By Gloria Ogbonna
Appearing Thursday on MS NOW’s “The Weeknight,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) sharply criticized federal immigration enforcement and called on Congress to take decisive action by cutting off funding for what she described as “rogue ICE officers.”
Her remarks came amid growing controversy surrounding a recent shooting in Minnesota that has sparked national debate and intense political backlash.
During the segment, co-host Symone Sanders pressed Jayapal to explain the administration’s messaging, asking why senior officials appeared to be urging the public to disregard widely circulated video evidence.
“Help me understand what the Vice President was saying and doing today,” Sanders said. “Why are they asking us to ignore what we all saw?”
Jayapal responded bluntly, accusing top officials of deliberately misleading the public. “Well, because they’re liars,” she said.
“And I don’t say this lightly.” She explained that earlier in the day, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee shifted the focus of a scheduled hearing to center on the Minnesota shooting, refusing to allow Republicans to move forward with what she characterized as unrelated or “ridiculous” legislative proposals.
According to Jayapal, the committee felt compelled to act because the case involved a U.S. citizen who was shot three times while attempting to turn her vehicle away.
Jayapal emphasized that video footage of the incident is publicly available and clearly contradicts official statements made by administration figures.
“That video has been playing for everybody to see,” she said. “And within hours you have Kristi Noem, you have Donald Trump, and now apparently you have the vice president all lying to the American people about what we can plainly see. Their problem is that there is video.”
Jayapal argued that the existence of visual evidence undermines the credibility of the administration’s narrative and raises serious concerns about accountability within federal law enforcement agencies.
She went on to call for a significant escalation in congressional oversight, including the defunding of ICE units she claims are operating outside the law.
“What we have to do is cut off the funding for these rogue ICE officers,” Jayapal said, accusing them of kidnapping people, killing U.S. citizens, and forcibly removing individuals from the streets without due process.
She stressed that such operations are backed by substantial federal funding and that Congress has both the authority and the responsibility to intervene.
“All of this has enormous money behind it,” she said. “Congress does have the authority, and I think that’s the next step we have to take.”
Jayapal warned that continued inaction would pose a serious threat to democratic norms, particularly if federal officers are allowed to operate without accountability.
She also criticized what she described as political interference from the White House, arguing that independent investigations are being compromised by public statements and social media commentary from the president.
“If they’re not going to follow the law, if they’re not going to stop killing people in the streets, and if we can’t even have independent investigations without the president weighing in and spreading falsehoods, then this is a very dangerous time in our democracy,” Jayapal said.
Her comments reflect the growing divide in Washington over immigration enforcement, federal authority, and the limits of executive power, as lawmakers from both parties continue to clash over the role of ICE and the broader implications for civil liberties and public trust.
Source Breitbart
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