LIVE: Democrat Reps. Speak on the Fairness to Freedom Act 2024-05-22 19:24

Alright, let's try to move a little bit more here. Otherwise everybody stays there. Come on. And we can do like three different lines. You are tall, back. Whoever is holding the banner needs to be on the front. I don't know if I want to sign it yet. We cannot have a gap like this. We need to get closer. Yeah, let's get closer. We know, we all smell. We all sweat. It's ok. I need you all to come to this side. There's a huge gap in here. We cannot have gaps. You are not in the frame. Come here. Uche, come here. Yes, yes, yes. Uche, come on. You have to be on the floor. You are not in the frame. Alright. How are we feeling? Good! Is it hot? Yes! You repeat after me, ok? Everywhere we go People want to know Who we are So we tell them We are the immigrants Mighty, mighty immigrants Fighting for justice And our families Now you know. With rhythm and joy. Everywhere we go People want to know Who we are So we tell them We are the immigrants Mighty, mighty immigrants Fighting for justice And our families Alright, I'm going to say it in Spanish right now. I'm going to speak in your language. If you are not, let's see how much you learn in school. Alright? Alright, I'm going to say it in Spanish. And you repeat, ok? No somos uno No somos cien Somos millones Cuéntanos bien No somos uno No somos cien Somos millones Cuéntanos bien Oh my goodness, you all passed Spanish class right now. Repeat after me. I believe I believe that I believe that we I believe that we will I believe that we will win Ole, ole, ole. Uche, come here. So I'm going to say what we want in response. Fairness to freedom. Yes. No. What we want. Fairness to freedom. What we want. Fairness to freedom. And we want it. Now. And we want it. Now. And we want it. Now. And we want it. If we don't get it. Shut it down. If we don't get it. Shut it down. If we don't get it. Shut it down. If we don't get it. Shut it down. If we don't get it. Shut it down. If we don't get it. Shut it down. If asylum seekers don't get it. Shut it down. If immigrants don't get it. Shut it down. refugees don't get it, shut it down. What do we want? Fairness and freedom. When do we want it? Now. When do we want it? Now. Now, now, now. Ahora, ahora, ahora. What do we want? Fairness and freedom. When do we want it? Now. When, when, when? Now, now, now. If we don't get it, shut it down. Alright, last one. Alright, maybe no. Hi, how are you? Alright, last one y'all. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains. Please stop everybody, please stop. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains. For the last one, I want you to shout it so that they will hear us from the others. As loud as you can. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains. I think Nicole is going to be our emcee. Well, good afternoon everyone. I'm Congresswoman Norma Torres. I represent the 35th Congressional District in California's Inland Empire. It is my great honor to introduce our bill, H.R. 2697, the Fairness to Freedom Act. I am pleased to be joined today by fellow legislators and with the Fairness to Freedom campaign led by Vera Institute of Justice and the National Partnership for New Americans. We are all here today with one common goal, and that is to say that legal representation in immigration court for people facing removal proceedings must become a basic right. We are here to advocate for change in our government's treatment of those who have risked everything, everything in search of safety and an opportunity to live another day. I am proud to be here because this fight is personal to me. As a young girl, my family sent me to the U.S. because they knew that I could have a better life here than I could in Guatemala. I was fortunate to receive the support I needed and serve my community, not just as a 911 dispatcher, but also as a mayor of my home city of Pomona and served in the California State Legislature, in the Assembly, and in the State Senate. And now, who could have imagined that little girl from Guatemala could be a member of Congress? My story is the exception, and it should not be. Our country promises opportunity for immigrants, but our complex immigration system often prevents them from seizing those opportunities. Every day, individuals facing removal proceedings are forced to defend themselves in court without legal representation. Many of them do not speak English and are unfamiliar with our nation's complicated immigration systems. As immigration court case numbers continue to grow and more people arrive seeking safety in the United States, access to legal representation is urgently, urgently needed to support people navigating a complex system to avoid unnecessary delays while attempting to find legal assistance. Removal proceedings disrupt the lives, they tear families apart, and damage communities, all without granting individuals their basic right to due process. I have consistently urged Congress to address this injustice, and last year I introduced the Fairness to Freedom Act. We are here today because this bill aims to protect the right of due process for individuals facing removal proceedings. The United States owes it success, the U.S. owes our success to immigrants like you and me. Yet, we have failed, our immigrant communities, and Congress must rectify this. It is essential to establish a legal system based on fairness and human decency. Everyone, regardless of their immigration status, deserves their fair day in court. I need everyone here to do their part, and when you visit Capitol Hill today, you must speak. You must speak to your member of Congress about the Fairness to Freedom Act. Access to legal representation for anyone facing deportation promotes greater equity and justice in an already unjust immigration system. It is time for Congress to fulfill its duty and ensure universal legal representation. Thank you all for being here today and for being great supporters of this new law. