Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN)

This week Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) joined Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and over 30 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, demanding information about the arrest and detention of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk and similar incidents across the country.

“The Administration should not summarily detain and deport legal residents of this country merely for expressing their political views. Absent compelling evidence justifying her detention and the revocation of her status, we call for Ozturk’s release and the restoration of her visa,” wrote the lawmakers. 

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, Rep. Don Beyer, Rep. André Carson, Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Katherine Clark, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Rep. Hank Johnson, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Andy Kim, Rep. Summer Lee, Rep. Stephen Lynch, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. LaMonica McIver, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Delia Ramirez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Tina Smith, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Jill Tokuda, Rep. Lori Trahan, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Sen. Peter Welch

“Absent evidence that Petrova is a flight risk or a danger to the community, we strongly urge you to reconsider ICE’s recent decision not to grant Petrova parole and exercise discretion within your authority to release her from detention while her asylum case is pending.”

“We urge the Administration to ensure full due process in her case and take all appropriate and necessary measures to ensure she is not deported to Russia.”

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

"U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Vice Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, led 13 of their Democratic colleagues in demanding that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) uphold the United States’ trust and treaty responsibility with Tribal nations and their citizens by ending wrongful searches and interrogations of Tribal members."

Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Ron Wyden

"U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), alongside a bipartisan group of their colleagues, have written to the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025."

Sen. John Barrasso, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Sen. Ben Cardin, Sen. Tom Carper, Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. John Cornyn, Sen. Kevin Cramer, Sen. Mike Crapo, Sen. John Fetterman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Maggie Hassan, Sen. George S. Helmy, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. Jerry Moran, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Pete Ricketts, Sen. Jim Risch, Sen. Mike Rounds, Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Dan Sullivan, Sen. John Thune, Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Sen. Roger Wicker, Sen. Ron Wyden

"U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), along with Representatives Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), led a bicameral letter signed by 70 lawmakers to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur Jaddou, urging the elimination of the lengthy application backlog for work permits (or “employment authorization documents,” EADs) before the end of the year. 1.4 million EAD applications currently await processing, including roughly 900,000 first-time applicants and 500,000 people seeking renewals."

Rep. Jake Auchincloss, Rep. Nanette Barragán, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Cori Bush, Rep. Salud Carbajal, Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Sean Casten, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Rep. Yvette Clarke, Rep. Gerry Connolly, Rep. Joe Courtney, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Diana DeGette, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Veronica Escobar, Rep. Anna Eshoo, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Rep. Maxwell Frost, Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Robert Garcia, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, Rep. Chuy García, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Dan Goldman, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Rep. Hank Johnson, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Betty McCollum, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. Brittany Pettersen, Rep. Chellie Pingree, Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Mike Quigley, Rep. Delia Ramirez, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Rep. Andrea Salinas, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. Adam Smith, Sen. Tina Smith, Rep. Darren Soto, Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Shri Thanedar, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Paul Tonko, Rep. Lori Trahan, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Marc Veasey, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sen. Peter Welch, Rep. Nikema Williams, Rep. Frederica Wilson, Sen. Ron Wyden