Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-06-24

CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT

ImmigrationTaxesHousingLabor

Context

On 2026-06-24, Representative Analilia Mejia (D-NJ-11) delivered a floor speech titled "CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT" in the House.

Full Text

CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [House] [Page H4219] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT (Ms. Mejia of New Jersey was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Ms. MEJIA. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise with a complaint. A few days ago, while my colleagues in the New Jersey delegation and I attempted to carry out our oversight responsibilities at Delaney Hall, we found ourselves blocked by ICE and its contractor, GEO Group. While we can debate the abhorrent actions of this administration toward immigrants and Americans alike, what we should not debate is our right to carry out our duties on behalf of the American people. The bottom line is, Members of this governing body have a duty to oversee all aspects of our government and its entities. We have a duty to ask hard questions and challenge injustice, even when it is carried out by our own government. I have walked the halls of Delaney and Elizabeth Detention Centers. My account of medical abuse and neglect have been direct and truthful. Every American should be concerned about what Members of our delegation have relayed. They should be concerned of the persecution of one of our own Members, and they should demand that oversight continues. Today, the rights at risk are those on the margins, but ultimately injustice can and will come for us all. Commitment to Protect Our Freedoms Ms. MEJIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in a moment in which our Nation both celebrates its first founding while simultaneously forces within it attack the essence of its second. As we reflect on our Nation's 250th anniversary, I pause to recognize the democratic values hardwired into the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, amendments that defined the American freedoms we fight to preserve and restore today. Ratified on July 9, 1868, and debated in this very Chamber, the 14th Amendment is one of the most transformative amendments in American history. It fundamentally expanded who counts in American democracy and established the principle that everyone born in these United States belongs here and deserves equal protection under the law. The word ``transformative,'' in fact, falls short. Because of the 14th Amendment, individuals who walked these hallowed Halls were able to fight for marriage equality, bodily autonomy, equal access to public education, public housing, the right to form a union, collectively bargain, and much, much more. To put it simply, for more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has undergirded much of what we fight to enact and strive to defend in this Hall. Those protections have been under attack since their inception, but in recent years, these attacks have escalated, stripping some protections from the hands of our fellow Americans. This is why I rise at this moment, to remind my colleagues and fellow Americans about what is truly at stake. Those privileged and blessed to represent our fellow Americans have a special charge in this moment. I take that charge seriously, with a commitment to protect our freedoms today and for those who will come after us, generations to come. ____________________

View original source →

CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [House] [Page H4219] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT (Ms. Mejia of New Jersey was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Ms. MEJIA. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise with a complaint. A few days ago, while my colleagues in the New Jersey delegation and I attempted to carry out our oversight responsibilities at Delaney Hall, we found ourselves blocked by ICE and its contractor, GEO Group. While we can debate the abhorrent actions of this administration toward immigrants and Americans alike, what we should not debate is our right to carry out our duties on behalf of the American people. The bottom line is, Members of this governing body have a duty to oversee all aspects of our government and its entities. We have a duty to ask hard questions and challenge injustice, even when it is carried out by our own government. I have walked the halls of Delaney and Elizabeth Detention Centers. My account of medical abuse and neglect have been direct and truthful. Every American should be concerned about what Members of our delegation have relayed. They should be concerned of the persecution of one of our own Members, and they should demand that oversight continues. Today, the rights at risk are those on the margins, but ultimately injustice can and will come for us all. Commitment to Protect Our Freedoms Ms. MEJIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in a moment in which our Nation both celebrates its first founding while simultaneously forces within it attack the essence of its second. As we reflect on our Nation's 250th anniversary, I pause to recognize the democratic values hardwired into the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, amendments that defined the American freedoms we fight to preserve and restore today. Ratified on July 9, 1868, and debated in this very Chamber, the 14th Amendment is one of the most transformative amendments in American history. It fundamentally expanded who counts in American democracy and established the principle that everyone born in these United States belongs here and deserves equal protection under the law. The word ``transformative,'' in fact, falls short. Because of the 14th Amendment, individuals who walked these hallowed Halls were able to fight for marriage equality, bodily autonomy, equal access to public education, public housing, the right to form a union, collectively bargain, and much, much more. To put it simply, for more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has undergirded much of what we fight to enact and strive to defend in this Hall. Those protections have been under attack since their inception, but in recent years, these attacks have escalated, stripping some protections from the hands of our fellow Americans. This is why I rise at this moment, to remind my colleagues and fellow Americans about what is truly at stake. Those privileged and blessed to represent our fellow Americans have a special charge in this moment. I take that charge seriously, with a commitment to protect our freedoms today and for those who will come after us, generations to come. ____________________