Rep. Veronica Escobar

escobar.house.govRepresentatives Escobar, Salazar Reintroduce the Dignity ActAfter more than two years of negotiation, there is an updated compromise that addresses legal status and protections for undocumented immigrants, border security, asylum reform, and visa reform.

15 July 2025

Our immigration system is broken and hasn’t been meaningfully updated in decades. That’s why today I introduced a comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform bill known as the Dignity Act. escobar.house.gov/news/documen...

As they say… allow me to reintroduce myself.

nytimes.comHow Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal TaxesMeta is exploiting a lucrative tax break intended to support research and experimentation. Its own accountants say the gambit is risky.

An almost $2 trillion corporation using tax loopholes to get richer off of American taxpayers. I'm working on a bill to close this now. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/t...

17 Sept

Republican leadership says they have been the most “productive” and “successful” Congress in decades - even though they just canceled Congress for 7 more weeks. So what have they accomplished? Great question.

Trump's war in Iran has cost Americans $38 billion. With that money, we could've funded more than 3 years of Head Start. We could've paid for almost 5 million people to get a two year degree at a community college.

That's enough to forgive student loan debt for nearly a million borrowers. We could've built over 73,000 affordable housing units across the country. There's so many other things we could've funded to improve your life , but the Trump administration started this reckless war.

What we choose to fund is a statement of our values. The Trump administration is prioritizing its war in Iran instead of prioritizing you.

politico.comCorporate tax payments plunge as AI feasts on new incentivesA generous tax break on capital investments Republicans created in 2025 wasn't designed specifically for the AI boom, but hyperscalers are making the most of it.

Republicans kicked millions off their healthcare and food assistance programs with their One Big Beautiful Bill. But another less talked about provision? Massive corporate tax breaks that AI and data center companies are eagerly taking advantage of. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

14 Sept

Imagine if the president cared about making your life better with the same intensity and dedication he has for trolling and pettiness?

One year since Camp East Montana opened, and there is nothing to celebrate. DHS rushed this facility into operation in August 2025, and since then at least three detainees have died – including one homicide.

Every person held there is entitled to safety (including medical care), dignity, and due process. And every community, including El Paso, is entitled to the truth about what is being done in our name.

While today marks a year of devastating abuses, I will continue using every oversight and legislative tool available to force accountability at Camp East Montana.

Witnesses have raised disturbing allegations of staff involvement, yet DHS continues to withhold basic transparency from Congress and the public.

Yesterday, I joined advocates to mark this anniversary because silence is not an option. The federal government does not lose its constitutional obligations at the gates of a detention center.

In 2024, I was proud to secure $550,000 in funding to help El Paso purchase dump trucks and a bulk-waste loader. These vehicles will remove illegally dumped waste from rural areas and county roadways, protect our waterways, and support our community during flooding and other critical emergencies.

I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security has transferred the Socorro warehouses to the General Services Administration (GSA). This means the warehouses will be put up for sale and they will no longer be used by the federal government for detention purposes.

My team and I have worked diligently to elevate these issues within DHS and ICE and ensure that the voices of our community were heard. My priority is to work with Socorro leadership to support our shared constituents and their needs.

This news will help all of us focus on that path ahead instead of the greater challenges a massive detention facility would bring. I will continue to productively advocate for our community and what is in the best interests of all of us.

The community of Socorro has been working on an economic development vision and plan to grow their economy while embracing their rich history.

The community has also faced challenges with water, wastewater, and general infrastructure, making the purchase of these facilities for detention a terrible idea to begin with, threatening their ability to execute on their future plans and growth.

9 Aug

As videos of bulldozers at Big Bend go viral, it’s a sad reminder that back in June, we put forth a proposal on the House Appropriations Committee that would ban a wall at Big Bend National Park. Every Democrat supported this while every Republican - even those from Texas - voted against it.

www.texastribune.org/2026/06/10/t...

9 Aug

texastribune.orgBig Bend barrier ban dies in House Appropriations CommitteeDemocratic Rep. Henry Cuellar sought to bar the Trump administration from using federal funds to build border barriers in the national park, which is rarely traversed by migrants.

apnews.comAP Exclusive: Trump's immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parentsAn Associated Press investigation reveals that President Donald Trump’s administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops.

5 Aug

Yesterday while conducting an oversight visit at Camp East Montana, I met the wife of an active duty service member being held despite the fact that she was awaiting her immigration case appeal. apnews.com/article/mili...

5 Aug

My heart breaks for her, her children and the soldier who must feel so betrayed by the country he is sacrificing for. There are far too many families like theirs who are being targeted instead of supported.

5 Aug

I renew my call to colleagues of mine who haven’t yet co-sponsored my bipartisan Dignity Act, the only comprehensive immigration bill supported by members of both parties. This insanity must end and Congress needs to act with urgency.

elpasomatters.orgEstrella del Paso shuts down Unaccompanied Children’s Program as Trump ends funding - El Paso MattersThe nonprofit, a ministry of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, provided free and reduced legal services to unaccompanied migrant children. Without federal funding, the organization shut down its childr...

Today, immigrant children will not have legal representation in court because the Trump administration chose to eliminate a program for them. Over 20,000 children will have to fight deportation alone, and will likely be sent back to the very danger they fled 🧵 elpasomatters.org/2026/07/31/e...

The government owes Estrella $765,000 for work performed.  This program did not fail. The administration starved it of resources until El Paso’s only provider could no longer continue. Other providers across the country are being forced to do the same.

