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A congressional committee will hold the first field hearing Friday of the current Congress at the southern border, highlighting a humanitarian crisis on the U.S. side of the frontier.
The Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, chaired by Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., will tour “colonias” near McAllen, Texas, in the district of committee member Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas.
Rep. Jim Himes, R-Conn., the chairman of the Select Committee on Economic Disparity & Fairness in Growth, speaks at a hearing. The select committee is touring impoverished “colonias” near the southern border Friday.
(House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth )
Colonias are impoverished neighborhoods or settlements, often lacking running water, sewage treatment or other basic infrastructure needs. They are very common in Texas, mostly near the border with Mexico. While some residents of these settlements are not U.S. citizens, according to Pew Charitable Trusts, a very large number are, or are documented in some way.
“We’re showing places where Americans citizens live in the United States of America in third world conditions,” Gonzalez told Fox News Digital. “If you look at the average household income, it’s under $15,000 per year. And it’s tragic, and I’m proud to bring members down to see it for themselves so when we go back to Washington we can make decisions that work for all Americans.”
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Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, represents a South Texas district that borders Mexico and is home to many impoverished “colonia” communities. The House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth is holding a field hearing on those colonias Friday.
(Select Committee on Economic Disparity & Fairness in Growth)
The committee’s hearing is set to focus on how to…
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Source : foxnews
