WASHINGTON—Rep. Grijalva joined 10 other colleagues in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressing serious concerns with the Trump Administration’s new immigration policy that restricts women and pregnant persons from obtaining a tourist visa. Due to its discriminatory nature against pregnant women and the unnecessary barriers it erects to medical care, the lawmakers demanded the administration immediately rescind the rule. Their letter read in part:

“Furthermore, the regulation places a higher burden of proof on the applicant to state credible reasons to seek medical care in the U.S. while pregnant. Under this new amendment to the regulation, the consular officer can deny a visa to applicants who they believe could give birth to a child during their visit to the United States. Consular officers, who are already provided with broad discretion on individual applicants, are now allowed to make new assumptions based on an immigrant’s gender. In pursuing this policy, the department is proactively encouraging the consular officer to foster conscious bias against women. The regulation promulgates pregnancy as the reason to deny an application on national security grounds.”

Read the full letter here.