WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) will travel to the Texas border with eight other House Members to visit a detention center and observe the mass prosecutions of border crossers. The trip is scheduled to take place from Thursday, July 19, through Saturday, July 21, and will be led by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). During the visit, Rep. Sewell will visit the Port Isabel Detention Center, an adult detention center, as well as the Brownsville Port of Entry, the initial point of entry and detention for many asylum seekers.

“This week’s trip to the border is a chance for lawmakers to see firsthand how President Trump is treating immigrant families seeking shelter” said Rep. Terri Sewell. “The United States is a country of immigrants with a proud legacy of protecting families fleeing violence and persecution. By tearing children from their parents and by placing them in long-term detention, President Trump has failed that legacy. Dr. King once said that, ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ With this week’s tour of the border, Members from across the country are taking a stand against the injustice and abuse committed by the Trump Administration against families seeking shelter in the United States.”

Rep. Sewell is a cosponsor of the Keep Families Together Act, a bill which would prohibit the Trump Administration from separating immigrant children from their families, except in extraordinary circumstances.

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Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) is serving her fourth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional district. She sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was recently appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Sewell is a Chief Deputy Whip and serves on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee of the Democratic Caucus. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and serves as Vice Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, and Vice Chair of Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition.