Watch Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib describe their haunting visits to a migrant detention center

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and several other House Democrats last week visited border detention facilities in Clint and El Paso, Texas amid reports of migrant children and adults being kept in decrepit conditions under Customs and Border Patrol custody. And while their stories of people drinking from toilets made headlines as the visit was still happening, some of the members brought their experiences to light again Friday as they testified for the House Oversight Committee.

Ocasio-Cortez went first, describing how "children were being separated from their parents" and "women were being called" derogatory names all "under American flags" that hung around the facilities.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) took the mic next, breaking into tears as she talked about 7-year-old Jakelyn Caal who "died of sepsis while in our care" and saying she was "the same age as my son."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Next up, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) recounted her visit as a way to "shed light on injustice" she said was happening within CBP. Watch her testimony below. Kathryn Krawczyk