House Democrats hammered Republican leaders on Friday for what they characterized as a mean-spirited GOP approach to the southern border crisis.

The lawmakers, behind Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said the Republicans’ border legislation represents a cold-hearted response that will put immigrant children in harm’s way.

“We’re looking at possibly one of the most anti-Hispanic Congresses in generations,” Rep. Joe Garcia (D-Fla.) said at a briefing in the Capitol…

Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (Texas), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), said the Republicans’ border proposal was part of an “extreme agenda” that will punish the young immigrants; Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), head of the House Democratic Caucus, accused Republicans of “stripping the rights and protections of children”; Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (N.M.) characterized the GOP bill as “an effort … [to destroy] diversity in this country”; and Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) said GOP leaders embraced “the least common denominator of hatefulness toward the immigrant community” by crafting their bill to win conservative support.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says a Republican bill to address the surge of unaccompanied child immigrants awaiting deportation “fails to adequately respond to the humanitarian crisis” and amounts to an “unjust, inhumane proposal.”…

Pelosi added, “We must have a heart, and look into our souls to guide us in our treatment of these desperate children.”

“What the Republican proposal tried to do yesterday… and what they are trying to do today, is to strip away the rights of a child to live,” said Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) on the House floor.

“The Republicans want to indiscriminately return children to their death,” he added…

Cardenas was joined by Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who implied that Republicans don’t care about the fate of the children that are returned back to their countries of origin.

“They care about these children so much, that their proposal is to tell them to get out of here just as quick as they can, before they can present their claims that they were trafficked, or that they suffer a return to violence and murder and rape at home,” Doggett said.

The English translation of Serrano’s Spanish remarks:

“If there aren’t the funds that the president wants and the officials on the border want, the situation will get worse. Especially during a period when congress won’t be in legislative session. They think — the Republican Party thinks — that to not give the funds is an opportunity for them to make a political commentary. The only thing it will do, it will increase the crisis, it will increase the human suffering and increase the perception that this country has stopped being one that opens it doors to those in need. And that will create different types of problems.”

Notice that Serrano was a little sharper by raising doubts about whether the United States would remain a welcoming country for immigrants. He’s essentially suggesting that Republicans are sullying the American image as a country of opportunity.

On Friday, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) declared that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus speaks for all Democrats on amnesty and immigration.

“Let me make it very clear: the Hispanic caucus speaks for all of us–not just for their caucus members but for the Democratic caucus,” Hoyer said at a Capitol Hill press conference with Hispanic caucus members and other Democrat leaders in criticizing Republicans for not passing a border bill.

The English translation:

They know he’s going to act soon — they want to maintain this crisis to condemn our community, a community without rights for our kids at this moment, our DREAMers, and for millions of others that the president has said he wants to help. That’s what they want. They want to punish our community, and that punishment will be met with an electoral punishment. Be assured that we are not going to forget the mistreatment our community has received.