Wednesday at a House Homeland Security Committee’s hearing, Rep. Al Green (D-TX) lectured Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen about the treatment of illegal border crossers and their families.

Commenting on family separation at border detention facilities, Green said, “I was at the border, I saw those babies locked up on top of each other. We would not treat animals— the humane society wouldn’t allow it, the way those babies were treated. Madam Secretary, they are victims. You have all of these vacancies, in part because a good many people don’t want to be a part of that kind of circumstance. They are victims too. The children are victims, and the people who are forced to do what they are doing to these babies are victims too.”

He continued, “Madam Secretary, here is the problem. We have surpassed our color quota. There are those who believe that we already have too many people of color in this country. And these, one of whom happens to be the president of the United States of America, would institute policies that will prevent people of color from coming to this country. White babies would not be treated the way these babies of color are being treated, madam secretary. This is about color. We have opened our doors — your tired, your poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Except we now have our quota of people of color. I yield back the balance of my time.”

(h/t Grabien)

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN