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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Know Your Immigration Rights

If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Know Your Immigration Rights

If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) is pushing the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 to provide a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for at least seven years.  Costa is an original co-sponsor of the bill. “The last time Congress updated the registry process, Ronald Reagan was president. That was nearly 40 years ago. I’ve worked across the aisle for years to deliver practical solutions, and this bill is one of them,” said Congressman Costa. “It’s time to modernize our immigration laws and provide long-overdue stability and fairness for immigrant families who have called this country home for decades.”BACKGROUNDThe Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 introduced by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), would modernize an outdated section of immigration law known as the Registry, codified in Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This provision gives the Secretary of Homeland Security the discretion to grant lawful permanent resident status (a green card) to individuals who have lived in the U.S. continuously since a certain date and meet all other eligibility requirements, including a clean criminal record.Originally enacted in 1929, the Registry has only been updated four times to reflect changing migration trends and national priorities. The last update was in 1986 under the Reagan Administration, setting the cutoff date to January 1, 1972. That means current law excludes millions of long-term residents, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for over 50 years.This bill would modernize the outdated Registry provision in two keyways:

Allow immigrants to apply for permanent residency if they have lived in the U.S. continuously for at least seven years and meet other legal requirements, including passing background checks. 
Establish a rolling eligibility date, so the law remains responsive over time and does not require further congressional updates.

This long-overdue reform would provide a pathway to a green card for more than 8 million immigrants, including Dreamers, TPS holders, children of long-term visa holders, essential workers, and highly skilled professionals like H-1B visa holders who have been stuck in backlog limbo. According to estimates from FWD.us, if the individuals eligible under this bill eventually gained citizenship, they would contribute an estimated $121 billion to the U.S. economy annually, including $35 billion in tax revenue.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) led a letter with nearly 50 House Democrats calling on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to immediately reverse the Department of Education’s decision to resume charging interest for nearly 8 million borrowers enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, beginning August 1. The abrupt policy change threatens to saddle working families with over $27 billion in unnecessary interest charges in just 12 months. 

“The Trump Administration’s calloused decision to resume interest charges for nearly 8 million borrowers trapped in the crosshairs of baseless and partisan lawsuits, and attempting to hide behind court injunctions to do so, is a deliberate abdication of your responsibility to protect students and borrowers,” the Members wrote. “We call on you to immediately reverse this policy so that millions of borrowers are not forced to pay billions of dollars in unjust and unnecessary interest charges.”

In the letter, the lawmakers emphasize that no court has deemed the SAVE plan illegal, nor required the Department to resume charging interest. Despite this, the Trump Administration is moving forward with the change, falsely claiming legal obligation and attempting to deflect accountability. 

The letter highlights that borrowers placed into forbearance, due to ongoing right-wing legal challenges to SAVE, were promised protection from financial harm. Resuming interest accrual would result in average annual interest charges of $3,500 per borrower, or roughly $300 per month. The lawmakers also raised concerns about the Department’s failure to process more than 1.5 million pending income-driven repayment applications, with recent reports that it will flatly deny 460,000. These operational failures have left borrowers with no viable repayment alternatives while interest begins to accrue. 

“Instead of fulfilling their promises to lower everyday costs for the American people, President Trump and Secretary McMahon are choosing to push millions of borrowers even further into debt by  saddling them with more than $27 billion in unnecessary interest charges– all while attempting to hide behind unrelated court cases to get it done” said SBPC Policy Director Aissa Canchola Banez. “Raising student loan costs by resuming interest charges is a cruel and calloused policy choice that will make it even harder for millions of working families to make ends meet. We applaud Representative Omar and Representative Casar for leading nearly 50 of their House colleagues to stand up for millions of working families with student debt and demand that Secretary McMahon reverses course.

