Norma J. Torres

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28 held · 24 searchable for Norma J. Torres. The searchable lines are below in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.

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1. “They said he pulled off his shirt because he felt like he was suffocating, and they said they tried to get help and that no one came until he was unconscious. Mr. Speaker, when ICE announced his death, the headline on the press release read: ``Criminal illegal alien passes away in ICE custody.'' That is how our government announced the death of a man who had built a life here for nearly three decades, not his name, not his age, not his family. The agency that had him in its care could not even bring themselves to call him by his name. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. ____________________”

   House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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2. “Mr. Speaker, I close by bringing this back to my communities, the Inland Empire, because this is not happening somewhere far away. Since September of last year, four people have died while detained at Adelanto facility. On February 23 of this year, Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano died in ICE custody. He was a 52-year-old man. He had lived in this country for 28 years. He was a husband, a father, and his family is from Los Angeles. ICE arrested him and took him to the Adelanto facility, a facility run by the GEO Group, a private prison company. One month later, on March 25, he was dead. ICE says staff found him unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk and that they responded immediately. The men detained alongside him tell a much different story. They said he had been overheating. They said that he could not breathe.”

   House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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3. “Mr. Speaker, inside an ICE detention center in Los Fresnos, Texas, people detained by our government went on hunger strikes to protest the conditions that they are being held in. Instead of asking why people in their custody were desperate enough to stop eating, ICE went to court for permission to force feed them. Guards restrain hunger strikers while medical staff inserted feeding tubes through their noses and into their stomachs. One asylum seeker was subject to forced feeding for nearly 8 months. Think about that. A person is saying: I am so desperate about the conditions you are holding me in that I am willing to stop eating. The government's response is: We are not going to address why you are protesting. We are going to physically stop you from protesting. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).”

   House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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4. “People like Geraldo Lunas Campos told the staff at this location that he needed help, and his cries were ignored. He is not just another statistic, and neither are the other people who have died in ICE and CBP custody. They are fathers, sons, brothers, friends, and people with families waiting for them to come home. When the government takes away someone else's freedom, it takes on the responsibility for that person's life. Mr. Speaker, you cannot lock someone behind a government door, ignore their cries for help, feed them rotten food and bad water, and then act surprised when someone dies. These deaths deserve answers. They deserve accountability. The families who lost someone in government custody deserve to know why their loved one died and why they did not come home. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.”

   House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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5. “Mr. Speaker, I want you to think about what it means to dial 911. You call 911 when you are scared, when you are in danger, or when you need help and you need that help immediately. I know this because for 17\1/2\ years I was that voice on the other side, answering 911 calls, people's calls for help. Imagine, Mr. Speaker, having to make that call from inside a Federal detention center. That is what happened at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, where ProPublica reviewed more than 160 emergency calls from inside the facility. People were calling 911 because they were sick, in pain, or desperately needed medical help from a place where the United States Government was responsible for keeping them safe but was denying them the help that they needed. Three men died in just 6 weeks. That is why we are here today.”

   House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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6. “I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez).”

   House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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7. “At least 60 children at this facility have been held for more than 100 days despite a court order limiting their detention to 20 days. These are children in prison. Think about what those months mean to a child. They are months away from their parents, months away from their classrooms, and months of their childhood stolen by this administration. That is why these detention facilities matter when we talk about death in ICE and CBP custody. The harm does not begin when someone dies. It begins when we decide that being in government custody means that you can be separated from your family, denied basic dignity, and treated as though your life does not matter. These are children. Our government has a responsibility to protect them, and it should never be the reason that they lose their childhood.”

   House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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8. “Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Imagine being a 16-year-old boy and knowing that you will only get 10 minutes to talk to your father every 2 weeks. That is the reality for one teenager detained at the ICE facility in Dilley, Texas. He has been detained for more than 4 months and has lost 10 pounds. He has described living in rooms with cockroaches, spiders, and mosquitoes. This is a 16-year-old child. What gets me most is what those 10 minutes with his father must be like. Instead of calling his dad to talk about school, his friends, or what he wants to do with his life, he is watching the clock, knowing that when those 10 minutes are over, he will have to wait another 2 weeks just to hear his father's voice. He is not alone.”

   House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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9. “Congress cannot remain silent while the executive branch operates a deadly machine of abuse, intimidation, military grade weapons, and imprisonment. When Members of Congress or Senators try to reduce deaths in custody and conduct oversight, they should never be met with lethal force. Liberty and justice for all does not end at the gates of a detention center. It does not disappear on a dark highway. These 76 people mean something. They are our neighbors. They are our friends. They are our relatives. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.”

   House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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10. “When you excuse abuse, when you shield rogue agents, when you fail to hold Federal officers to the same basic standards as a basic peace officer in any city across the country, you destroy public trust and disgrace every honest officer trying to do his or her best to protect their community. I know the terror of this abuse personally. When we tried to conduct oversight, ICE responded by shooting CS gas and then lied about it. A vehicle matching an ICE van once tried to run me off the freeway, right in my district. So when I ask what an innocent family is supposed to do when an unmarked vehicle chases them down a highway; I am not asking simply to ask a question. I am exposing a dangerous, lawless reality. We cannot look away.”

    House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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11. “That is the highest death toll of any administration in its first 2 years in more than two decades. The mortality rate in ICE detention has exploded fourfold. What is the administration's response? To limit their own oversight visits, cutting them in half, from twice a year to once a year, and in some cases to once every 2 years. They have purchased privately contracted facilities to prevent State and local oversight. They think that changing the paperwork will wipe the blood off their hands. We all know that it will not. I am the mother of a law enforcement officer. I know what it means to wear a badge. I know the sacrifice required to protect a community. Let me be crystal clear: Protect the badge. Do not protect the bad behavior.”

