While Indian-American politicians face regular criticism, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal was told that her parents wasted their money by sending her to the US while narrating how she came to the US on her own at the age of 16.
“My parents sent me to the United States on my own when I was 16. They had $5,000 in their bank account and used it all to send me here even though I would never live on the same continent as them again because they truly believed that America was the best place in the world, where I would get the best education and the most opportunities,” Jayapal said.
“The fight for justice and dignity for our immigrant neighbors has never been ‘just politics.’
For me, it’s personal,” Jayapal wrote on her social media when she posted a video of her speech. “What a waste of money,” Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank posted, trolling Jayapal.
“I don’t blame them. I bet the return on that money was life changing with the amount of money you all took. Better than winning the lottery,” another wrote in the comments section. The letter posted by Jayapal has been part of some congressional hearings in the past.
Most recently, Jayapal condemned ICE’s detentions of US citizens during a House Judiciary Committee hearing where outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified earlier this month. Jayapal brought four guests to the hearing and claimed that they were all American citizens and detainees. None of them were charged with any crime. “Raise your hand if you are not accused of any crime after your arrest,” Jayapal said during the hearing as each of them raised their hand. “None of you have been accused of a crime.” “Now raise your hand if none of you were asked to prove you were a US citizen while in detention. None of you were even asked about your citizenship status, which shows that DHS agents simply don’t care that they’re detaining US citizens,” she said as everyone in the group raised their hand again.