The letter was signed by Reps. Alma Adams, Nanette Barragán, Don Beyer, Brendan Boyle, Troy Carter, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Judy Chu, Yvette Clarke, Lou Correa, Joe Courtney, Mark DeSaulnier, Sarah Elfreth, Veronica Escobar, Dwight Evans, Cleo Fields, John Garamendi, Chuy García, Sylvia Garcia, Glenn Ivey, Jonathan Jackson, Pramila Jayapal, Bill Keating, Summer Lee, Jennifer McClellan, Betty McCollum, LaMonica McIver, Gwen Moore, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Brittany Pettersen, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Ayanna Pressley, Mike Quigley, Delia Ramirez, Luz Rivas, Jan Schakowsky, Lateefah Simon, Darren Soto, Mark Takano, Shri Thanedar, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lori Trahan, Nydia Velázquez, Maxine Waters, and Frederica Wilson.

The full letter is available here. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

Congresswoman Betty McCollum to Host Listening Session on Minnesota Impacts of Law Defunding Public Media and International Aid

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jesús Chuy García (IL-04)

CHICAGO — Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) led the Democratic Members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons. The letter affirms support for local laws that govern how police interact with immigrant communities in Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago, and urges the Trump administration to stop its unlawful attacks on these policies.

In their joint letter, the Members stated, “These state and local policies ensure Illinois’ law enforcement comply with the United States Constitution, and they direct local resources toward community safety, while allowing the federal government to focus on federal immigration enforcement. These policies are in accordance with the law, maintain local autonomy, boost local economies, focus law enforcement resources on serving local needs, and promote effective policing strategies that foster trust between police and the communities they serve.”

The Members emphasized that “[c]ourts around the country have upheld the legality of such provisions and barred the federal government from compelling localities to cooperate in immigration enforcement under threat of withholding federal grants,” highlighting a federal judge’s recent dismissal of the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago over these policies.

The letter was sent just two days after the Justice Department issued an updated list of sanctuary jurisdictions, which the Members noted was evidence of “the Trump Administration’s continuing efforts to undermine state and local law enforcement priorities.”

“We applaud Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago lawmakers for ensuring that their policies comply with the Constitution, prioritize public safety, and actively foster trust between the police and the communities they serve,” said the Members.

Cosigners of the letter include Senator Tammy Duckworth and Representatives Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Sean Casten (IL-06), Danny Davis (IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Bill Foster (IL-11), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), and Eric Sorensen (IL-17).

The letter can be read in its entirety here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mark Takano (D-Calif)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

Video from the groundbreaking ceremony is downloadable here

STOCKTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) joined local leaders and transit safety advocates in a groundbreaking ceremony at the Robert J. Cabral Station to kick off a brand-new modernization project to increase safety and accessibility in downtown Stockton. The East Channel Street Streetscape and Connectivity Project will upgrade aging and substandard street conditions with new widened sidewalks and lighting, expanded accessibility features, and high-quality pedestrian and cyclist connections.  

“Every project that modernizes the infrastructure in our community like we’re seeing here in downtown is about so much more than the asphalt and the concrete,” said Rep. Harder. “That’s especially true with today’s project that is working to repair the soul of a city that has often felt ignored and neglected. I hope that this project is a blueprint for future block-by-block developments that we need to see across San Joaquin County.”

Harder was joined by representatives from the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, local leaders from the City of Stockton and San Joaquin County, and partners in the State Legislature, all of whom share a commitment to advancing much-needed infrastructure development across the Valley.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

Above: Harder speaks with local law enforcement officers at their annual awards ceremony

STOCKTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) celebrated local law enforcement officers and their families in the Stockton Police Department’s annual awards ceremony to honor acts of valor and bravery in the line of duty. More than 100 officers and individuals received awards and commendations at the ceremony.

As Stockton’s federal representative and a fifth-generation resident of the Valley, Harder has made supporting local law enforcement a top priority. During National Police Week, he announced new bipartisan legislation to help retain more officers and expand benefits for personnel.

Harder was joined by local leaders and elected officials from the City of Stockton and San Joaquin County.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brian Babin (R-TX)

Statement from Congressman Brian Babin on the Passing of J. Bruce Bugg Jr.