House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi blistered the GOP’s border bill as “unjust and inhumane” in a statement Tuesday.  

“We must have a heart, and look into our souls to guide us in our treatment of these desperate children,” the California Democrat said of the tens of thousands of unauthorized migrants who have flooded the border. “While we are reminded of the critical importance of passing comprehensive immigration reform, we must do so much more than the Republicans’ unjust and inhumane proposal.”  

It’s not unusual for Pelosi to blast a Republican measure, but in this case, it’s not clear Republicans can pass their bill if Pelosi puts the hammer down on Democrats who cross party lines.  Specifically, Pelosi said the GOP bill “fails to provide any resources for legal aid to unaccompanied children with legitimate refugee or asylum claims, and does not authorize enough judges to adjudicate the extensive backlog of cases.”  

And she said the bill “unacceptably seeks to change current law to weaken due process protections for these children, and places vulnerable children in an expedited process without counsel and with no right to appeal.”  

All that “poses a particular danger to child victims of gang violence and human trafficking,” she said.  

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