Human Rights
Congresswoman Sanchez is proud to represent the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam and is committed to improving human rights for all people in Vietnam.
As a Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, Congresswoman Sanchez continues to lead the House of Representatives in calling for religious freedom and social justice for the Vietnamese people. Congresswoman Sanchez believes the Government of Vietnam must be held accountable for its human rights violations before viable economic relations can be pursued.
In March of 2009, Congresswoman Sanchez authored a bi-partisan letter to major internet service providers that expressed concern regarding worsening internet restrictions in Vietnam. The Congresswoman urged these service providers to respect the privacy and free speech rights of the Vietnamese people by providing users with full internet access.
On December 10, 2008, Congresswoman Sanchez led her Congressional colleagues in commemorating International Human Rights Day and the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations' adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Congresswoman urged Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to uphold the Government of Vietnam's pledge to respect the civil and political rights of its citizens and release democracy activists Pham Thanh Nghien, Nguyen Hoang Hai, and other political prisoners.
On the first day of the 111th Congress, Congresswoman Sanchez and other members of the Vietnam Caucus introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives calling on the U.S. government to re-designate Vietnam a "Country of Particular Concern" for its gross violations of religious freedom. In the 114th Congress, Rep. Sanchez continues to fight for the civil and political liberties of the Vietnamese people, particularly the freedoms of speech, assembly, religion, and open internet access.
More on Human Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46), founder and co-chair of Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, released the following statement in response to the arrest of Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, known as blogger Me Nam (Mother Mushroom) by the Communist Vietnamese Authorities on October 10th in her home town of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa, a province, South Central Coast of Vietnam.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46), co-chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s Immigration Task Force, released the following statement after the Supreme Court’s decision to deny rehearing the US v. Texas case, which was a lower-court challenge to the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) programs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46), senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and member of the LGBT Equality Caucus, released the following statement recognizing the fifth anniversary of the end of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46), the highest ranking woman on the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement recognizing Women’s Equality Day, on the 96th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which guaranteed America’s women the right to vote:
“On Women’s Equality Day, we reflect on the enormous courage, vision and sacrifice of generations of women who came before and blazed a path for generations of women to come.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46) urged Speaker Ryan to bring commonsense gun violence prevention legislation to the floor for a vote this week. In addition to her speech on the House floor, Rep. Sanchez also joined House Democrats each taking turns asking for unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 1217 in honor of a victim of gun violence who never received a moment of silence on the House floor.