Ramirez, Pressley, Tokuda Lead Call to Recognize Interconnectedness Between Immigrant Justice and Reproductive Justice

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Founder and co-chair of the Congressional Global Migration Caucus, Congresswoman Ayana Pressley (MA-07), Co-chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, and Congresswoman Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Vice-chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, led 31 members of Congress in the introduction of a resolution recognizing that immigrant justice and reproductive justice are inseparable and must be pursued together.

The resolution condemns immigration enforcement policies and practices like immigration detention that lead to coerced or denied reproductive health care, including sterilization, abortion, and contraception.

“The story of my mom– a woman who crossed the border pregnant with me– reminds me that migration and reproductive healthcare are inextricably tied. Despite people traveling miles in the hope of a better life, immigration status, financial conditions, and racism create significant barriers to care,” said Congresswoman Ramirez. “I’m proud to introduce this resolution alongside my colleagues because reproductive justice is a human right and immigrant justice demands the dismantling of systems that criminalize migration, tear apart families, and deny immigrants access to health care and full personhood.”

"This hostile Administration seeks to sow fear and chaos in our communities, criminalize migration, and traumatize our immigrant neighbors—including denying them access to essential reproductive healthcare," said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus. "The fight for immigration justice and reproductive justice are inextricably intertwined. Pregnant women are being detained without necessary medical care. Their opportunity to raise families is further limited by the unlawful threat of deportation and family separation. Our resolution affirms these truths. No body should be policed, and everyone should be met with the humanity and dignity they deserve—which is why I'm proud to introduce this resolution with Congresswoman Ramirez."

“Access to reproductive health care is a fundamental human right, regardless of a person’s immigration status. Everyone deserves the freedom to make decisions about their body and their future without facing fear, coercion, or delay,” said Rep. Tokuda. “That’s why I am proud to co-lead this resolution with my colleagues, Reps. Ramirez and Pressley, to ensure DHS and HHS uphold their duty to protect the health and safety of all people. Reproductive justice must include immigrant justice.”

The resolution also urges members of Congress to demand that the Department of Homeland Security implement transparent oversight and accountability mechanisms that monitor reproductive health care quality across all detention facilities, and that the Department of Health and Human Services ensure unaccompanied immigrant youth can access the health care that they need, including abortion, without delay, no matter what State they are held in. Additionally, it calls on the Secretary of Homeland Security to report to Congress all internal reports regarding individuals in detention to enhance oversight and accountability.

“Today, we proudly stand with Congresswomen Delia Ramirez, Ayanna Pressley, and Jill Tokuda in advancing this critical resolution affirming that reproductive rights do not end at the border or behind detention walls. No one should be denied essential prenatal or postpartum care, coerced into medical procedures, or stripped of their right to make decisions about their own body while in U.S. custody. This resolution is a vital affirmation that federal immigration policies should uphold, rather than violate, the fundamental right to humane treatment guaranteed under U.S. and international law.” Rachana Desai Martin, Chief Program Officer, U.S., Center for Reproductive Rights

“We applaud Rep. Delia Ramirez for introducing her resolution affirming immigrant justice inseparable from reproductive justice,” said Katherine Olivera, director of government relations at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. “We’ve been outraged to learn about how immigrants are treated in detention centers, including being denied abortion, prenatal, maternal, and postpartum care. The everyday impact that anti-immigration policies have on our communities is a direct attack on reproductive justice and our freedoms to make decisions about our bodies and lives. Now more than ever, we need proactive policy solutions like this resolution that confront the structural systems depriving immigrant communities of health care.”

 “By affirming that reproductive freedom and immigrant justice cannot exist without one another, this resolution lays the groundwork for inclusive and sustained policy change. For AAPI women, the same systems that criminalize migration often deny our communities access to basic reproductive health care and bodily autonomy. Calling on DHS to take accountability and protect access to care for all immigrants, including those in detention, is an important act of resistance in a time when our rights are under attack. These are the steps necessary to building toward a country where everyone can make decisions about their own bodies and futures, free from fear, discrimination, and government control.” – Fajer Saeed Ebrahim, Senior Director of Policy, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF).

“Immigrant Justice is deeply connected to Reproductive Justice because both are grounded in the shared belief that every person, regardless of immigration status, deserves full access to the health care they need to live and thrive,” said Regina Davis Moss, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda. “That’s why In Our Own Voice is proud to endorse Congresswoman Delia Ramirez’s House Resolution, which condemns current Department of Homeland Security policies that restrict or fully prohibit access to health care coverage for immigrants. The cruel denial of essential health care not only violates human rights, but is a direct attack on the bodily autonomy of immigrant women, girls, and pregnant people. We thank Congresswoman Ramirez for her bold leadership and commitment to Reproductive Justice, which can only be achieved when we build an inclusive immigration system that works for all of us.”

The resolution is cosponsored by Reps. Rep. Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Yvette D.Clarke (NY-09), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson (GA-04), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), André Carson (IN-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Deborah K. Ross (NC-02), Robin L. Kelly (IL-02), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Janice D Schakowsky (IL-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Emily Randall (WA-06), Summer L. Lee (PA-12), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (IL-04), Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Luz M. Rivas (CA-29), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Becca Balint (VT-At Large), Gilbert Ray Cisneros (CA-31), Alma S. Adams (NC-12), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Melanie A. Stansbury (NM-01), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), and Dina Titus (NV-01).

For the full text of the resolution, CLICK HERE.