(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Progressive champion Pramila Jayapal named ranking member of immigration subcommittee [1] ['Daily Kos Staff', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-02 “I came to this country when I was 16, alone, and with nothing in my pockets,” said Jayapal, who was born in India. “After 17 years on an alphabet soup of visas to become a U.S. citizen, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to live the American Dream, a dream that is out of reach for too many immigrants today. It is extremely meaningful to me that I will now be in this position to better move the needle and recenter our broken immigration system around dignity, humanity, and justice.” Elected to Congress in 2016 following advocacy work that included suing the Bush administration to stop the deportation of thousands of Somali immigrants, Jayapal’s work has included oversight over abusive immigration enforcement agencies, passing legislation protecting the rights of Americans targeted by border agents, and introducing legislation strengthening the rights of domestic workers (that bill was written with then-Senator Kamala Harris). While Republicans like to conduct theatrics at the U.S./Mexico border, Jayapal’s work there has included intervening to aid asylum-seekers, including unaccompanied minors, unfairly blocked by border agents. “Initially they were denied, in violation of U.S. and international law, but I was able to intervene and ensure that they could simply present themselves for asylum in the United States,” she tweeted in 2018. Jayapal in her statement this week thanked Lofgren “for her years of dedicated leadership on the Subcommittee,” and said she looked forward to continued collaboration. Jayapal also noted that she’s well aware that Republicans have “no intention of engaging in good faith solutions to reform our immigration laws,” and said that “Democrats will have to be an opposition party that stands up to the most extreme ideas of the GOP and protects our values.” House Republicans’ first immigration-related bill is so extreme, that their caucus scrapped a plan to fast track the bill to a floor vote. Texas Republican Tony Gonzales, for example, called the bill “not Christian” and “anti-American,” putting lead sponsor Chip Roy on the defensive. His anti-asylum bill now goes back to committee. Republicans’ slim majority in the House means that Speaker-For-Now Kevin McCarthy can only lose a handful of votes. Already, enough were disturbed by Roy’s bill that it tanked its chances of passage (for now). Jayapal noted that she sees “promise for bipartisan work with a number of more moderate Republicans who themselves understand the need to restore our country as a beacon of hope.” But we’ll see. x I don't recall South Asian staffers; certainly no Members of Congress who looked like us. Now, my kids are growing up in a world where they can imagine themselves as Members of Congress. I can't adequately express my joy that a South Asian progressive woman is in this position. — Madhuri Singh Grewal (@MadhuGrewal) February 1, 2023 Numerous leading voices celebrated news of Jayapal’s rise to ranking member. “You are the right person for this time to lead on immigration,” tweeted Allen Orr Jr., past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. United Farm Workers tweeted that it was “thrilled” with the news. “A proud immigrant herself, she has been a relentless advocate for immigrant workers, including farm workers in Washington state.We look forward to her leadership.” RELATED STORIES: Jim Jordan's Judiciary Committee pitches a fit after reporter calls out border lie Sen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Pramila Jayapal unveil historic National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/2/2150761/-Progressive-champion-Pramila-Jayapal-named-ranking-member-of-immigration-subcommittee Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/