    House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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12. “To hold this wave of arrests, detention populations have surged by 140 percent, cramming over 60,000 human beings into overcrowded facilities, where basic standards of health, safety, and human dignity have broken down. In my home State of California, at the Adelanto facility, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a man from Los Angeles held for months, filmed the filthy water detainees were forced to drink. It was crawling with live wormlike parasites in their potable water, just weeks after a Federal judge ordered the facility to fix those conditions. That isn't negligence. That is cruelty by design. When you treat human beings in an intentionally dangerous manner and deprive them of food that is not rotten and potable water, they die. Mr. Speaker, 76 lives have ended in ICE custody or immediately after release since January 2025.”

    House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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13. “Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to shine the light on a growing problem in Federal detention facilities, federally owned and privately supervised. Every single day, we stand in this Chamber, look at that flag, and pledge ``with liberty and justice for all.'' {time} 1840 Right now, those words are a hollow lie. Today, we learned that Edwin Jovanny Lopez-Cornejo, a 41-year-old Salvadoran man, died after a medical emergency at Delaney Hall in New Jersey. His family says he had complained about not receiving his medications. The day before he died, he told his mother he had lost feeling in his face and arm. Now, his family is left demanding answers. Edwin is not alone. Under this administration, immigration enforcement isn't just broken. It is lethal. We are witnessing a systematic deadly abuse of power by DHS, ICE, and Border Patrol.”

    House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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14. “Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all speakers have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous materials on the subject of this Special Order hour.”

    House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗

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15. “The voter ID act eliminates trusted registration methods, restricts acceptable IDs, and creates unnecessary barriers between American citizens and the ballot box. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.”

    House of Representatives22 July 2026Source ↗

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16. “Mr. Speaker, I rise today to expose this package for what it truly is: a protection plan for powerful insiders disguised as a crackdown on insider trading. The so-called Stop Insider Trading Act does not ban congressional stock trading. It leaves major loopholes open, including trading in private companies and other markets. During committee markup, I offered a simple amendment to close these loopholes, freeze existing portfolios and stop dividend reinvestments, but my Republican colleagues rejected it. They chose protecting themselves over accountability and transparency. Now, they have attached this watered-down stock trading bill to legislation that makes it even harder for Americans to vote, especially women in traditional marriages like mine where I changed my name and took on my husband's name.”

    House of Representatives22 July 2026Source ↗

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17. “We cannot claim that we want to see a secure border and stop drug trafficking while simultaneously defunding the most cost-effective, proven programs that stop cartel recruitment at the source. Second, it completely defunds the U.S. Institute of Peace. We are being asked for billions for the Iran war, but they want to close down the tools we have to stop conflicts before we are forced to send our young men and women in uniform into harm's way. Third, it cuts over $1 billion from the United Nations. When we walk away from the table, we don't leave a vacuum. We just invite China and Russia to step in, take our place, and write the global rules. Finally, this bill slashes $1.5 billion from emergency humanitarian aid.”

    House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗

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18. “Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman and ranking member of our committee for their work, but unfortunately, I rise today to speak about hard facts, not political talking points. This bill cuts our security and diplomatic resources by $12 billion compared to last year. This is a 20 percent gutting of our global tools in just 2 years. When we look at where these cuts actually hit, they defy any commonsense strategy for our national security. First, this bill completely defunds the Inter-American Foundation. This agency funds local community-led programs in Latin America that keep young people out of drug cartels and gangs. One of these very programs cut youth criminal activity by 90 percent.”

    House of Representatives15 July 2026Source ↗

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19. “For more than two centuries, those ideals have guided us, creating a Nation where everyone has the right to pursue their dreams, serve their communities, and have a voice in their government without reprisals. Today, we are witnessing something deeply troubling: the erosion of the rule of law, the abandonment of democracy norms, and a betrayal of the very values Americans of all backgrounds have long fought to uphold. On this 100th day of the 119th Congress, I stand firm in my belief that: I, too, am an American. I, too, am a patriot. I, too, will continue to defend the values and principles that made this country a beacon of hope for the world. ____________________”

    House of Representatives28 April 2025Source ↗

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20. “Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reflect on the 100th day of Donald Trump's second term as President. While some of my colleagues celebrate his actions, I am reminded why I first ran for office and why I continue fighting for my community. I was raised to believe that the United States of America was built on the principles of liberty, democracy, and equal opportunity.”

    House of Representatives28 April 2025Source ↗

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21. “Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on a matter that is critical to the functioning of our government. As House appropriators, we are tasked with ensuring that our Federal agencies are properly funded so they can serve the American people.”

    House of Representatives3 March 2025Source ↗

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22. “Madam Speaker, I rise today as we find ourselves in a situation where a small group of very powerful individuals led by Elon Musk are gaining unprecedented influence over critical national systems. Right in front of our eyes, we can see how Republicans are allowing Musk to take full control of key resources, including access to Treasury payments and government-backed projects.”

    House of Representatives12 February 2025Source ↗

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23. “Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deep concern over the cancelation of an appropriations subcommittee hearing by my Republican colleagues and the decision to replace it with a private briefing to silence Democrats. I am alarmed by the illegal impoundment of Federal funding and the attempted destruction of USAID. Americans deserve to know why this decision was made.”

    House of Representatives11 February 2025Source ↗

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24. “Mr. Speaker, I rise today filled with immense pride and gratitude for the incredible bravery and dedication of our 911 dispatchers, first responders, and firefighters across California.”

    House of Representatives15 January 2025Source ↗

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