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Congresswoman Grace Meng from Queens, New York. In 2023, more than 140,000 immigrants were deported by ICE. 65% of those people were forced to represent themselves before the immigration court. Under our current laws, people facing deportation have no right to a government-provided attorney. Yet, in every single one of those cases, the government sends an attorney to argue for deportation. How can these cases be fair? How can people who have made arduous journeys to the U.S., people who have come here with nothing, people who speak little to no English and do not have knowledge of our legal system, possibly get a fair chance to make their cases? Those facing deportation with legal representation are 10.5 times more likely to achieve a successful outcome in their cases than those without. Due process is the foundation of our nation's government and laws. We are not living up to our values. If the government provided a lawyer to anyone who could not afford one in immigration court, we would also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the immigration system overall. In my home state of New York, federal legislation providing access to counsel for anyone facing deportation would likely give 53,000 people the opportunity to stay legally in their communities. This bill would have an estimated benefit of $8.4 billion for federal, state, and local governments over the next three decades. As a representative of a district in Queens, I know personally the ways that immigrant communities make our country strong and beautiful. Immigrants are living, working, contributing to our economies, and raising families around us. They should get a fair chance. I'm proud to stand with my colleagues in Congress in support of Congresswoman Norma Torres' Fairness to Freedom Act, and thank you, Norma, for putting forward this bill. That is what this bill would do. It would give people a fair chance. I also want to thank the Vera Institute of Justice, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, NPNA, the CARE Coalition, and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration for your partnership. Keep up the great work. Hello, I'm Congressmember Judy Chu from Los Angeles County. And I'm so excited to be with you to show support for the Fairness to Freedom Act, a vital piece of legislation that will bring legal representation to millions of deserving immigrants. And thank you, Vera Institute of Justice and the Fairness to Freedom campaign, and my amazing colleagues for bringing us here today. Legal representation is a cornerstone right for those involved in U.S. criminal case proceedings and ensures that everyone receives due process. But in immigration cases, non-citizens facing deportation have no right to that same representation. The stakes of deportation proceedings are unimaginably high. A ruling against an immigrant means forced removal from their community or family here and a return back to a country of origin that may be incredibly dangerous. But we know that the right to an attorney and in-language legal services is often the deciding factor in these cases. In fact, immigrants with legal representation are 10 times more likely to be relieved from a deportation order and 3.5 times more likely to be granted a bond. Since my time in Congress, I've visited multiple detention centers along the southwest border and seen firsthand the conditions that those seeking asylum and in-detention face. Time and time again, I am shocked and appalled at the horrific conditions faced by those in these facilities, particularly children. I've even seen children as young as 2 and 3 years old awaiting their court proceedings without any legal representation. Our immigration system is broken when non-English speaking children are expected to do what most American adults wouldn't dare, appear in court without an attorney. When you think about how these laws are meant to protect the vulnerable, not force them back into dangerous conditions they were fleeing, our responsibility is clear. And that's why we need the Freedom to Fairness Act. This bill would provide relief to the over 1 million adults and children facing deportation orders without any legal representation and ensure that the government covers the cost of legal representation for those who can't afford it, just like it already does for criminal defendants. And by mandating interpretation and translation services for those who need it, it would ensure that every immigrant can make the case just like they deserve. So I want to thank you for inviting me today. And let's make sure the Fairness to Freedom Act becomes