The measure of our country is not the power we wield against a child, but what we do when a child stands alone before it. It’s clear that the Trump Administration has no interest in protecting children, choosing instead to abandon them.

escobar.house.govCongresswoman Escobar Leads Texas Democratic Delegation in Letter to HHS, ORR on Unaccompanied Minors

I won’t be silent. On July 16, I led the Texas Democratic delegation in demanding answers. We warned HHS not to relocate children away from their homes, lawyers, and support systems, and demanded the release of overdue funds. escobar.house.gov/news/documen...

Today, in El Paso, Estrella del Paso, the only provider of legal services for unaccompanied children in our community, is closing its program because the government still has not paid and its cash reserves are exhausted.

thecityreporter.nycInside the NYC Courtroom Where Detained Children Face Deportation Without AttorneysAround 20,000 unaccompanied minors nationwide are set to lose legal services when the federal government ends a contract Friday. One NYC immigration court shows us what that will look like.

Look at what already happens when children have no lawyers. In New York, children as young as THREE are appearing in deportation court alone.  Judges ask why they came and whether they fear returning – answers that determine their safety and future. www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/07/31/u...

We do not expect a three-year-old to read, complete government forms, or understand what asylum means. Yet they expect children to identify their legal rights and defend themselves against trained government attorneys.  Is that what the Trump Administration calls justice?

abcnews.comThousands of unaccompanied migrant children could lose legal representation this weekThousands of unaccompanied migrant children could lose legal representation as soon as Friday, advocates and immigration lawyers tell ABC News.

Since December, HHS has withheld $65 million for work already performed. The condition for a renewed contract? Providers turn over confidential client-level data about the children they represent and their sponsors. abcnews.com/US/thousands...

texastribune.orgTrump admin asks Texas for legal help representing immigrant kidsImmigration rights experts worry that the recent inquiry is the latest sign Trump is interested in transferring unaccompanied minors to the state, where it is easier to quickly deport them.

Meanwhile, the administration asked a Texas commission that funds criminal defense - NOT immigration cases - to provide these services. With resources closing nationwide, advocates fear children will be moved to Texas to deport them faster. www.texastribune.org/2026/07/03/t...

In 2008, Congress unanimously passed a bipartisan law directing HHS to ensure, “to the greatest extent practicable,” that unaccompanied children have legal, just representation.  For nearly two decades, our government honored that duty. Donald Trump is dismantling it.

This is the reality: babies who cannot speak or walk. Toddlers whose feet don’t touch the courtroom floor. Children who do not understand the language – all forced to face deportation alone.  This is an all-out war on due process rights of children who cannot defend themselves.

Every El Pasoan knows where they were on August 3rd, 2019. Today remains a solemn day, and despite the passing of time, seven years later our community continues to feel the pain, loss, and devastation from the senseless violence of that day.

I know that many continue to live with the ongoing trauma of that day, and we must continue to be supportive as the journey toward healing continues. While we remember the 23 loved ones ,taken from us, I remain grateful for how our city came together in the days, months and years since.

I’m thinking today of those families still mourning their loved ones, and of the El Pasoans who struggle with their injuries, both visible and invisible.

nytimes.comAfter Obamacare Cuts, Hospitals Are Treating More Uninsured PatientsMore people who lost coverage after congressional Republicans ended enhanced federal subsidies are now seeking care in emergency rooms and unable to pay bills.

30 July

Republicans told you they were getting rid of fraud, waste, and abuse.   Instead, they made an already fragile healthcare system much more strained by forcing people off their insurance. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/b...

24 July

Over the past two years, Republicans have used their power in DC to: - Kick millions of people off their healthcare and SNAP - Give billionaires and corporations massive tax breaks - Enable another forever war in Iran - Give ICE billions of dollars - Blow up our deficit

Republicans are sending nearly $100 billion more of your tax dollars for a war nobody wants in Iran. They are doing absolutely nothing to address the economic crisis created by Donald Trump. Budgets and what we choose to fund are about our priorities, and Republicans aren’t prioritizing you.

washingtonpost.comRepublicans press Smithsonian museum leader in contentious Hill hearingThe lawmakers called attacks on the museum “revisionist history” after a White House report accused it of “ideological capture.”

“[Authoritarian governments target museums] because they believe that’s where you can control people’s minds. You can sustain a social order. You can control education. You can control the arts. You can control writing and creativity itself.” - David Blight www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...

cbpp.orgNumber of Children Receiving SNAP Continues to Drop Under Harmful 2025 Republican Reconciliation LawIn the 19 states with publicly available data or that have shared unpublished data, the harmful Republican reconciliation law has taken SNAP food assistance away from more than 1 million children...

Republicans will see that nearly 600k children in Texas were kicked off SNAP and try to convince you that they and their families were all committing fraud. The truth is Republicans chose to prioritize tax breaks for corporations and billionaires over feeding children. www.cbpp.org/blog/number-...

For the last two years, House Republicans have not meaningfully engaged with Democrats in discussions about funding our government. Because they control every lever of government - the House, Senate and White House - Republicans consistently choose to go it alone. 🧵

Meanwhile, Americans are struggling to pay for groceries, utilities and gas — all because of Trump’s tariffs and his illegal war — and we should be working together to address these crises and help our constituents, not throwing more money at agencies that currently have billions available.

I’m voting “no.” This isn’t how government should function and as an appropriator, I urge my Republican colleagues to work with us and earn our votes.

But when the time comes time to bring their funding bills to the floor for a vote, they suddenly no longer want to go it alone and expect House Democrats to blindly support their funding bills.

This evening, Republicans put a bill on the floor to fund the government through December 4th, with the potential to add millions more funding for Customs Border Protection when, as of June 1st, this agency still has $59 billion available.

20 July

Mt. Cristo Rey is a religious and cultural landmark that has been central to our community for generations. Rather than working with border communities to advance effective border security, the Trump Administration continues to disregard the people, history, and culture that make our region special.