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Pramila Jayapal is the first immigrant to serve in a leadership role on the subcommittee. (File)
Washington:
Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has been named ranking member of the powerful House Judiciary Committee’s Committee on Immigration, becoming the first immigrant to hold a leadership role on the subcommittee.
Ms. Jayapal, 57, who represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District, will replace Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren as a member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, according to a media release.
“As the first woman of South Asian descent elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and one of only 20 naturalized individuals to serve in Congress, I am honored to serve as Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. I am deeply humbled and humbled.” said Jayapal.
“I came to this country alone and with nothing in my pocket when I was 16 years old. After spending 17 years on an alphabetic visa to become a U.S. citizen, I was lucky enough to live up to the American dream. , I had the opportunity to live the American dream, a dream that is out of reach for too many immigrants today,” she said.
“It means a lot to me that I am stepping into this role to help change things for the better and rebuild our broken immigration system around dignity, humanity, and justice. I would also like to thank Congresswoman Lofgren as she takes this step forward.”She has provided many years of dedicated leadership on the subcommittee, and I look forward to working with her in the future.” he said.
Unfortunately, as the House Judiciary Committee gets into full swing, it’s becoming clear that the committee’s Republican leadership has no intention of working in good faith on immigration reform, Washington says. said an Indian-American state representative.
“In the minority, Democrats will have to stand up to the most extreme ideas of the Republican Party and become the opposition party that defends our values. But in this role, we will have to build a bipartisan alliance with many more moderate Republicans.” “I think we can also look forward to their cooperation. They themselves understand the need to rebuild our country as a beacon of hope,” she said.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, chaired by Tom McClintock (CA-05), focuses on immigration law and policy, naturalization, border security, refugee admissions, cross-border immigration enforcement, It has jurisdiction over various other matters. .
“The fight to reform immigration law has been a core tenet of Jayapal’s work in Congress. He has introduced several landmark bills and resolutions, including the Children’s Immigration Detention Act and the HEAL Act, which outlines a framework for what a fair and humane immigration system looks like. “I’m participating in things like that,” she said.
Before coming to Congress, Jayapal was a longtime immigrant rights organizer and activist. After the Sept. 11 attacks, she founded One America (formerly Hate-Free Zone), the largest immigrant rights organization in Washington state, to help the Bush administration prevent the deportation of more than 4,000 Somalis. He successfully sued and worked with the governor to establish the New American Council. Regarding immigrant integration at the state level.
For her work with OneAmerica, she was recognized by President Obama as a champion of change. She was a founding co-chair of the “We Belong Together” campaign, which mobilized women to support common-sense immigration reform to unite families and empower women. She was also arrested during a civil obedience demonstration protesting the Trump administration’s inhumane family separation policy.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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