Jayapal Demands Information on the Status of Unlawfully Disappeared Immigrants

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, is leading dozens of  Members of Congress in demanding information from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem regarding the kidnapping and disappearances of immigrants with no due process who have been removed to third countries including Panama, Costa Rica, South Sudan, and Libya.

“While we can all agree that the immigration system is badly outdated and in need of comprehensive reforms from Congress, it is not an appropriate solution to simply ignore the Constitutionally-protected right to due process, the laws that currently exist, and judges’ orders,” wrote the Members. “We have laws and procedures in place to remove people from this country. The administration cannot willfully ignore those laws and send people to third countries, in some cases, countries suffering from humanitarian disasters and armed conflict.”

In its efforts to quickly deport immigrants, regardless of legal status, criminal record, or any national security threat, the administration has been removing individuals with protection claims to countries they did not come from. The administration sent hundreds of non-Panamanian migrants and asylum seekers to Panama, including Artemis Ghasemzadeh, an Iranian national who secretly converted to Christianity, a crime punishable by death in Iran.

All persons in the United States are entitled to due process under the law, regardless of immigration status. These deportations have subverted that process and put people in potentially life-threatening situations.

You can read the full letter here. 

The letter was signed by Becca Balint (VT-At Large), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Julia Brownley (CA-26), André Carson (IN-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Dwight Evans (PA-03), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Betty McCollum (MN-04), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Adam Smith (WA-09), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), and Nikema Williams (GA-05). 

Issues: Civil Rights, Immigration