[1]Pramila Jayapal

It was a
long road to get to this point, but on Wednesday, the House of
Representatives passed my Access to Counsel Act! And in a few moments,
[ [link removed] ]I will ask you to chip in toward our fight to send this necessary bill
to President Biden's desk. But first, I hope you'll give me a chance to
explain how we arrived at this important moment for our people-first
movement.

The Access to Counsel Act is personal to me because it was the very first
bill I introduced when I came to Congress in 2017.

I was thrilled that the voters of Washington's 7th District had placed
their trust in me to serve as their voice in Congress — but I arrived at
an uncertain time in Washington, DC. One of Donald Trump's first actions
as president was to make good on his campaign promise of a racist,
xenophobic, and outright unconstitutional Muslim ban, unleashing chaos at
airports across the country as people from seven Muslim-majority countries
were detained for hours without food or water before being deported.

That's why I rushed to the airport to help. And it's why I took urgent
action back in Congress to introduce the Access to Counsel Act, which
guarantees that American citizens, green card holders, and others with
legal status can talk to an attorney if Customs and Border Protection
detains them for longer than an hour.

But it wasn't just the events of 2017 that showed us how transformative
the passage of this bill could be. Early last year, more than 200 people
of Iranian descent were detained at the northern border in Blaine,
Washington, for up to 12 hours with no access to counsel. These lengthy
detentions occurred while CBP repeatedly and falsely denied that Iranian
Americans were being targeted. 

I never want to see that happen again. I am proud that the House passed my
legislation as we continue the work necessary to ensure that Trump's
policies of maximum harm are never again inflicted on immigrants, reverse
the damage done, and build a humane immigration system. And this exciting
moment of progress happened on the same day as the passage of the NO BAN
Act, which will prevent future presidents from enacting another Muslim ban
or another discriminatory ban again.



These victories would not have been possible without your support and the
tireless work of immigrant rights organizers on the ground. [ [link removed] ]But we
can't rest until we get these bills through the Senate and to President
Biden's desk. Will you chip in $3 or more toward our push
to get this done?

[ [link removed] ]Chip in $3



I came to this country alone when I was just 16 years old, so I'd have the
opportunity to achieve the American Dream — the same American Dream that
has drawn countless immigrants to this country and led to our nation's
success. That's why I will never stop fighting for a just and humane
immigration system that welcomes immigrants into our communities and
treats them with the respect and dignity that we all deserve.

In solidarity,

Pramila

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