Kamlager-Dove Discusses Juvenile Justice, Eyvin Hernandez, Treatment of Migrants on Spectrum News 1 SoCal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 23, 2023
Media Contact: Maya Valentine | maya.valentine@mail.house.gov
WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) joined Catalina Villegas on Spectrum News 1 SoCal's "Your Weekend" to discuss her juvenile justice reform legislation, Eyvin Hernandez, and Governor Abbott's inhumane treatment of migrants. Below are excerpts from her interview and a link to the video.
To watch her full interview, click here.
ON JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM
"Well, you know, the United States houses more juveniles in correctional facilities than any other country in the world, and I think that is egregious. So my bill, the Childhood Offenders Rehabilitation and Safety Act is really designed to help juveniles while they're in the system and to help them access services when they get out. We know that so many young people are traumatized before they find their way into the system. Then they're traumatized while they're in these correctional facilities, and they do not have opportunities to succeed once they are released. And so my bill is going to address all 3 aspects of that journey that our young people face who are touched by the carceral system."
"Sure. It's also about, you know, Miranda Rights, making sure that young people are read [their Miranda Rights], making sure that they have adults with them present when they're interrogated by the police, making sure that they also have adults present with them before they have to sign any kind of documents, and then making sure that they're tracked and given services while they are in these facilities and then when they come out. This is a bipartisan package, so we actually have a couple of Republicans who have joined us to author this piece of legislation in this package of legislation. Interestingly enough, the Republican who’s on board is introducing a piece of legislation that I got passed in the California Legislature a couple of years ago. My bill is AB 124, which has to do with young people and women and who sort of attack or survive and go after folks who are trafficking them or prostituting them. So the goal is to get more Republicans on board so that this has a better chance of succeeding in this term."
ON EYVIN HERNANDEZ
"So, we introduced this...resolution. My hope is that we will have a chance to vote on it in markup in [the] Foreign Affairs [Committee]...It, too, has bipartisan support. Eyvin Hernandez is an angel from the City of Angels, and he was essentially kidnapped on the Colombian-Venezuelan border over a year ago. He finally has been designated as unlawfully detained, which means the Special Envoy has been able to visit him. He’s had 4 visits from the State Department, and so the resolution is really designed to put pressure on the State Department and the [Biden] Administration to use all of the tools in their toolkit to bring Eyvin Hernandez home. He's a public defender for Los Angeles County. He's a mentor. He's a son. He's an uncle. He's helped so many young people navigate the bar [exam], their LSATs, and their journey into being young lawyers across Los Angeles. He's been fighting for so many of the voiceless, and it's really time that this country fights for him."
GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S IMMIGRATION POLICIES
"...Governor Abbott is sick. I’ve actually signed a letter asking the [Biden] Administration to take action against Governor Abbott because of this. It’s inhumane. It's a political stunt. He is using migrants as political pawns. The other thing he's doing is actually putting barbed wire in the rivers, trapping migrants as they try to cross. It happened with a pregnant migrant who miscarried as a result, so these tactics are inhumane. And they are not moving the needle as it relates to better immigration policy. They are just, you know, revealing that this man is barbaric."
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