Democrat Representative Jayapal Defies Trump, Brings Asylum Seekers Into USA

The Hill had more on the story:

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) joined a group of migrants Saturday afternoon as they entered the U.S. and applied for asylum.

The congresswoman, who arrived in Tijuana, Mexico on Friday, told Politico earlier Friday that she wanted to see the conditions asylum seekers face when attempting to apply for U.S. residence at the border for herself.

“When I read the report about a week ago that kids and moms were being tear gassed, I just couldn’t sleep,” Jayapal told Politico on Saturday. “I want to go see for myself what is happening, what happens to asylum seekers as they get to the border, how are they turned back, what’s happening to them in between, where the conditions in which they’re living.”

The congresswoman's office told The Hill Saturday afternoon that Jayapal was hoping to meet with asylum seekers.

"She hopes to meet with asylum seekers to hear their stories and observe conditions on the ground. She hopes to bring this back to the American people and her colleagues and highlight the ongoing crisis and the US government’s contribution to what’s happening," Jayapal spokesman told The Hill in an email.

Later in the day, Jayapal tweeted that she helped a group of migrants in the area, including a man suffering from a "serious medical condition," avoid being turned away by U.S. authorities "in violation of of U.S. and international law," and then witnessed their applications for asylum.

"It shouldn’t take intervention from a Member of Congress and an incredibly compassionate Border Patrol Chief for those fleeing violence and persecution to seek asylum in the United States," Jayapal tweeted.

"I will continue to do everything I can to return our country to one that upholds decency, compassion and human rights," the Washington state Democrat added.

Jayapal, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, also told Politico that she plans to present her findings to the panel and examine the use of tear gas last week by U.S. authorities against migrants.

“We’re going to dive into all of that because this is a central role of the Judiciary Committee, to have oversight on these issues, to make sure we’re in line with our Constitution and our internal human rights obligations,” she told the webstie. “We’re in violation of that on a number of fronts as far as immigrants go.”

Conservative lawmakers and commentors fired back:

Here's more, from Politico:

House Progressive leader Pramila Jayapal will join a "caravan" of migrants seeking asylum as they try to enter the United States from Tijuana on Saturday afternoon — an attempt to spotlight what Democrats view as the inhumane effects of President Donald Trump’s border crackdown.

The Washington Democrat, a rising star in the House Democratic Caucus, flew to the border Friday and is gathering information on the treatment of migrants from Central America by both Mexican and U.S. authorities. In the afternoon she will follow a group of migrants trying to claim asylum to ensure they’re getting a fair shake, she said.

“The president is lying about this caravan, he’s fear mongering,” Jayapal said in a Friday interview before her trip. “He’s trying to use people who are seeking asylum and literally running from death just for his own political benefit and that’s a disgrace.”

The newly elected House Progressive Caucus co-chair added: “He created a crisis at the border.”

Jayapal’s visit comes amid a tense standoff at the border. The president railed about the dangers of “the caravan” — a group of mostly women and children migrants from Honduras — on the campaign trail in the final days of the mid-term elections. The president has tried to limit asylum claims including by executive order but has been rebuffed in part by the courts.

Earlier this week, migrants were sprayed with tear gas as they tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border — one of the key reasons Jayapal decided to make the visit.

“When I read the report about a week ago that kids and moms were being tear gassed, I just couldn’t sleep,” Jayapal said. “I want to go see for myself what is happening, what happens to asylum seekers as they get to the border, how are they turned back, what’s happening to them in between, where the conditions in which they’re living.”

Jayapal has made several trips to the southern border in recent months. She was the first lawmaker to visit federal prisons housing migrant children who were taken from their parents or carers during Trump’s family separation initiative.

Hill Republicans, while expressing outrage about Trump’s family separation policy, have done little to counter his immigration crackdowns in recent years.