Washington, D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s decision to roll back access to birth control:
“Today, in an abhorrent attack on women’s rights the Trump Administration ended the federal requirement for employers to cover birth control. This dangerous decision turns back the clock by enabling employers to discriminate under the guise of religious freedom. The birth control mandate has allowed millions to access affordable contraception and given women autonomy over their reproductive health and futures. Health care must include access to affordable birth control and reproductive services. The Trump Administration’s ideologically-driven decision is a shameful sanctioning of gender discrimination that endangers women’s health.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced theDignity for Detained Immigrants Act, legislation to reform the systemic problems in our immigration detention system. Our current system is inhumane, unjust, and driven by private, for-profit corporations like The GEO Group, which operates the Northwest Detention Center located in Tacoma, Washington. This bill will end the use of private facilities and repeal mandatory detention, while restoring due process, oversight, accountability, and transparency to the immigration detention system.
“We must fix the injustices in our broken immigration detention system,” said Congressman Adam Smith. “As the Trump Administration continues to push a misguided and dangerous immigration agenda, we need to ensure fair treatment and due process for immigrants and refugees faced with detention. This legislation will address some of the worst failings of our immigration policy and restore integrity and humanity to immigration proceedings.”
“The high moral cost of our inhumane immigration detention system is reprehensible. Large, private corporations operating detention centers are profiting off the suffering of men, women and children. We need an overhaul,” said Congresswoman Jayapal. “It’s clear that the Trump administration is dismantling the few protections in place for detained immigrants even as he ramps up enforcement against parents and vulnerable populations. This bill addresses the most egregious problems with our immigration detention system. It’s Congress’ responsibility to step up and pass this bill.”
In addition to repealing mandatory detention, a policy that often results in arbitrary and indefinite detention, the legislation creates a meaningful inspection process at detention facilities to ensure they meet the government’s own standards. The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish legally enforceable civil detention standards in line with those adopted by the American Bar Association. With disturbing track records of abuse and neglect, DHS has a responsibility to ensure that facilities are held accountable for the humane treatment of those awaiting immigration proceedings.
Individuals held in our immigration detention system are subject to civil law, but are often held in conditions identical to prisons. In many cases, detained people are simply awaiting their day in court. To correct the persistent failures of due process, the legislation requires the government to show probable cause to detain people, and implements a special rule for primary caregivers and vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and people with serious medical and mental health issues.
“My time in detention in Artesia was a nightmare, a scene in which there is fear, anguish, and desperation in every breath. The immigration detention system harms the lives of thousands of people every day. The solution is not to just improve conditions in these detention centers, the real solution must be a fundamental change. Congress must urgently act to pass this bill and bring change to this tragic system of immigration detention,” said Angelina Marquez, survivor of U.S. detention system.
“Being detained was difficult in every way. You are a prisoner. I am speaking out because the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act gives me hope that the U.S. government can find a way to stop the inhumane treatment being given to so many immigrants. We want to live peacefully and safely, and our country’s leaders must remember that all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity,” said Daniel, survivor of U.S. detention system.
“Our government locks away hundreds of thousands of people every year, hidden in remote jails with punishing conditions and no accountability. President Trump is asking Congress to give DHS even more money to super-fund this abusive network of jails. We applaud Representatives Smith and Jayapal for responding to this madness with a plan – a workable, compassionate and rights-respecting alternative to today’s shameful reality,” said Mary Meg McCarthy of the National Immigration Justice Center.
“The Trump administration has made it clear that they will aggressively target immigrants for arrest and detention. This bill is an important step toward stemming the unchecked expansion of the immigration detention system, ensuring much needed oversight and accountability over detention operations and providing greater protections for immigrants. We call on Congress to immediately pass this bill in order to end the over-reliance on an inhumane and ineffective system and treat immigrants in detention with fairness and dignity,” said Lorella Praeli, director of immigration policy and campaigns for the American Civil Liberties Union. “Over the past decade, the immigration detention system has grown dramatically without sufficient safeguards against human and civil rights abuses. It is a system known for egregious violations including sexual assault, prolonged solitary confinement, and life-threatening medical neglect. Many of the people detained are fleeing persecution in their home countries, while others have lived in the U.S. for years. They are often detained in for-profit prisons and county jails isolated from family, community and legal support. Many are detained for months without access to an immigration judge and are denied basic rights.”
