Today, Congresswoman DelBene and Congresswoman Jayapal met with officials from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to discuss the multiple cases of Iranian Americans being detained and questioned at length while entering the US from Canada at the Blaine Peace Arch crossing in January and the recently leaked CBP memo directing CBP agents to discriminate specifically against individuals of Iranian descent. “We met with the Director of Field Operations and Chief of Staff of the Seattle Field Office...
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Today, members of Washington’s Democratic delegation in the House of Representatives issued a joint statement after an internal memo from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows Iranian-Americans and others were deliberately targeted for detainment at the Blaine Peace Arch crossing in early January. The Washington Democratic delegation includes Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schrier, M.D., Denny Heck, Adam Smith, and Pramila Jayapal. “This latest news is dee...
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Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) made the following statement after an internal memo from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows Iranian-Americans and others were deliberately targeted for detainment at the Blaine Peace Arch crossing in early January. “I am deeply alarmed that CBP was dishonest regarding the detainment of Americans of Iranian, Lebanese, and Palestinian descent. This memo shows the CBP’s initial story, that the detainments were caused by staffing issues, to be a...
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Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) joined House Democrats in passing a War Powers Resolution that directs the Administration to halt the use of U.S. Armed Forces against Iran without authorization from Congress. This vote was taken in response to the president’s military airstrikes against high-level Iranian officials without any Congressional consultation. “Today’s vote was the result of this administration failing to consult with Congress regarding the airstrikes that targeted high-lev...
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Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-1) led a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “to obtain more information regarding the holding of Iranian Americans in secondary inspection upon entering the United States in Blaine, Washington” over the weekend. The letter is co-led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), and Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The letter is signed by 70 Members of the House. “There have been reports that more than 60 Americans of Iranian descen...
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Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene issued the following statement shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s travel ban directed at citizens of predominately Muslim nations. “I am deeply disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision. As Justice Sotomayor said in her dissent, President Trump’s ‘policy now masquerades behind a façade of national security concerns,’ when we all know that he once championed this policy as a means of discriminating openly against Muslims,” said DelB...
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Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) made the following statement shortly after President Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement with Iran. “President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran deal is a reckless move that undermines our credibility on the world stage, and worse, puts our national security at risk. We will no longer be able to maintain a watchful eye over Iran’s nuclear weapons program or keep them from t...
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) opposed S. 139, a bill that extends the authority of government agencies to conduct warrantless searches of Americans’ private communications under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without any reforms. “Bulk collection of American communications records is a gross violation of our civil liberties and we must protect these communications from warrantless searches,” DelBene said. “Our first priority must always b...
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Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, of Vancouver, joined Washington’s six Democratic U.S. House representatives on Thursday in opposition to renewal of the federal government’s warrantless surveillance program. Herrera Beutler was one of 45 Republicans who voted against the bill, which reauthorized U.S. spy agencies to conduct surveillance on foreign targets abroad, but also to sweep up some communications by Americans. It was supported by Washington’s other three GOP U.S. House memb...
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The House of Representatives has passed a bill extending the National Security Administration’s warrantless surveillance program for six years, rejecting a years-long effort from a bipartisan group of lawmakers to make changes that would protect the privacy of American citizens. The law allows the NSA to obtain the communications of foreigners from American companies like Google and AT&T without a warrant, even if data on American citizens is swept up in the process. The law now faces a vote in ...
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