At Tuesday's House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) called for a probe into how the Tate Brothers were allowed into the U.S.
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00:00An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee
00:02print by the Committee on Homeland Security offered by Mr. Magaziner number 025.
00:06Without objection, the reading is dispensed with. The gentleman is
00:09recognized for five minutes on the amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The
00:12purpose of my amendment is to investigate what led to two accused sex
00:19traffickers being admitted to the United States earlier this year. Andrew and
00:25Tristan Tate, known as the Tate Brothers, have been placed under arrest for human
00:30trafficking, the trafficking of minors, sex with a minor, and money laundering in
00:36Romania. They have also been separately accused of sex crimes in Great Britain
00:41and in the United States have been accused by an American woman of luring her to
00:46Romania and conspiring to coerce her into sex work. Now here in the Homeland
00:53Security Committee, we talk a lot about the importance of cracking down on sex
00:58trafficking. So why is it that shortly after the Trump administration began,
01:03these two accused sex traffickers were allowed into the country? What does it
01:10say about the Trump administration that they are deporting kids with cancer and
01:15admitting accused sex traffickers? Is it because these two accused sex traffickers are
01:24also outspoken supporters of President Trump? What double standard do we have here? And so I asked my
01:34Republican colleagues, this is a test. If we care about cracking down on sex trafficking, if we care
01:40about preventing criminals from coming into the United States, then let's find out how
01:45these two were let in. Who gave the order? Who directed that these two individuals be
01:52let into the country? Were they given the same treatment as anybody else? It doesn't
01:57seem like it. It seems an awful lot like my Republican colleagues talk a strong game
02:04about wanting to track cut down on sex trafficking. But if the alleged perpetrators wear MAGA hats,
02:11then they're given a free pass. So there's no question that we need to get to the bottom of this.
02:21My amendment simply asks for a report. Who ordered that they be let in and why? And with that, I yield back.
02:29Mr. Chairman, I would draw my point of order. Point of order is withdrawn. Is there anyone else who wishes to
02:36speak on this amendment? Being no further discussion, the question now occurs on the amendment.