Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio says he was denied access over the weekend to a Customs and Border Control detention facility in Texas that houses migrant children.
Brown wanted to see the facilities that some other lawmakers have described as cramped and smelly. Brown blames top administration officials for wanting to keep him from seeing inhumane treatment there. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.
Brown says he doesn’t blame the federal workers who prevented access.
“I blame the president, vice president and top people at these agencies who clearly are implementing a policy that is anti-American, un-American, and contrary to our values and morally reprehensible when you separate children from their parents. Period.”
Brown says he is backing new legislation that will mandate health screenings, nutritious food and reasonable basic accommodations for those being held in these facilities. And he says the family separations need to stop now. Republican Senator Rob Portman also visited the border this weekend and says more needs to be done to solve the crisis. He plans to speak to reporters about his experience soon.