With the renegotiated North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) coming into force on July 1, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today led 59 of his House colleagues in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling on him to work to secure the release of Mexican labor lawyer Susana Prieto Terrazas, who was arrested and detained by the State of Tamaulipas in Mexico on June 8, 2020 on trumped-up legal accusations.

“We write to request that your department aggressively work to help secure the immediate release of imprisoned Mexican labor lawyer Susana Prieto Terrazas,” the members write.

“As we approach the July 1 entry into force for the renegotiated NAFTA, the arrest of Ms. Prieto sends the wrong signal that the renegotiated NAFTA is not on track to deliver the improved Mexican labor conditions and thus diminished incentives for U.S. job outsourcing promised by this administration.”

Ms. Prieto has a long history of advocating for the labor rights of workers in factories near the U.S.-Mexico border.

In her work, Ms. Prieto has demanded higher wages for workers in Mexican factories and defended workers protesting for proper health and safety measures to protect against COVID-19 in reopened facilities.

The letter to Sec. Pompeo is signed by Reps. Pascrell, Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA-02), André Carson (D-IN-07), Judy Chu (D-CA-27), David N. Cicilline (D-RI-01), Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07), Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR-04), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ted Deutch (D-FL-22), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12), Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL-04), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ-03), Brian Higgins (D-NY-26), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Joseph P. Kennedy, III (D-MA-04), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Dan Kildee (D-MI-05), John Larson (D-CT-01), Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), Andy Levin (D-MI-09), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-08), James P. McGovern (D-MA-02), Grace Meng (D-NY-06), Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01), Eleanor H. Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06), Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), David Price (D-NC-04), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Bobby L. Rush (D-IL-01), Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), Linda Sanchez (D-CA-38), John P. Sarbanes (D-MD-03), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-03), José E. Serrano (D-NY-15), Terri A. Sewell (D-AL-07), Albio Sires (D-NJ-08), Darren Soto, (D-FL-09), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY-03), Mike Thompson (D-CA-05), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13), David Trone (D-MD-06), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY-07), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), Peter Welch (D-VT-AL), Susan Wild (D-PA-07).

Rep. Pascrell raised Ms. Prieto’s case to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the 2020 U.S. trade agenda.

Pascrell also highlighted the need for strong enforcement mechanisms to ensure Mexico honors agreed-upon labor reforms, echoing the many calls Pascrell has made in the past. Lighthizer agreed with Pascrell’s concerns, calling the arrest a “bad indicator” and assured Pascrell that his team was looking into the situation “very seriously.”

Rep. Pascrell opposed NAFTA 2.0 due to its lack of enforcement mechanisms, stating that “the big questions on Mexican labor laws, enforcement mechanisms, American wages, and scope of environmental standards, among others, remain unanswered.”

He has also led House efforts to end the outsourcing of American jobs with his Bring Jobs Home Act, which would close tax loopholes for companies who ship jobs overseas and provide tax relief for American companies that move jobs to the U.S. from another nation.

A copy of the members’ letter is available here.