Maxine Dexter

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Vargas).

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Washington and the ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement (Ms. Jayapal).

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona, Mrs. Grijalva.

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Rivas.)

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs).

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I spent 20 years taking care of the sickest members of our community as a critical care and pulmonary physician. I have seen what happens when people aren't able to get the care that they need: Preventable illnesses escalate and become deadly. At Dilley, there have been repeated reports of children's medical needs not being met, resulting in life-threatening health problems. That includes a 2-year-old with infected gums that Dilley staff did not treat for over 23 days, leading her to have a fever and infection, cry relentlessly, and be forced to have a diet of only liquids. It includes an 18-month-old baby who went to the hospital for 10 days when her oxygen levels were dangerously low and a 10-year-old child with Hirschsprung's disease who lacked proper medical care, resulting in no bowel movements for over a month. Families report something even more disturbing. When they ask for help, they are dismissed, belittled, and mocked. One person reported that they were laughed at by guards while vomiting and pleading to see a doctor. If any hospital in this country treated children this way, we would shut it down. We would investigate. We would hold people accountable. Instead, our tax dollars are funding it. It is reprehensible. I call on my colleagues for an immediate end to cruel immigration enforcement against children. Defund and dismantle ICE. Mr. Speaker, I yield again to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I am going to give my colleague just a moment and tell you about a family who are not immigrants with children. They are Americans, four Americans. Jackie Merlos and her children went to the Canadian border with her mother, who had a visiting visa from Honduras to come and see her sister and her nieces and nephews who live in Canada as permanent legal residents. They drove to the Peace Park. They went there to have a family reunion, a picnic. There was no intention for any misguided actions. They just wanted to have a picnic and a reunion. Now, Jackie has an asylum case, an active asylum case. She has lived in the United States for over 20 years and has an active work permit. She has done everything right. As they hugged, ICE agents, CBP agents swarmed the family and detained all of them. Now, luckily, her sister lives in Canada where they released her fairly quickly, but Jackie was accused of human trafficking, as if her sister and her nieces and nephews wanted to come into the United States. She was kept with her four children, 7-year-old triplets and their 9-year-old, in a windowless cell at the border in Ferndale, Washington, for 2 weeks--over 2 weeks. This is not a facility meant for long-term detention. It is a facility meant for 48-hours-or-less stays. There are no showers. There is no kitchen to make food for them. They kept them there. I had the ability to go and see this family, but I wasn't allowed to talk to them. We were told that they were being sent back home and that Jackie had asked for that. It was a lie. Jackie had never signed any paperwork. She has four U.S. children. She knew she had done everything right, and she refused. But we were lied to. I, as a U.S. Congresswoman, was lied to. Eventually, we had a habeas corpus case, and Jackie was released. Her children had been released as they were about to deport them. Let me also say that her husband was taken into detention after her children were questioned individually, without their mother there, by CBP agents. They asked where they live and how much money do they make. Their father was detained from their own home. He was detained to the Northwest Detention Center. While he was there, Customs and Border Patrol took pictures of the children and took them to their father and asked: Is this your child? They had him sign something. Well, he was signing passport applications. He reads Spanish. The applications were in English. Our government was trying to deport, which isn't really a thing at all, American citizens against the will of their parents, and they lied to a U.S. Congresswoman about whether or not they wanted to be sent home. They wouldn't allow me to see Jackie. They wouldn't let me talk to her. They absolutely were on the border, the fringe of sending them. They were at SeaTac Airport being sent when we finally got them to cease and desist. This is what your taxpayer dollars are paying for. These are U.S. citizen children with a mother who had done everything right. Shame on us. This has to stop. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro).

