Representative Salud Carbajal began his second term in Congress this week investigating the death of 8-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo, who died while in U.S. Customs and Border Patrol custody on December 24, 2018. Carbajal was one of several Democratic congressional members to visit the Alamogordo, New Mexico, facility and the New Mexico Highway 70 checkpoint on Monday morning. Gomez Alonzo and his father were held at both locations.
In a press conference following the tour, the members of Congress criticized President Trump’s claims of a national security crisis at the border. Instead, they described the situation as a humanitarian crisis and said Trump’s policies were exacerbating the issue by forcing people to cross illegally when they were turned away from ports of entry. Carbajal spoke about “inadequate medical care” and an “inadequate plan to get [migrants] food” at the facilities they visited. “No American would be proud of the way we’re treating these folks,” said Texas Representative Joaquin Castro.
The Independent caught up with Carbajal following his tour. He talked about the border wall, government shutdown, and the 116th Congress. What follows is an edited version of the conversation.