Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) on Friday referred to as for federal reparations for the kids and households who’ve been “traumatized” by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers amid the chaotic and deadly enforcement of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
Jayapal made her case throughout a congressional listening to referred to as “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Assault on Kids,” which targeted on his nationwide ICE deployments and the necessity for “defensive reform” to forestall federal brokers from persevering with to inflict emotional injury.
“After which we additionally want offensive actions round prosecutions,” the Washington Democrat added Friday. “We want actual accountability, as a result of on the finish of the day, the folks which have been inflicting this hurt must be prosecuted.”
She continued, “They must be introduced earlier than us and so they must be held [to] account for the trauma that they’ve created, and we’re going to should have some type of reparation for the children and the households which have been traumatized via all of this.”
Trump launched mass deportations shortly after taking workplace final 12 months, deploying ICE to states throughout the nation. Two U.S. residents, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, have been fatally shot earlier this 12 months throughout encounters with federal immigration brokers in Minnesota.
The variety of youngsters in immigration detention, in the meantime, has skyrocketed. Federal immigration brokers arrested greater than 3,800 youngsters between January and October 2025, per the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Columbia Legislation Faculty and an evaluation by The Guardian.
Amongst these youngsters, 1,700 have been held at services such because the Dilley Immigration Processing Middle in Texas — which reportedly operates below nightmarish situations — together with 5-year-old Liam Ramos, two 5-year-old twins and a 2-month-old toddler.
Jayapal on Friday referred to as for these for-profit immigration detention facilities to be abolished.
“The enormity within the abuses of the violations are tough to seize,” she mentioned. “And I feel we’re going to should proceed to make these connections for the nation about how on each … stage, we’re seeing these proceed. Now we have to proceed to name out the profiteering.”
The previous chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus added the U.S. ought to “outlaw personal prisons for immigrants,” stating they “shouldn’t be there for profiteering for giant companies that then channel these income again into this administration that facilitates them.”
Jayapal was expectedly slammed for her remarks on Fox Information.
Contributor Sara Carter argued that the federal government ought to pay reparations, however solely to authorized U.S. residents, and overtly acknowledged that the Democratic Social gathering ought to foot the invoice — for the supposed “atrocities” they’ve dedicated by supporting immigrants.