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I again thank all of my colleagues who joined us today and who spoke with such clarity and urgency. What we heard this afternoon makes one thing clear: Immigration enforcement against children is inhumane and unnecessary. Families can and should be able to navigate their immigration cases together and in community, with the support of loved ones and legal service providers. Detention harms children. It harms their physical health. It harms their mental health. Even after they are released, that trauma stays with them for life. For so many children, the harm starts long before detention ever happens. It starts with fear. For months now, every single school group that has come into my office or that I have visited has raised ICE as one of its top concerns. Elementary students, middle schoolers, high schoolers, even college students, for all of them, ICE is their top concern. At a time when teachers aren't getting paid enough, and the Department of Education is getting gutted, young people are coming to Congress and asking: How can we stop our friends from being taken away? This administration is traumatizing an entire generation. That is why we are here today to call for an end to cruel immigration enforcement against children. End child detention. Defund and dismantle ICE, and save our children from this nightmare. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, people just want their time in airports to be uneventful. They want to get through security, get to their gate, get to their home and their families, or onto their travels without chaos, delays, or confusion. The White House is making that impossible. Rather than working with Democrats to fund TSA, Trump is sending ICE agents into our country's airports. ICE agents are not trained in aviation security or customer service. They are not able to help TSA agents, who have been working without pay for 47 percent of this fiscal year. ICE agents create fear, confusion, and certainly more chaos in our airports. There is a better way. Republicans should focus on sending paychecks, not ICE, to our airports, and let Americans get where they are going safely and uneventfully. Stay loud.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, to the American people watching, I am here to say clearly on the floor of the House of Representatives: You deserve a say in whether our country goes to war. You deserve a say in whether our children are sent into combat. You deserve a say in whether your tax dollars are fueling a $1 billion-a-day conflict. You deserve a voice because the decision to go to war needs to reflect the will of the people who fight in and pay for that war. That will is exercised through the American people's elected Representatives in Congress. It is not about bureaucratic process. It is about the fact that you should have a say in whether your country goes to war. The White House has cut the American people out of that conversation to launch a war without articulating a compelling imminent threat. They are taking our children to war with no goal, no justification, and no off-ramp. Yet, I will be clear that we still do have the power to stop this. Public support for Trump is collapsing. If the American people stay loud, more Republicans in this body will have to decide whether they stand with their constituents or with the war. People in red States and blue States want and need the same things: good jobs, safe neighborhoods, a stable economy, affordable healthcare and housing, and the ability to thrive in their communities. They do not want war, especially not a war being led by Pete Hegseth from day one, who has been failing to demonstrate that he can keep Americans safe. At least 13 soldiers have already died on his watch, and over 1,000 civilians have been killed. It is becoming increasingly clear that the U.S. military is responsible for bombing a school full of elementary school children, killing at least 168 people. The American people do not support this horror. To my Republican colleagues: Do the right thing. Stand up for our constituents. To the American people: Do not look away from the truth of what is happening. Refuse to normalize being silent and complicit. You must stay loud.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a dedicated public servant and a beloved leader in Oregon. I rise to honor the life and legacy of a trailblazer, a mentor, and a fierce champion for justice in Oregon, State Senator Avel Gordly. A lifelong Portlander, Senator Gordly made history as the first Black woman elected to the Oregon Senate. For seventeen years in the Oregon Legislature, she served with compassion, intention, and an unshakable commitment to her community. Raised in Northeast Portland, she felt the pull toward justice early in life. At just sixteen years old, she attended a civil rights march protesting the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. She often spoke of that moment as formative--a turning point that deepened her lifelong commitment to social justice and collective liberation. Appointed to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1991, she served three terms before her election to the State Senate in 1996, where she served until 2009. Throughout her tenure, she advanced police accountability, strengthened mental health services, championed environmental justice, and fought for equitable education. She did not simply speak about change, she delivered it for Oregonians across our state. Education was central to her life's work. She established multicultural curriculum requirements in Oregon schools, served as faculty in Black Studies at Portland State University, and coordinated the Black United Front's Saturday School. She understood education as a pathway to dignity, influence, and opportunity. Senator Gordly's deep love and commitment to our community grounded her work. She saw people, and for Oregon's African American community, that led to a level of mentorship, inspiration and empowerment that was deeply impactful. Her legacy lives on, and Oregon is stronger because of her and her service. May we honor Senator Gordly not only with our words, but with action. May we pursue our goals with determination, speak with authenticity, and seize every opportunity to serve our neighbors with selflessness and courage. Her legacy calls us forward.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a remarkable organization from Hood River, Oregon: Crag Rats. Since 1926, the Crag Rats have answered the call when Oregonians and visitors find themselves in danger on our mountains and in our gorges. As the Nation's oldest search and rescue organization, they conduct roughly thirty rescue missions each year--bringing climbers, hikers, and adventurers home safely. This volunteer-run nonprofit serves Hood River, Mount Hood, and the Columbia River Gorge with extraordinary skill and courage. Their members train relentlessly. To earn the title of Crag Rat, volunteers must summit Mount Hood and Mount Adams, complete first aid and incident command training, attend meetings consistently, and be voted in by their peers before even becoming probationary members. That standard reflects the seriousness of their mission and the trust our community places in them. As a physician, I understand the urgency of emergency responses. Minutes matter. Preparation matters. Lives depend on steady hands and clear heads. The work of search and rescue is demanding and dangerous, and it requires deep commitment to community. For one hundred years, the Crag Rats have embodied the very best of Oregon--service, resilience, humility, and courage. Their value is measured in missions completed, in families reunited, in tragedies averted, and in the quiet confidence our community feels knowing they stand ready. I thank every volunteer who has given time, strength, and expertise to this extraordinary organization. Mr. Speaker, please join me as I congratulate the Crag Rats on one hundred years of service and honor their enduring commitment to keep Oregon safe.