During a House Appropriations Committee Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing, Rep. Pete Aguilar questioned Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chad Wolf about the Trump Administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) policy, otherwise known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Recent reports from organizations like Human Rights First and Doctors Without Borders show that MPP subjects refugees and asylum seekers to dangerous conditions as they wait in Mexico to have their asylum cases processed. As a result, these migrants face violent crimes such as rape, murder and kidnapping at alarming rates.

When asked by Rep. Aguilar to acknowledge that DHS’s policy puts migrants in immediate danger, Acting Secretary Wolf responded, “I don’t have any specific information regarding the MPP program and the violence that you described.”

After the hearing, Rep. Aguilar commented, “I’ve been to the border communities where these migrants have been forced to camp out in dangerous and inhumane conditions, and seen firsthand the risks they face as a result of MPP. These are people fleeing unimaginable violence and seeking refuge in the United States, but DHS policies put them right back in harm’s way. It’s inexcusable that Acting Secretary Wolf won’t acknowledge the damage his policies are causing.”

The full exchange can be viewed here.