[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2549]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ACCESS TO COUNSEL ACT

  (Ms. JAYAPAL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I introduced my first bill, H.R. 
1006, the Access to Counsel Act; and it was a great pleasure to work 
with my colleague in the Senate, Senator Kamala Harris, who introduced 
that companion version. The legislation is a direct response to the 
President's misguided Muslim ban.
  In the chaos following the release of the executive order, people 
across the country were detained at airports and denied opportunities 
to consult with hundreds of attorneys who were there ready to provide 
legal support. Some of these people were deported without any access to 
due process. Even now, we are getting reports of people who are 
literally relinquishing their legal permanent resident status without 
consulting with anybody because they don't understand what they are 
signing.
  Detention and deportation without due process happens far too often, 
even though due process is a right that we hold so dear as Americans. 
For years, we have heard these cases of people being denied the right 
to counsel, and my bill, the Access to Counsel Act, ensures that anyone 
who is detained by CBP or held in ICE custody will get access to 
counsel.
  This is a commonsense measure, and I know that there are many who are 
fearful of what will come next. I want them to know that we will 
continue to fight for their rights and for their access to due process.

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