Rep. Pramila Jayapal calls for reparations for illegal immigrants impacted by Trump crackdown

Amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, a Democrat in Congress has called for compensation for affected foreign nationals.

“We’re going to get some kind of compensation for the kids and families who are traumatized by all of this,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said at a congressional hearing Friday, referring to illegal immigrants. “You mentioned the lack of support for people even after their release. We need to make sure we fund this type of work to continue to provide assistance.”

Jayapal, former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), made the comments in the seventh episode of the hearing series titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Attack on Children.”

The left-wing lawmaker said reparations for illegal immigrants affected by Trump’s crackdown would be just one item in a series of reforms he would force Democrats to pursue if they regain control of the House of Representatives in November.

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Jayapal, who was born in India and became a US citizen in 2000, also said Trump wants “aggressive action” against those carrying out the crackdown on illegal immigration.

“We need real accountability because at the end of the day, the people who caused this harm need to be prosecuted,” Jayapal said. he said. “They need to be brought before us and held accountable for the trauma they have caused.”

A spokesperson for Jayapal did not respond to Fox Digital’s inquiry about who specifically she wants prosecuted or who may be eligible for compensation.

Reparations refer to financial compensation to a specific group aimed at redressing known economic harms. Many progressive Democrats have long advocated for reparations for the descendants of American slaves.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal is proposing to compensate illegal immigrants if Democrats regain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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Throughout the hearing, Congressional Democrats repeatedly highlighted the children of deported illegal immigrants while saying little about the victims of illegal immigrant crime.

The group of Democratic lawmakers did not discuss 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, who was allegedly shot and killed in Chicago earlier this month by a Venezuelan citizen living illegally in the United States.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents walk down the street during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation on January 26 in Chicago, Illinois. (L) Sheridan Gorman was killed after being shot in the head by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant around 1 a.m. Thursday while walking with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach, less than a mile from the Illinois campus. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)

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Jayapal’s comments come as the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to drag on with no end in sight.

He and nearly all House Democrats have refused to fund the department until the Trump administration passes several proposals that could rein in immigration enforcement.

“I have been clear since the beginning of the appropriations process: I will not vote for another penny of Trump’s ICE or CBP without major reforms,” Jayapal said in a statement Friday after voting against a two-month extension of DHS funding. he said.

Although Democrats have been willing to fund non-immigration-related parts of DHS, most Republicans have rejected the idea because it would effectively defund law enforcement.

Resetting funding for ICE and Border Patrol will continue to force support staff employed by these agencies (who do not receive full pay during the seven-week funding period) to continue working without pay.