Fostering Undergraduate Talent By Unlocking Resources for Education Act
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 891, I call up the bill (H.R. 2486) to reauthorize mandatory funding programs for historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. JAYAPAL. 2486.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring forward the No BAN Act amendment, and I thank Congresswoman Chu for her leadership on this bill.
In January 2017, President Trump issued the first Muslim ban, a xenophobic policy that has inflicted irreparable harm on Muslims here at home and around the world, a policy that says to Muslims that they are not to be trusted. This is hurtful, harmful to our global relationships, and deeply untrue.
When the ban was implemented, I rushed to the Seattle airport along with Chairman Nadler in New York City. We joined thousands of people in protest. Thanks to these efforts, we successfully secured the release in Seattle of two individuals. But the chaos and the pain that the ban cast upon American citizens, lawful residents, and international visitors can never truly be undone.
Today, new iterations of the Muslim ban and the most recent African ban have kept families separated; American businesses and research institutions can't recruit the best minds from abroad; and our Nation's doors are closed to people seeking safety from violence, war, and persecution.
The bans have hurt our relationships with other countries, harmed refugees, isolated us from our allies, and given extremists propaganda for recruitment. Most important, they do not make our country safer.
And let's be clear: A pandemic is not the time to push forward these xenophobic bans.
Citizens from Muslim-majority nations made up 4.5 percent of the U.S. physician workforce in 2019; and yet, between 2016 and 2018, the number of applicants to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates from Muslim-majority countries decreased by 15 percent, a decrease that exacerbates existing gaps in the U.S. physician workforce which is so desperately needed in a time of COVID-19.
It is time to pass the No BAN Act to repeal President Trump's bans and stop any future President from implementing discriminatory bans that send the repugnant message that our foundational values of freedom of religion and liberty and justice for all do not apply.
Today is historic, as the No BAN Act is the first bill to pass the House that directly addresses Muslim civil rights. And we would not be here today without the courage of Muslims and allies across the country, especially the very important people at Muslim Advocates who work to repudiate the Muslim ban and move Congress to action.
This bill sends an important message to Muslims everywhere that America believes in liberty and welcomes people regardless of race or religion.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary for his tremendous work and leadership on bringing these important issues to the floor.
I am very proud that the House is considering my bill today, the Access to Counsel Act, H.R. 5581. It is a commonsense measure that would ensure that U.S. citizens, green card holders, and other people with legal status are able to consult with an attorney when Customs and Border Protection detains them for over an hour.
I introduced this bill, Madam Speaker, as my first bill when I got to Congress, and it was in the wake of the Muslim ban. It was in the wake of that chaos that was unleashed at airports across the country as people from seven Muslim-majority countries found themselves detained for hours, in some cases pressured to sign papers giving up their legal status, and in many cases deported.
More often than not, these people did not even have the opportunity to see an attorney or even call anyone. They did not even have the opportunity to use the restrooms or to get water and food.
Since then, however, Madam Speaker--it isn't just that moment--there have been numerous cases of students detained for long periods at airports and sent back, despite holding valid visas secured after undergoing rigorous vetting by the State Department. One student was detained and deported in spite of a court order saying that he should be allowed to stay until a court could review his case.
And earlier this year, we saw no less than 200 people of Iranian American descent 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 denied that Iranian Americans were being targeted for different treatment.
Many of the people impacted were U.S. citizens, as well as elderly people and children. Some had even undergone extra vetting to participate in a program designed for trusted travelers at the northern border.
A month later, CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said that border officials ``got a little overzealous in their actions,'' but the damage, Madam Speaker, had already been done. There were children of U.S. citizens--they themselves U.S. citizens--who watched their parents be detained and treated in a way that no American citizen should go through. No person should go through that type of indignity and disrespect.
If my bill were enacted into law, it would ensure that any time CBP detains people with lawful status, then those individuals would simply have the right to call a lawyer and receive assistance. It does not stop CBP from doing its job; it does not create a right to counsel for everyone. This is just a simple phone call to their attorney.
So I would like to thank those who bravely came forward to share their stories, to make clear the Access to Counsel Act is desperately needed, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I just wanted to quote directly from section 2 of my bill: ``The Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide the covered individual a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel and an interested party not later than one hour after the secondary inspection process commences and as necessary throughout the inspection process, including, as applicable, during deferred inspection.''
So again, this could be a phone call. ``Meaningful access'' is a broad term and it takes into account my colleague from the other side's concerns.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source