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As Politico’s Ted Hesson reported this morning, America’s Voice is launching a new project called DHS Watch.
Under the direction of Ur Jaddou, a lawyer and law professor with significant experience and expertise regarding the making and implementation of immigration policy, DHS Watch will work towards transparency, accountability and good governance in U.S. immigration agencies within the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice.
The project will work with legal experts and other watchdog groups to expose policies and practices that undermine basic American values of fairness and common decency, while also proposing policies.
According to DHS Watch Director Ur Jaddou
In almost 15 years of working in the federal government – on the Hill, at the State Department, and with USCIS – I have seen and experienced many instances of disagreement on immigration law and policy, but most proposals and administrations did not fundamentally challenge our democracy or seriously threaten to undermine long-held American values on immigration. To thrive, our democracy requires transparency, accountability and good governance; a system of laws, policies and actions that value immigration, not open borders; an approach that understands our nation was built by immigrants and continues to benefit from immigrants. Given the way this Administration is using and misusing DOJ and DHS, such a project is needed now more than ever.
The DHS Watch Team:
In addition to Ur, the team will include Lynn Tramonte, the Deportation Defense Coordinator of America’s Voice as well as the Director of America’s Voice Ohio; DavidLeopold, Partner/Chair, Immigration Practice Group, Ulmer & Berne LLP and former President, American Immigration Lawyers Association; and Pili Tobar, Managing Director of America’s Voice.
America’s Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry:
We are thrilled that Ur Jaddou has joined our team to head up DHS Watch. Ur’s background and team will equip this new project with the expertise to watchdog our federal immigration agencies and agents, to critique excesses and abuses, and to propose workable solutions. Someday soon – hopefully very soon – we will have a Congress that exercises its oversight responsibilities and holds the largest law enforcement functions in the federal government to account. DHS Watch will help prepare for that day.
Ur Jaddou biography: An adjunct professor at American University School of Law, Ur served as Chief Counsel to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from July 2014 to January 2017 where she provided legal counsel to the agency and interacted with the DHS General Counsel and other immigration component counsel. She was previously responsible for developing and executing congressional strategy for the U.S. Department of State as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Earlier, Ur was Chief Counsel to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senior Counsel to Representative Zoe Lofgren. Ur is a graduate of UCLA Law School and Stanford University.
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