EXCERPT:
HIRONO: "Mr. Albence, would you send your child to FRCs?"
ALBENCE: "Again, I think we're -- we're missing the point. These individuals are there because they have broken a law. There has to be a process --"
HIRONO: "They have broken the law only as deemed so by the president with his --"
ALBENCE: "No, ma'am, they are there for violation of Title 8 of the U.S. Nationality Act, U.S.C. 1325, that's Illegal entry is both a criminal and civil violation. Those in those FRCs pending the outcome of that civil immigration process. They have broken the law."
HIRONO: "Well these are -- my understanding is that under zero-tolerance, these are no longer civil proceedings, but in fact, criminal proceedings." [crosstalk]
ALBENCE: "They are both. They are criminal proceedings when the Border Patrol prosecute them. But at the conclusion of that process, once the individual came in ICE custody, they would go through administrative proceedings."
HIRONO: "I'm confused."