the law of the land. Well, I want to thank you all today for having me. I especially want to thank Congresswoman Torres for all your leadership here. Incredible to see all the advocates, so many organizations. Also, from the experience of being an immigrant myself, I came to the U.S. when I was a young child. Having representation is so important. I actually remember being cheated, my family, by attorneys in our immigration process because we didn't have access to information about how the legal system actually works. So you can only imagine someone that is facing deportation or facing a critical moment in their journey. At that moment, they need help. And because of this bill and to the Congresswoman and so many advocates and their leadership, we can finally get them that legal representation and the dignity that they deserve. I want to add that when I was mayor of Long Beach, I've only been in Congress for about a year and a half. When I was mayor of Long Beach, we worked with the Vera Institute to create a universal representation justice fund in the city of Long Beach. We're one of the first cities to do it. So the city put forward the money to actually have a justice fund that anyone could access. It was a universal representation. And since then, we have helped dozens and dozens of people facing deportation in the city of Long Beach thanks to Vera, thanks to our local partners on the ground. The program has been so successful. We've had groups like our Immigrants' Rights Coalition in Long Beach, Centro Cha, Chirla, who's been such a big partner for us, advocate for folks that are facing deportation. And we're so grateful that this bill really creates a national model and standard across the country. So I'm happy to be here. Again, thank you to Vera, to all the advocates. And to everyone facing this challenge, know that we have your back. Thank you. Hello, everybody. I'm Congressman Dan Goldman from New York City. I claim the whole thing, Grace. It's great to be here with so many great advocates, so many people who are simply trying to implement due process for everyone in this country. That's what this really comes down to. And I was a prosecutor for 10 years. I'm a lawyer by training. I don't understand our immigration laws. And to expect those people escaping from often horrific conditions to come to a foreign country in a different language and have them understand the process, understand the law and represent themselves is not due process. And it is a very simple, simple ask. We are not asking in this bill to give anyone any extra benefit. We are not asking to let anyone in who would otherwise not qualify. All we are asking for is that everyone seeking a better life in this country, seeking the American dream, gets adequate representation so that they can go through the process and understand it and be able to make what arguments they have so that they can benefit from this country, as so many of us have benefited, so many of our ancestors have done. This country was built on immigrants. Our economy is built on immigrants. And so for everyone who thinks that they are given whatever it is that they've got, and if you're a citizen of this country, just remember that you're not here without immigration and that we ought to be welcoming immigrants into this country in a fair, equitable, just way with basic due process. So I want to thank Congresswoman Torres. It's my pleasure to be here as a co-sponsor of the Fairness to Freedom Act. And let's get this over the finish line. Thank you so much. So good afternoon, everybody. My name is Angelica Salas. I'm the executive director of CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in California. Also, I really want to say I'm very proud to be the co-chair of the National Partnership for New Americans. Thank you all, our members of Congress, for joining us today. And especially thank you so much to our very own Congresswoman Norma Torres for spearheading this important measure at the federal level. When we launched the Fairness to Freedom campaign, we were rooted not only in the everyday struggles of immigrants facing deportation and the ripple effects that this has on entire communities, but also on the devastating effects that ripping families apart has on our economy. Let's start with the facts. As our nation continues to face labor shortages and employers across industries nationwide report challenges with hiring, the Congressional Budget Office confirms that immigration supports economic growth as new workers join the economy. But this is not new information. We have known the positive impact of our contributions to the economy for decades. One example is the brave maintenance workers who tragically lost their lives in the cargo ship crash at Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. And the migrant agricultural workers who lost their lives just last week in a bus crash in Florida. They were hardworking immigrants from Mexico and Central America. Like them, so many people give everything, and in this case their own lives. And they are the reminders of the essential work that they do. We must not be asking for what is fair and just. We must demand it. And we want justice in our lifetimes. We need justice now. As advocates, immigrants, and allies, we have not and will not stop calling for Congress to deliver an immigration system that works for and invests in people. A humane, welcoming asylum system. Public defenders for people facing deportation. Legal pathways for people that have long called the United States of America home. The bottom line is that the United States needs immigrant workers. Universal representation would provide immigrants access to due process. A right that should be afforded to everyone in this country, regardless of their immigration status or their ability to pay for a lawyer. Let's focus on solutions. Let's focus on solutions, and Congress needs to hear that right now. On keeping workers in workplaces, breadwinners with their families, and in their communities. The Fairness to Freedom Act is a solution. So let's enact it today. Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Angelica. I'm Nicole Malacu. I have the pleasure of serving as the Executive Director of the National Partnership for New Americans, a coalition of 70 of the nation's largest immigrant and refugee-led coalitions in the country, working to promote immigrant inclusion across the country. I want to name that one year ago, one year and one month ago, we came here together with Representative Torres to introduce the historic Bicameral Fairness to Freedom Act. That day, we were filled with so much hope about the possibilities of dignifying immigration solutions like the Fairness to Freedom Act. And now, one year later, on the first anniversary of the bill, we are so inspired by the 52-plus jurisdictions across the country that are offering representation for people facing deportation. And at the same time, can I just say how refreshing it is to actually see solutions like Fairness to Freedom on the table today? Let's give it up for the members of Congress that came today to offer a fair and workable solution for an issue that we know can be solved through universal representation. Many of our legislators, including some of our allies, are choosing to go the route of enforcement-era asylum-gutting measures, which is a deep betrayal to our movement, to the immigrant communities they serve, and to our nation. It betrays our longstanding commitment to be a place of welcome for so many vulnerable people across the world who continue to look at the United States as a beacon of hope. Our legislators have no excuse for pursuing anti-immigrant, anti-family, and anti-economy legislation like what we may see tomorrow. Time and time again, I'll repeat that, isn't it refreshing, once again, to see people forwarding solutions? This year, in a critical election year, we know that there will be so many issues our communities care about. But for the 1.6 million people across the country, protection, universal representation can be a lifeline for so many people that are facing the immigration system alone. The time is now, but it's time for us to act together and pass the Fairness to Freedom Act. Thank you. Hi everyone, how are you all doing? My name is Andres Garcia, I'm 30 years old, and I was born in El Salvador. Actually, I came here like 8 years ago, and I came to live with my sister in Virginia. So, I felt safe, and I wanted to be somebody that possibly I would like to be. So, for the first years, I was able to stay with my family, get reunited with them. But then, in 2022, I got into ICE custody, so I was in detention for a year. So, I remember I was transferred to three different places, and from what I remember, I was hopeless. I lost every single hope, so I was about to give up. But then, I saw this poster from Care Coalition. Actually, I made them a call, and I was like, you know, I have nothing to lose. But I called them, I gave them my information, and actually they called me back, and they accepted my case. So, when I realized that somebody would represent me in court, all my hope came back. And then, actually, she was the one, and thank you, her name is Katia Mikasi. And that's why I believe legal representation is really important. Because, you know, she presented my case in immigration court in a way that I could have never done it myself. So, that's why I'm here today, to say it loud and clear that legal representation matters. I'm here today to tell Congress to support the Fairness to Freedom Act. Because I want everybody in this country to have the same opportunity as I did. You know, since, that's right, since I won my case, I have been able to apply for work. I have been able to apply for an apartment. I've been able to go back to school. So, it's not just about, yes! So, that's why I think, like, legal representation matters. And, basically, we're not begging for anything. We're just here to say, look, we are here, and we are here to stay. So, as a conclusion, I just want to thank everybody who's here. And don't forget that if we don't fight, we're never going to get anything done. So, thank you all for being here. Alright, thank you so much, everyone, for being here. Your presence here is really valued and appreciated. My name is Uchechukwu Onwa, and I'm the National Civic Engagement Coordinator with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, BAJI. BAJI fights for the rights of black migrants and African Americans through organizing, legal advocacy, research, policy, and narrative building to protect, to improve the conditions of black communities by