“Our immigration detention system is a driving force of the U.S. deportation agenda, ruthlessly separating families and communities. For the past three decades the government has put hundreds of thousands of immigrants behind bars at a massive human, financial and moral cost. Under this administration, an already oppressive, inhumane and deadly system of detention has become even bigger, less transparent and less accountable. It is exactly at this moment—as the administration pushes to massively expand the system and further undermine the rights of all immigrants—that Congress must take immediate and decisive action to intervene. While this bill does not fully end the inhumane and unnecessary system of immigration detention, it takes a bold step forward by ending mandatory detention, ending privatized detention, enacting critical safeguards and reversing the trend of constant, unchecked growth,” said Mary Small, Detention Watch Network.
The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act is cosponsored by John Conyers Jr. (MI-13), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.), Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Luis V. Gutierrez (IL-4), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Bobby Rush (IL-1), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Elijah E. Cummings (MD-7), Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Danny K. Davis (IL-7), James P. McGovern (MA-2), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Grace Napolitano (CA-32), Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), Gwen Moore (WI-4), Steve Cohen (TN-9), Keith Ellison (MN-5), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-4), Chellie Pingree (ME-1), Jared Polis (CO-2), Mike Quigley (IL-5), Judy Chu (CA-27), Bill Foster (IL-11), David N. Cicilline (RI-1), Suzan DelBene (WA-1), Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Colleen Hanabusa (HI-1), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), Joseph P. Kennedy III (MA-4), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Ruben Gallego (AZ-7), Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Kathleen M. Rice (NY-4), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Jamie Raskin (MD-8), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34).
The legislation is also supported by the following civil society organizations: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, Center for Community Change, The Center for Victims of Torture, Church Council of Greater Seattle, Church World Service, Colectiva Legal del Pueblo, Columbia Legal Services, Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC), DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Democracy for America, Detention Watch Network, FIRM, Grassroots Leadership, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Immigration Equality Action Fund, Just Detention International, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service,Make the Road New York, Make the Road NJ, MoveOn.org Civic Action, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Law Center, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Network to End Domestic Violence,Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, OneAmerica, Our Revolution, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Southern Poverty Law Center, Tahirih Justice Center, United We Dream, Washington Defender Association, Women’s Refugee Commission, 21 Progress
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about this week’s incident regarding racial slurs at the Air Force Academy Preparatory School:
“The Air Force needs to investigate this incident thoroughly and take appropriate action. There is no place in the military for these kinds of acts. Incidents like these, even if they are performed by a single individual, offend our moral sensibilities and they can undermine the morale of service members and cadets. It is a bedrock principle that everyone in the U.S. military should be treated with dignity and respect.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about President Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico:
“The Trump administration’s response to the destruction in Puerto Rico has been wholly inadequate. A territory of 3.5 million American citizens is almost completely without power, water, food, and telephone service, and we have a handful of helicopters involved in DOD’s response. It’s a disgrace. At a minimum, President Trump needs to assemble a coordinated military effort headed by a three-star general officer, as President Bush did after Hurricane Katrina.”
Washington, D.C. – This week, Congressman Smith reintroduced the Freight Infrastructure Reinvestment Act, a bill that will support improvements to infrastructure and transportation throughout our national freight mobility network:
“Freight infrastructure is critical to our future growth and competitiveness,” said Congressman Smith. “Investments in our freight transportation system support our continued economic development by expanding our capacity to transport goods and providing opportunities for job creation across the country.”
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, passed by Congress in 2015, supports regionally significant freight and highway projects with funds distributed through a grant program and formula funding. The Freight Infrastructure Reinvestment Act (FIRA) of 2017 will expand upon the investments of the FAST Act by creating a sustainable national freight discretionary grant program supported by a dedicated funding source.
With the creation of a National Freight Mobility Infrastructure Fund, FIRA will administer strategic grants for infrastructure projects across our national freight mobility network. Funded through a minimal one percent fee on the shipment of freight cargo, this program will invest in freight projects that improve the efficiency, capacity, and safety of our freight mobility system. FIRA will support projects like the construction of highway ramps to carry freight, the reinforcement of roads and bridges for heavier traffic and vehicle volume, the improvement of marine terminals facilities used for freight, and the expansion of rail and highway tunnels to accommodate increased cargo.
“Our economy depends on an efficient network of ports, roads and railroads,” said Dick Marzano, co-chair of The Northwest Seaport Alliance. “This proposal will provide our nation an economic boost by enabling much-needed investments in the US freight system. We appreciate Rep. Smith’s leadership and consistent advocacy for freight.”
“Investments in freight movement are critical to the success of our ports,” said Kristin Meira, Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association. “Congressman Smith’s bill would provide a much needed funding source to support cargo movement in the Northwest, one of the most trade dependent regions in the nation. We appreciate his dedication to ensuring our region’s continued success in the global marketplace.”
