Washington, D.C. -Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, announced that the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which is led by Chairman Jamie Raskin, will hold an emergency hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, on the Trump Administration’s decision to end consideration of requests to defer deportation, including for children with critical illnesses.
“The Trump Administration’s decision to deport critically ill children was one of the most heartless and ill-conceived actions of Donald Trump’s entire presidency," said Cummings when announcing the hearing.
“The officials responsible for this action must be held accountable for their incompetence and their failure to take even the most basic steps to determine the harm that would be caused by this policy," said Raskin.
The hearing is being held in response to numerous requests, including from Committee Member Mark DeSaulnier, who represents Maria Isabel Bueso, and Committee Member Ayanna Pressley, who represents Jonathan Sanchez, both of whom will be testifying on Wednesday.
Also testifying will be officials from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). USCIS sent letters notifying individuals that it would no longer consider deferral requests, including for people with serious medical conditions, and the agency claimed that those decisions would now be made by ICE. ICE publicly denied that it had any plans to take on this role.
On Sept. 2, 2019, the Administration announced that it would reconsider a limited set of deferred action requests that were pending on or before August 7, 2019. The Administration did not explain whether it plans to grant those requests or whether requests submitted after August 7 would be considered at all. Families that applied after August 7 may need to decide within days whether to stay and risk deportation or leave the country and end life-saving treatment for their children.
WHERE: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019
TIME: 12:00 noon
WITNESSES:
Panel One
Maria Isabel Bueso
Concord, CA
Jonathan Sanchez
Boston, MA
Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia
Clinical Professor of Law
Director, Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic
Penn State Law School
Fiona S. Danaher, MD, MPH
Pediatrician, MGH Chelsea Pediatrics and MGH Child Protection Program
Co-Chair, MGH Immigrant Health Coalition
Massachusetts General Hospital for Children
Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Anthony Marino
Director, Immigration Legal Services
Irish International Immigrant Center
Panel Two
Timothy S. Robbins
Acting Executive Associate Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
Daniel Renaud
Associate Director, Field Operations Directorate
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security
MEDIA
The hearing will broadcast here.
Due to limited seating, credentialed media must RSVP to their respective Press Gallery no later than 5 p.m. Sept. 10, 2019.
An RSVP does not guarantee a seat, but the Committee will do its best to accommodate as many organizations as possible. Only one media representative per outlet will be allowed in the room. Gallery contact information is below:
House Radio/TV Gallery: radiotv@mail.house.gov (202) 225-5214
House Periodical Gallery: periodical.press@mail.house.gov (202) 225-2941
House Daily Press Gallery: dailypressgallery@mail.house.gov (202) 225-3945
Photographer Gallery: Press_Photo@saa.senate.gov (202) 224-6548
