STAND FOR JUSTICE: BRING DETAINEES HOME

On 2025-05-01, Representative Maxine Dexter (D-OR-3) delivered a floor speech titled "STAND FOR JUSTICE: BRING DETAINEES HOME" in the House.

STAND FOR JUSTICE: BRING DETAINEES HOME

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 73 (Thursday, May 1, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 73 (Thursday, May 1, 2025)] [House] [Page H1788] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] STAND FOR JUSTICE: BRING DETAINEES HOME (Ms. DEXTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, the emergency isn't coming. It is here. Donald Trump is abducting American children. He is detaining judges. He is disappearing people into foreign prisons. This is authoritarianism in full view. I didn't come to Congress to sit back while democracy is dismantled. To the contrary, I will use every tool at my disposal to protect our democracy. When the people of Gresham, Hood River, and Portland demanded action, I went to El Salvador because we have to stand up for due process. As a critical care physician, I am trained to act. I am trained to do everything in my power to address the crisis in front of me. When we sat down with the U.S. Embassy, one thing was chillingly clear: Donald Trump has done nothing, not one thing, to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia or any of the detainees home. Their families haven't heard a word--no calls, no updates, and no proof of life, just silence. Here is what gives me hope: Yesterday, Mohsen Mahdawi, a detained Columbia student, was released on bail. He said something we all need to hold close: We must ``believe in the inevitability of justice.'' I will stand for justice. I encourage my colleagues to stand for justice, and I look forward to the fight ahead. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rulli). Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President. ____________________