Congresswoman Laura Friedman convened the first meeting of her Immigration Advisory Committee to discuss concerns from local legal aid clinics and immigrant rights groups regarding President Donald Trump administration’s immigration raids and seizures across the Los Angeles region.
“From the start, this administration has been more concerned about meeting an arbitrary quota than it has been about actually addressing crime – and there’s evidence of that in the detention of American citizens and innocent children,” said Friedman.“In our meeting, I stressed the need for commonsense and dignified immigration policies, not the lawless alternative that this administration is forcing on Americans.”
Committee members represent a wide range of local and national organizations, including the International Rescue Committee, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights LA (CHIRLA), Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service, Bet Tzedek Legal Services and the Neighborhood Legal Services of LA County.
Last week, Friedman led a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) demanding answers and information regarding the presence of more than 100 Border Patrol agents outside Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Aug. 14 press conference.
In early July, Rep. Friedman announced her help in leading the No Masks for ICE Act, which would prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing facial coverings during immigration enforcement operations. Rep. Friedman is also a cosponsor of the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients.