Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal Proposes Immigration Reform Bill

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) has put forward legislation that aims to limit the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) capacity for immigration enforcement.

In a recent press announcement, Jayapal, who is an immigrant from India, and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) unveiled the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act.

This proposed bill seeks to:

• Eliminate forced detention.
• Ban the detention of families and children together.
• Establish presumptive release, making it harder to detain primary caregivers and vulnerable groups, such as pregnant individuals, survivors of violence, those with severe health issues, LGBTQ individuals, asylum seekers, and seniors over 60 years old.
• Gradually discontinue the use of civilian detention centers and prisons over a three-year period.
• Mandate that DHS create civil detention standards that meet or exceed the protections outlined by the American Bar Association.
• Require unannounced inspections by the DHS Inspector General, along with significant penalties for any noncompliance.
• Allow Congress members access to detention facilities for unscheduled evaluations.

During a press conference, Jayapal remarked, “Our Detained Immigrant Dignity Act has an impressive 123 original co-sponsors even before its introduction. These co-sponsors unite to revamp our detention system, greatly diminishing its usage and safeguarding the human and civil rights of every immigrant in detention.”

Previously, Jayapal, who serves on the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, has labeled Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a “terrorist force.” Notably, following a shooting incident at ICE’s Dallas facility, where one detainee was killed and several others injured, the FBI stated the gunman acted out of anti-ICE ideology, even marking a shell casing with “ANTI ICE.”

In July, after making similar comments about ICE, Jayapal faced criticism from the White House, being labeled as an “abnormal” leftist. He reiterated his position during a fundraising campaign and on CNN, accusing ICE officials of serious misconduct.

Jayapal also expressed in a CNN interview that the Trump administration should apologize to lawful permanent residents and others who have been unjustly detained across the nation.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had mentioned earlier that the Trump administration had deported over 527,000 undocumented immigrants, setting a record. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin added that the administration was likely to end its first year with nearly 600,000 deportations.