Before entering electoral politics , Jayapal was a Seattle-based civil rights activist , serving until 2012 as the executive director of OneAmerica , a pro-immigrant advocacy group . Jayapal founded the organization , originally called Hate Free Zone , following the 2001 September 11 attacks . The organization successfully sued the Bush Administration 's Immigration and Naturalization Services to prevent the deportation of over 4,000 Somalis across the country
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Pramila Jayapal