TAKE ACTION – URGE YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO SUPPORT THE ACCESSS TO COUNSEL ACT TODAY!
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/31/22) – Today the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, joined a number of other organizations in supporting the introduction of Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-WA) Access to Counsel Act. Companion legislation is expected to be introduced in the Senate by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA).
SEE: Jayapal Introduces Access to Counsel Act
https://jayapal.house.gov/2023/01/31/jayapal-introduces-access-to-counsel-act/
The Access to Counsel Act would ensure that U.S. citizens, green card holders, and other individuals with legal status are able to consult with an attorney, relative, or other interested parties to seek assistance if they are detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for more than an hour at ports of entry, including airports.
TAKE ACTION: CLICK HERE TO URGE YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS TO SUPPORT THE ACCESS TO COUNSEL ACT!
https://action.cair.com/a/support-accesss-counsel-act
“CAIR welcomes the re-introduction of Rep. Jayapal’s Access to Counsel Act, a practical solution to the rights of too many American citizens and residents’ rights being abused by CBP at the U.S. boarder,” said CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw. “After being delayed or detained for more than an hour at the U.S. border, Americans should have the right to make a phone call to their attorney or a family member. The Access to Counsel Act would do just that.”
According to Rep. Jayapal’s announcement, Access to Counsel Act would:
- Require the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that people with valid travel documents who present themselves at the border, airports, or other points of interaction can communicate with counsel and other interested parties if they are subjected to prolonged inspection by CBP.
- Allow counsel or a covered interested party the ability to advocate on behalf of the individual by providing information or documentation in support of the individual.
- Invalidate any effort by CBP to persuade someone to relinquish their legal status (by executing an I-407 or Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status) if that person has been denied access to counsel.
The Access to Counsel Act is one of the twenty-five measures supported in CAIR’s new report “CAIR Congressional Legislative Priorities in the 118th Congress.”
The act was originally introduced by Rep. Jayapal in 2017 as a direct response to the former administration’s Muslim and African Ban, which resulted in the detention for hours without food or water of thousands of individuals before being deported. In some cases, U.S. residents and other classes of people were asked to sign papers giving up their legal status.
In the 117th Congress, the Access to Counsel Act was supported by the White House and was passed in the House of Representatives. The legislation is currently cosponsored by the following members of Congress:
The bill is endorsed by America’s Voice; American Immigration Lawyers Association; American Muslim Empowerment Network (AMEN); Amnesty International USA; Asian American Scholar Forum; Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC; Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence; Center for Gender & Refugee Studies; Church World Service; Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA); Community Change Action; Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); FIRM Action; HIAS; Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Immigration Equality Action Fund; Japanese American Citizens League; Kids in Need of Defense; National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA); National Iranian American Council Action; National Partnership for New Americans; Northwest Immigrant Rights Project; Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF); Southeast Asia Resource Action Center; and UnidosUS.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected] CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]