WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement this evening as he heads to the southwest border with other lawmakers:

“I am deeply disappointed the Senate did not advance the emergency supplemental appropriations legislation this evening. Without some sort of action, this crisis will only continue unabated.

“As Congress and the Administration consider other ways to address the influx of unaccompanied children to the border, I believe – above all else – that our decision-making process must be guided by the core American principles of fairness, due-process, and doing what is right.

“It’s clear that the totality of this crisis is extraordinarily complicated and driven by a wide array of factors, ranging from unsafe conditions in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to ineffectual laws and insufficient resources and services here in the United States. As a result, I suspect that any other proposed solutions will also be delicate and complex, and to be frank, I don’t know there are easy answers to this difficult problem.

“That’s why I hope this trip will help me determine the facts of the situation and give me more information to make decisions that are in the best interests of the United States as well as those unfortunate children.”

The trip, organized and led by King’s colleague U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), will include visits to the U.S. Border Patrol’s McAllen Station in South Texas and Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio where tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America have been housed since crossing the U.S. border.

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