“While the FAST Act’s freight-focused INFRA program provided a first step in addressing multimodal freight needs, much more is needed, as evidenced by the program’s oversubscription: in its initial round, applicants requested $13 for every $1 available,” said Elaine Nessle, Executive Director of Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors. “Congressman Smith’s proposed freight mobility infrastructure fee and National Freight Mobility Infrastructure Fund could provide the next iteration of funding for critical freight projects.”
The Freight Infrastructure Reinvestment Act of 2017 has been cosponsored by Representatives Albio Sires and Keith Ellison. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for further consideration.”
“Ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is irresponsible and contradicts who we are as Americans. DACA provides deportation relief to almost 800,000 immigrants, nearly 18,000 of who live in Washington state. These immigrant youth, known as DREAMers, represent a generation of immigrants who were brought to our country as children, through no fault of their own. Today, DREAMers are actively pursuing the American dream in many fields, including serving as members of the Armed Forces, and becoming teachers and doctors. President Trump’s decision to end DACA breaks our country’s promise of deportation relief to these law-abiding immigrant youth. This decision will only serve to tear families apart and undermine the important contributions of these young people to our country and our economy.
I am committed to supporting immigrant youth and keeping families together, and will fight with my colleagues in Congress, along with Governor Inslee and Attorney General Ferguson in Washington state to defend DACA. In response to the President’s failure of leadership in ending DACA, Congress must keep our country’s promise to DREAMers and stay true to our American values.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about President Trump’s announced expansion of surplus military equipment transfers to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies under the 1033 program:
“This is a dangerous decision. After a careful interagency review, the Obama administration halted the provision of surplus armored vehicles, bayonets, grenade launchers, large-caliber weapons, ammunition, and other specific equipment to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies for a reason. Providing these weapons can pose risks to our communities, undermine civil liberties, and improperly blur the line between military and civil authority.
“We should be especially concerned about handing this equipment to law enforcement agencies without proper training; processes to track where the equipment goes; and enforcement of rules that suspend law enforcement agencies from the program when they violate the law and civil rights.
“That is not an idle concern. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently found that the 1033 program’s controls for the federal law enforcement program were so inadequate that it provided potentially lethal controlled equipment to a fake Federal law enforcement agency. In the wake of that incident, I have called for the suspension of the program’s controlled-property transfers until adequate controls are in place.
“The demonstrated lack of controls in the 1033 program for federal law enforcement should give us additional pause regarding expansion of the program for state, local, and tribal agencies. While some transfers under the 1033 program are valuable, excessive militarization of our civilian police forces is highly inappropriate and we should not be repealing the safeguards established by the Obama administration, especially in the face of these documented problems and documented risks.”
Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about President Trump’s order on transgender military service:
“This Presidential order is a cravenly opportunistic act of discrimination against men and women who volunteer to defend the United States.
“President Trump has no credible information suggesting that transgender service undermines military readiness. Yet he is willing to ruin lives and deface our government’s commitment to equality in an apparent attempt to secure funding for his border wall. Apparently, if Mexico won’t pay for the wall, President Trump has decided that honorable men and women in uniform should pay instead as their service is traded away for funding. I oppose this decision in extremely strong terms, and we will fight for its reversal.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) released the following statement about President Trump’s announcement on the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan:
“This is not a plan. The President has announced that he is committing to an open-ended war effort in Afghanistan without clearly explaining to the American people or the service members he is sending into harm’s way what he wants and how he intends to accomplish his goals. That is inexcusable. He now owns the responsibility for this war and any consequences that flow from this decision-making process.
“Some of the objectives he restated last night are familiar from the Obama and Bush administrations, including American support for establishing a sustainable peace through political reconciliation and the need to support those efforts using a whole-of-government approach to the region. But many of the principles he laid out were vague, and he made almost zero effort to explain how he will achieve these objectives.
“The President may wish to focus only on broad principles, but it is insufficient for the commander-in-chief to avoid communicating a workable plan for addressing the inherent risks and challenges. The President owes the American people a much clearer explanation of how he intends to implement his regional strategy, and Americans should be concerned that he plans to deploy more men, women, and resources without such an explanation.”
Congressman Smith Disavows President Trump’s Racist Statements
“This week, the President has doubled down on his divisive and bigoted language. The renewed prejudice on display during his deranged press conference is further proof that Trump is morally unqualified for any elected leadership position, much less the position of President.
“There is no debate, white supremacy and racism are abhorrent ideologies. In failing to clearly disavow hate groups that seek to divide our country, the President is emboldening white supremacists and neo-Nazis. The President’s persistent efforts to excuse racist, xenophobic, and violent groups must be condemned loudly and unequivocally.”