advancing racial justice and migrant rights. In America, we believe in the principle of justice for all. Yet, every day, thousands of immigrants, many of whom have lived and contributed to our communities, for years, navigate the complex and daunting immigration legal system without any legal assistance. This lack of representation jeopardizes the lives and futures of individuals and families who are an integral part of our society. When immigrants have legal representation, they are more likely to receive a fair hearing and, in many cases, have legitimate claims to remain in the United States. Without legal counsel, the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against them, regardless of the merits of their case. I moved to the United States from Nigeria a few years ago. After experiencing multiple persecutions, publicly beaten up, and dragged naked to the street for being gay, I was demonized, taunted, and haunted by it. Many of my friends were murdered, including my childhood best friend, who was raped by a gang of homophobes. Three months after, he tested HIV positive, and as a result, he committed suicide. I made the hard decision to leave my home and move to the United States in search of safety, freedom, and protection. I moved without any resources. Even though I had a valid U.S. visa, I was detained at Atlanta City Detention Center for three horrible months. As a black gay man from Nigeria who experienced dehumanizing conditions in ICE detention, including being shackled to a hospital bed and a life-threatening event as a result of being denied medical treatment, mental and emotional anguish leading to suicidal attempts, and no subsequent access to mental health services, I cannot overstate the importance I place on myself to advocating for all lives, especially the lives of black and brown queer and trans immigrants. Thanks for having access to free legal representation, I am not in detention anymore, and I now have a job, an apartment, and some money to live for myself. But still, I struggle from the impact of how the immigration system treated me. Black migrants are about 8% of migrants overall, but they make up 20% of people facing deportation in immigration courts. Everyone should have access to lawyers in immigration courts, not just in criminal systems. No one should have to face deportation because they are unable to afford legal representation. There are more than 1.6 million pending deportation cases in the immigration court system alone, and more than 800,000 adults and children lacking legal representation. Thousands more are being detained each month at the border and through an ever-growing, cruel, and unaccountable enforcement system. It's nearly impossible to win relief from deportation without a lawyer. Establishing universal representation is not special treatment. It will literally save lives. I wouldn't have been here today without legal representation to help me in my case. Today, we call on our lawmakers, community leaders, and all Americans to join in this vital cause. We urge our elected officials to support the Fairness to Freedom Act and to recognize that justice should not depend on one's ability to pay for lawyers. Together, we can ensure that our immigration system is fair and just. And together, we shall win. Because when we fight, we win. When we fight, we win. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Murad Awoudah, and I am the president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition. I hail from the great state of New York, which has done significantly more than our federal government has done to support our communities. And that's a shame. No one state should be having to work on its own. We should have federal programs that actually allow for our communities to achieve fairness, to achieve the freedom that the promise of this country is rooted in. To think that we are coming up to the 250-year anniversary of this country's founding, and we have so much more space to go and so much more time to move forward in thinking about what does justice mean? And at the crux of it, the basis of it is the right to fairness, the right to dignity, the right to representation and justice. The Fairness to Freedom Act does that. And it is the floor. It is not the ceiling. In New York alone, we have 53,000 people. I'm going to say it again. 53,000 people. Those are mothers, fathers, and children who would benefit from this. Our state already has the benefit of having our communities contributing over $200 billion in spending power in New York, delivering over $65 billion in state taxes. Imagine the economic growth that is possible when we provide people with the basics of living a dignified and fruitful life. And I'll leave you with this, because our brother shared his story and it was incredibly heartwarming to hear. As someone who's also had family members having to go through removal proceedings without representation and having to be taken advantage of by notarios, it has been incredibly, incredibly disingenuous to see what's happening on the Hill this week and trying to limit and ban our communities that have literally been the drivers of our economy and our communities across this country. So on my final note, I just want to say that the Fairness to Freedom Act is the way forward. It is the way forward. It