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell the American people exactly what their tax dollars are being used for: imprisoning children, even infants. Last month, DHS agents detained a sick 7-year-old and her parents in an urgent care parking lot while they were trying to get her medical attention. Then they sent that child to the Nation's largest family detention facility, recently reopened by Trump, a facility where families report there is contaminated food, limited access to clean water, and where there have been confirmed measles cases. Your tax dollars are funding this. Last Friday, I traveled to Texas to fight to bring Diana and her family home to Oregon. I am grateful that Diana is home safe in Gresham. This never should have happened in the first place. It is immoral to jail children. It should enrage every American that their tax dollars are being used to do so. Congress controls the power of the purse. It is past time to reassert that authority and end this horrific practice. We must draw a bright red line: Taxpayer dollars cannot be used to imprison children. That is the bare minimum.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of an Oregon institution, Portland's Black-owned newspaper, The Skanner, which ceased production on January 30, 2026, after 50 years of journalistic excellence. Since 1975, The Skanner has been providing important news and information, covering city, state, and national issues, interviews with political candidates, and never shrinking from holding public officials accountable. An irreplaceable cornerstone of Oregon's news environment, The Skanner became the largest Black newspaper in the Pacific Northwest. Founded by Bernie Foster and Bobbie Dore Foster, The Skanner was created to reach and uplift Black Portlanders through community- centered journalism. The paper was built on the conviction that authentic storytelling comes from within the community itself. As Bobbie Foster has often shared, the legacy of The Skanner lies in fostering pride in Black business ownership, strengthening engagement with local journalism, and providing news that reflects the voices, values, and perspectives of the community. Over its time in print, The Skanner was instrumental in the renaming of Union Avenue in the 1980s and 1990s to be called Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard. Additionally, articles published by the paper in 2015 led to Henry Lincoln Johnson, a World War I hero, posthumously receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor. As a former student journalist, I know how powerful local reporting is. It informs. It connects. It brings to light stories that would otherwise be left in darkness. The Skanner faithfully served the Pacific Northwest for 50 years, and its absence will be deeply felt. I thank the journalists, editors, photographers, and staff--past and present--for their service to our state and commitment to the pursuit of justice.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise as Federal agents once again descend upon Portland, not to protect, but to terrorize. Over the weekend, during a peaceful labor-led protest, DHS agents deployed tear gas on civilians, including children in the crowd. DHS, let me say that again, tear-gassed children. The clouds were so dense, they sickened families and left a stench that lingered for miles. This wasn't crowd control. It is state-sponsored violence. The courts agree. Yesterday, a Federal judge ordered a temporary restraining order against Federal agents tear-gassing peaceful protesters. This isn't the first time Federal agents have used excessive force. In Portland just last October, after protesters were already restrained, Federal agents pepper-sprayed them pointblank. This is not law enforcement. This is Donald Trump's goon squad deployed to punish dissent and sow chaos in our communities. Let me be clear. Portland will not be bullied into compliance nor into betraying our values. Mr. Speaker, I echo Mayor Keith Wilson's call: If you are still working for ICE, resign. It is no honor to participate in this kind of hostility.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with urgency and outrage. The Trump regime, with its lawless and cruel immigration agents, has become a source of nightmares for children. People are living in hiding, fearful, as these agents are kidnapping, assaulting, and murdering people. Last month it was Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. Next month? It could be another beloved, hard-working member of your community. Agents are detaining sick children. Last month it was Diana Crespo, a seven-year-old from my district and her parents who were detained on the way to urgent care. Next month? It could be another sick second grader in your community. Children are being traumatized, communities are being torn apart, and people are being murdered. Republicans need to wake up from the delusion that what Trump is carrying out in your name is lawful, needed, or making us safer. When your children and grandchildren ask what you did when secret police came for families, when children were imprisoned, when U.S. citizens were murdered by federal agents without accountability, what will you say? You have the power to help stop this. It is past time to do so.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for leading this important discussion today and for her leadership in bringing this to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the affordability crisis and the reality the vast majority of American families are facing. Across Oregon, people are doing everything they are supposed to do. They are working extremely hard and playing by the rules, and still they are falling behind. They are living paycheck to paycheck, unable to save for a vacation, retirement, or their children's education because the cost of living has outpaced what most people earn. Rent keeps climbing. Childcare can cost more than a mortgage. Health insurance premiums, copays, and deductibles eat up paychecks before families ever get to groceries. Too many parents are lying awake at night running the numbers, wondering which bill they can delay paying this month. A report from the Joint Economic Committee found that the average American family spent $1,625 more because of inflation than the year prior. In Oregon, families paid $1,791 more than the year before. It doesn't have to be this way. I grew up working class. I left home at 17, and