Rep. Lofgren Applauds Attorney General for Reversing Bush Admin Decision on Effective Counsel

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) issued the following statement in response to Attorney General Holder’s announcement that he was reversing a Bush administration rule which held immigrants did not have the right to effective legal counsel during immigration court proceedings.

June 3, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) issued the following statement in response to Attorney General Holder’s announcement that he was reversing a Bush administration rule which held immigrants did not have the right to effective legal counsel during immigration court proceedings.

I applaud Attorney General Holder for reversing his predecessor’s ill advised and poorly reasoned rule on access to effective counsel in immigration courts. The rule of law and due process are the foundation of our great nation, without them our Constitution becomes meaningless. Denying immigrants, who have hired their own counsel, due process was an affront to justice and undermined the Constitution. The Obama administration should be commended for its commitment to restoring due process in our immigration courts.

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Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren is serving her eighth term in Congress representing most of the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County. She is the Chair of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. She also serves as Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. She Chairs the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections and serves on the House Homeland Security Committee. Congresswoman Lofgren is Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation consisting of 33 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives from California.