the senator about his attempted entry. When a supervisor did finally emerge, he wouldn’t answer Merkley’s questions or provide any information…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

From <Common Dreams<\/a>><\/font><\/p>\n

Here’s a brief clip<\/a> from a local Portland station.  The article has a longer one.<\/font><\/p>\n