is a down payment on the future of this country. Thank you. Good afternoon. I'm Nicholas Turner. I'm the president and director of the Vera Institute of Justice. Thank you. Thank you. I've been part of the justice reform movement for decades. I'm a child of Washington, D.C., and a child of a black man from Bed-Stuy and a Filipina immigrant. I live in Brooklyn, New York. Big ups to Brooklyn. Thank you. Across this country, Vera works to build programs and policies that support instead of punish, that prevent harm instead of reacting in its aftermath. I'm here today because I believe in the American dream. I believe in not pulling up ladders, in not closing doors, but keeping ladders of opportunity available to people like my mother and like myself and like all of us who have spoken today. That's what we're doing here today with the Fairness to Freedom campaign and with our congressional champions. The Fairness to Freedom Act is a solution that would help millions by ensuring access to legal representation for all people facing deportation. We're all hearing now deeply troubling anti-immigrant rhetoric in this election year and witnessing an alarming trend at the federal and state levels of creating harsher immigration enforcement systems that separate families and limit the rights of people seeking safety and stability. Tomorrow, there'll be a vote in the Senate on a bill that would worsen, not improve challenges at our border, while limiting due process and decreasing protections for people seeking safety in this country. And in addition, we've seen bills that have been introduced in Texas and Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana and Mississippi that seek to create new ways to criminalize immigrants and weaponize local law enforcement. This fear-mongering that we hear on the news every night distracts us from the truths about immigration. The truths. Truth. It is perfectly legal to request asylum. Truth. The United States has a legal obligation, an obligation to hear every asylum case. People have the right to access their rights under U.S. law and defend themselves from deportation. The U.S. immigration system is complex and antiquated. We need to build a modern one by expanding pathways to lawful settlement, improving immigration processing and investing in universal legal representation to ensure that all children, families and adults are treated with dignity, with dignity and with due process. That's what the Fairness to Freedom Act is about. The Fairness to Freedom Act is a solution that would help millions by ensuring access to legal representation. And we're making progress. Across the country, more than 55 states and counties and cities with deportation defense investments are leading the way, demonstrating how we can support fairness, family unity and prosperity by advancing legal representation for immigrants. In the year since the Freedom to Fairness Act was introduced, across the country we have seen new investments and new universal representation programs. We just heard Murad talk about New York. We've seen Colorado double its investment in universal representation. And from Nashville, Tennessee, to Bexar County, Texas, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, jurisdictions, just this past year are continuing to show that supporting immigrants by ensuring access to legal representation is sensible, humane and an effective way to support communities at this moment. The data and evidence is clear. Immigration benefits the United States. Immigrants have long been a central part of America's social fabric. It is the America that I believe in. Legal representation works and it's true to our collective values. It's time to meet the moment and to build a future where all people in the United States receive fair treatment under the law, no matter where they were born. This isn't just an immigrant's movement or an immigrant's rights issue, or just a due process issue. This is a racial justice issue and a civil rights issue that impacts all of us. This is an issue about who America is. We must pass the Fairness to Freedom Act, and we must ensure that any immigration package includes universal legal representation for immigrants. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much to everyone for joining us. This concludes our press conference. I'd also once again like to thank Rep. Norma Torres, Rep. Meng, Rep. Chu, Rep. Goldman, and Robert Garcia for joining us, Rep. Garcia for joining us today for this presser. It's been an amazing and refreshing day for us in the light of what's moving here on the Hill. I also want to thank the many advocates that have joined us from across the country. And to close us out, while everyone's watching, when I say fairness, I want to hear freedom. Fairness! Freedom! Fairness! Freedom! Fairness! Freedom! Fairness! Freedom! One more time. Fairness! Freedom! I hope they heard us in that building. That concludes our press conference. Thank you for joining us. Where's the sign? Hey, banner. Where's the people with the banner? Banner. Oh my goodness. Can we take a quick picture of us before we... Really quick. Oh, let's hold the banner, folks. Real quick. Awesome. Well, first you two. Okay. And then we'll join you. Okay, good. Picture? Who's taking the picture? Take a picture. We're taking a picture.