Representative Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.) claimed Wednesday that the U.S. “needs immigrants” because they “pick the food we eat” and “clean our homes.”
The progressive congresswoman’s controversial comments came during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023. Jayapal spoke during the session in favor of creating a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S.
“Trump’s policies, combined with his anti-immigrant rhetoric, made us less safe, less competitive in attracting the best and the brightest, and undermined our most basic human values of compassion and kindness,” Jayapal said.
“So let’s all take a minute to recognize the hypocrisy of every anti-immigrant debate,” she added. “This country needs immigrants to survive. Immigrants pick the food we eat, rebuild our communities after climate disasters, help construct our infrastructure, power our small business economy, clean our homes, and look after the most precious in our families – our children and our elders.”
🤔 Jayapal using the tired old, "Who will clean our homes?" defense on illegal immigration. Limousine liberalism at its finest! #ampFW pic.twitter.com/LBMe4jrmxO
— FreedomWorks (@FreedomWorks) April 19, 2023
She went on to say immigrants “strengthen our economy, our food supply chain, and our ability to compete.”
The markup of the Border Security and Enforcement Act comes one day after Senate Republicans demanded Department of Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas resign or be impeached over his role in the border crisis.
“You ought to resign,” Senator Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) told Mayorkas during a hearing on Tuesday.
“You should have resigned long ago and if you cannot change course, you should be removed from office,” Senator Josh Hawley (R., M0.) said. Hawley laid into Mayorkas about a New York Times report from February that found unaccompanied migrant children are being forced to work manual labor jobs. “Twelve-year-old roofers in Florida and Tennessee. Underage slaughterhouse workers in Delaware, Mississippi and North Carolina. Children sawing planks of wood on overnight shifts in South Dakota,” the article read.
The paper offered a follow-up report on Monday, claiming the Biden administration missed warning signs about the rise in migrant child labor as responsibility was passed back and forth between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Labor Department.
On Monday, Customs and Border Protection announced there were 191,899 encounters along the southern border in March. That is a 14 percent drop from the year prior, but a 23 percent increase from the month prior. However, the rise from February to March follows a typical pattern of increased border crossings in spring and summer.