with the security of a union job, I was able to be the first in my family to graduate college and then go on to medical school. It was because this country chose to invest in families like mine that I had a shot at the American Dream. Well-funded public schools, safe neighborhoods, excellent transit, union jobs, accessible and affordable healthcare, housing and higher education are the building blocks that every family in this Nation deserves to count on. Today, our kids cannot count on these things. They are cynical that the American Dream is even achievable. They don't believe government is trustworthy, let alone effective. That is a failure of leaders right here in this Chamber. I came here to fight to make sure my district has the opportunities that I had for a better life. It is time that the Federal Government chooses working families. It is time for our government to work for working families, to empower people with opportunity and stability, not terrorize and undermine their dreams and hard work. We must raise the Federal minimum wage. We must help seniors age with dignity and independence. We must ensure healthcare and housing are affordable and readily available. We must protect our air, water, and open spaces for all to enjoy health and the joy of getting outside in our beautiful State. A better future is possible if we fight for it. I can assure you all, I came here to do just that. It is time for the Federal Government to stand up for working families and break up the monopolies and power circles that are holding them down.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the proposal Republicans voted on to take money from families in need and divert it to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. As a medical doctor, I want to be crystal clear. Crisis pregnancy centers are not medical facilities. They do not even have to employ licensed medical professionals. Women who seek help at these centers routinely report being misled, pressured, or given false information during one of the most vulnerable periods in their lives. Democrats offered commonsense amendments that would have required facilities receiving these Federal funds to provide medically accurate information. That should not be too much to ask. Republicans rejected those amendments. The American people deserve to know exactly what that means: Republicans are knowingly funding centers that do not have to uphold basic medical standards, and they are doing it at the expense of families who are already struggling. Let us not ignore the cruelty of the timing. The day before the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which Trump gutted, Republicans are making it even harder for women to get honest information to make decisions about their own bodies.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, last week RFK, Jr., upended the childhood immunization schedule, reducing the number of universally recommended vaccines without substantive input from relevant medical experts. One of the vaccines RFK, Jr., downgraded was the flu vaccine. The science is clear. This decision will hurt our children, our elderly, and our families. Science doesn't care about our feelings. Science doesn't care about our politics. Science is built on data, evidence, and facts. RFK, Jr., seems to think if he ignores the science, it will simply go away. It won't. His decision will mean fewer kids get vaccinated against preventable diseases. More children will get sick, and more children will have morbidity and mortality as a result. It is shameful. RFK, Jr., is absolutely unfit and should resign. Let's give our kids the healthy future they deserve.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, there was a shooting in my district. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 12, H.R. 5184.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a dedicated public servant and a beloved leader in Oregon. Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall devoted more than two decades of her life to serving her community with integrity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to justice. A longtime Newport resident, Commissioner Hall was first elected in 2004 and went on to serve her county with distinction. Throughout her tenure, she worked relentlessly to expand access to healthcare, strengthen benefits for veterans, and advance affordable housing so that more families could remain rooted in the communities they love. She was known for her willingness to take on difficult fights and for standing firm when the stakes were high. Most recently, Commissioner Hall was a fierce champion in opposing plans for an ICE detention center in Newport and in blocking any federal effort to relocate a Coast Guard rescue helicopter to make room for such a facility--always putting community safety, human dignity, and local values first. In 2018, Claire Hall announced her gender transition with a statement that reflected the clarity and moral conviction she brought to every chapter of her life. She wrote, in part: ``I will remain focused on social justice issues like the needs of children, families, seniors, people with disabilities and veterans. But now, the act of living my life itself becomes an act of social justice.'' Commissioner Hall's life was indeed an act of social justice and a profound gift to her community. She reminded us that public service is not measured only by the policies we advance, but by the dignity we defend, the people we protect, and the courage we bring to our work. May we honor Commissioner Hall each day by choosing compassion, justice, and love for our neighbors, and by continuing the work she so powerfully embodied.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, in my first year in Congress, I made a simple commitment to my district: to listen and to get things done. This week, I am proud to share that I am delivering on that commitment. I secured over $6 million in Community Project Funding for seven transformative community-led initiatives across the district in Portland, Gresham, Sandy, and Multnomah County. These investments will help prevent youth violence, modernize emergency response systems, strengthen wastewater infrastructure, expand behavioral healthcare, and protect the clean water our communities depend on. Each project came directly from local leaders working to solve urgent issues on the ground, and I fought to make sure every single one received funding. This is what government should be: responsive, collaborative, and focused on our people delivering results for them and our families. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this progress, and I am just getting started for the people of Oregon's Third.

Ms. DEXTER

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the GOP higher healthcare costs for worse coverage act. I did not spend 20 years as an ICU doctor saving lives to come to Congress and sit back while Republicans strip healthcare coverage from millions. No. I came to Congress to fight for affordable, accessible healthcare for all. This bill does nothing to accomplish that goal. Worse than that, it pushes people toward less coverage at a higher cost and opens a backdoor abortion ban that marches us a step closer to a national one.