Greisa Martinez, Deputy Executive Director of United We Dream, asked activists if they had a loved one who was detained or deported by ICE or CBP. (Cameron Peters/MNS)A mother and daughter raise their hands to show that they have loved ones who have been detained or deported by CBP. (Cameron Peters/MNS)Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.: “This is not a political issue. Children dying in detention centers should not be a partisan concern. It should be a universal concern for every American in the United States.” (Cameron Peters/MNS)Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who immigrated to the U.S. from Somalia when she was a child: “I understand the pain, the fear, the struggles. I cry every time I see a little girl standing in the desert waiting to get processed into this country, because I remember what that felt like. But the difference between what is happening to some of these little girls and me is that I didn’t have a cage waiting for me.” (Cameron Peters/MNS)Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.: “I remember my mother coming here and just imagining the opportunities for her daughter. Never, never could I imagine her having to go through what Jakelyn’s mother is going through today. Not on our watch. Not on our watch as mothers. We will not allow children to die while we are in power here.” (Cameron Peters/MNS)Jefferson Arpi, whose father Manuel Arpi is currently being held by ICE: “If he goes, my future goes. If he’s deported, my future is being deported.” (Cameron Peters/MNS)A young activist from United We Dream holds a sign supporting cuts to ICE and CBP funding. (Cameron Peters/MNS)Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., takes a moment to compose herself during her speech at Thursday’s press conference. (Cameron Peters/MNS)Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas: “Places like Tornillo are really cogs in the morally bankrupt process of warehousing migrant children. Just because somebody crosses the border or presents themself for asylum in the United States does not make them not human. They deserve better treatment.” (Cameron Peters/MNS)