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Rep. Jim McDermott speaks at the University of Washington Law Clinic and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
Remarks
UW Immigration Law Clinic/ NWIRP Reception
February 4, 2008

"You are the difference between due process and defenseless process," Rep. Jim McDermott said. The text of his remarks follows.

Good evening,

What we are celebrating this evening is a team that makes a difference in the lives of defenseless people who need someone to stand up for them. I wish Congress was half as good as The University of Washington Law Clinic and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in getting something done when it comes to immigration.

We’ve talked and talked, but Congress has done little more than give the president money to build a fence along our southern border.  That in my judgment is not immigration reform. And in case you haven’t realized this yet, Congress won’t act on immigration reform this year.  There will be little more than rhetoric until we have a new president and new administration in the White House a year from now. In the meantime, the work you do will be even more important, because without you, people will not know what to do. Without you, countless people will have no representation whatsoever, adrift in a process few understand, and at-risk of being denied due process. That’s what is at stake in what you do.  You are the difference between due process and defenseless process.  More often than not, the people you are defending have come here to escape civil war, genocide or abuse. 

Without you, these same people could be sent right back to the terrible situation they fled from.  Your work is not merely important.  Your work is imperative in the world in which we live today.I am glad to be here this evening, to acknowledge what you do and implore you to continue.  
You are the last line of defense for otherwise defenseless people. 

Thank you for your efforts and expertise.