There have been all kinds of reactions from Americans confronted with heartbreaking reports about children suffering in migrant-detention facilities, but in general, congressional Republicans have said very little.
To his credit, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) was willing to speak with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes about his perspective. Unfortunately, his defense of the status quo needed some work.
The GOP congressman addressed conditions at the Casa Padre shelter in Brownsville, Texas, a former Walmart store converted to house migrant children as young as 10. Burgess seemed to believe there’s proof that conditions at the facility aren’t that bad:
“You know what? There’s not a lock on the door. Any child is free to leave at any time, but they don’t. You know why? Because they are well taken care of.”
I’m trying to imagine the practical effects of such an approach. Let’s say there’s a 10-year-old boy who finds the conditions at the Casa Padre shelter intolerable. Let’s also say he follows Burgess’ suggestion and decides to flee.
Then what? Is he supposed to call an Uber?
What’s more, according to NBC News’ reporting, the Republican congressman isn’t quite right about the details: at the Casa Padre shelter, the kids are, in fact, “locked inside.”
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."