Congresswomen Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), the co-chairs of the Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform, issued the following statement about news that the Trump Administration is once again considering a cruel family separation policy on the southern U.S. border: “We are deeply concerned that the Trump Administration is considering new policies to separate mothers and fathers from their children. The Administration’s original zero-tolerance policy tore thousand... Read more

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) and Senators Mazie K. Hirono (HI), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), and Kamala D. Harris (CA) have introduced the Child Trafficking Victims Protection and Welfare Act, which expands protections for vulnerable children in the custody of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The bill has been introduced in the House as H.R. 7047, and in the Senate as S. 3558. When children cross the border into the U.S., seeking protection either as unaccompanied children or ... Read more

Congresswomen Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), the co-chairs of the Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform, and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) recently led a group of 72 members of Congress in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar condemning the Trump Administration’s transfer of more than 1,600 children in the dead of night to an Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) tent city in Tornillo, Texas. The letter also ex... Read more

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen requesting that they brief Members of Congress on the prolonged detention of unaccompanied children. Thei... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), the first Mexican-American congresswoman and a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, released the following video in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgtqGHbZejY. “I am proud to take this Hispanic Heritage Month to salute the history and accomplishments of our Latino communities, both in my 40th Congressional District of California and across the country,” said Congresswoman Roybal-Allard. “While this is ... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), a member of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee and a member of the conference committee for the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act for 2019 and Continuing Appropriations Act for 2019 (H.R. 6157), issued the following statement on H.R. 6157 as it passed the House of Representatives: “I support the conference report to accompany H.R. 6157, and I commend Ranking Members Nit... Read more

Today, Congresswomen Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), the co-chairs of the Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform, led a group of 64 members of Congress in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar urging them to support the Flores Settlement. The 1997 settlement, which resulted from more than a decade of litigation, ensures that children are treated hum... Read more

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and a co-chair of the Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform, delivered the following prepared remarks today at a press conference about the Trump administration’s inability to reunite all separated immigrant families by today’s court-ordered deadline: “We all know the cruel Trump policy of separating families has caused extensive trauma to children and parents. Not o... Read more

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following prepared remarks today at the House Appropriations Committee’s markup of the Fiscal Year 2019 Homeland Security Appropriations bill: “Chairman Yoder, allow me to formally welcome you to the Homeland Security Subcommittee. You have definitely proven to be a quick study and a steady hand. I believe that you and I are off to a good start in building a... Read more

Congresswomen Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), the co-chairs of the Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen requesting answers to several questions about the status and treatment of pregnant women held in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The letter was written in the wake of a July 9, 2018 BuzzFeed article detailing cases of neglect, mistre... Read more