Latest news with #PramilaJayapal
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat U.S. Rep. Jayapal Slammed After Hateful Rhetoric Against ICE
Leaders over at ICE are pushing back after U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) called the agency a 'terrorist force' in a recent social media post, drawing outrage from law enforcement supporters and immigration officials. In a CNN interview with Brianna Keilar, Jayapal defended her Instagram post calling ICE a 'terrorist force,' claiming that people of all legal statuses, even U.S. citizens, are now being abducted off the streets by masked agents without any clear oversight or accountability. In response, acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons called Jayapal's comments 'reckless' and 'dangerous,' pointing out that ICE officers have faced a stark 700% surge in assaults, a spike that could be fueled by the rhetoric from politicians on the far left like Jayapal. 'An actual Antifa terrorist tried to blow up ICE's Northwest Processing Center in Rep. Jayapal's home state of Washington in 2019. At the time, she tried to blame the violent attack on rhetoric from the right, in defense of an actual terrorist who tried to murder detainees and employees alike! Lyons said in a statement published on July 3. 'Now, she labels ICE officers enforcing immigration law set by Congress 'terrorists.' This, at a time when officers are facing a nearly 700% increase in assaults, in part due to the type of rhetoric she spews.' White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson also chimed in, demanding an apology from Jayapal and calling her remarks 'disgusting' as well as a direct threat to the safety of federal officers across the country. 'Jayapal's disgusting comments warrant an immediate apology. Heroic ICE officers are simply doing their jobs and enforcing federal immigration law, with the utmost professionalism,' Jackson said in a recent statement. Jayapal, however, doubled down during her television interview, claiming that ICE isn't managed transparently or in accordance with the laws to ensure safety or due process for even legal citizens. In his closing statement to Jayapal, Lyons said, 'Never in a million years did I think I would witness a sitting member of Congress prioritize regard for violent criminals over the law enforcement officers protecting her community from actual public safety threats. The only apology needed is from the congresswoman to the people who voted for her.' Border Czar Tom Homan also warned that comments like Jayapal's are fueling real-world violence. During a recent appearance on 'The Will Cain Show,' Homan warned that assaults on ICE agents have surged over 500% and criticized a new cell phone app allegedly used to track and potentially target officers. The attacks on ICE officials and law enforcement agents are now starting to hit close to home. Eleven anarchist militants were charged in what officials describe as a planned July 4 ambush outside an ICE Detention Facility near Fort Worth, where a police officer was shot in the neck. Authorities say the suspects, dressed in black body armor, opened fire on ICE personnel and local law enforcement in a coordinated attempt to kill, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat Rep. Jayapal Sparks Backlash After Saying Illegal Immigrants Avoid Food Banks
After a recent visit to a food bank in her district, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) made an eyebrow-raising comment that has reignited debate over the use of taxpayer dollars to support illegal aliens. 'Yesterday I was at a food bank in my district talking about the SNAP cuts, the horrible SNAP cuts and Medicaid cuts, and they told me that people are not even showing up to Head Start where they get their food,' Jayapal said during a podcast appearance on the MeidasTouch Network. But she didn't stop there. 'They're not showing up to the food banks because they're afraid — and it's not just undocumented immigrants, it is. People of all legal statuses. It's undocumented immigrants who have been here for 20 years,' she added, stumbling through the remark — a comment critics said appeared to contradict her party's narrative. Online critics quickly seized on the remark as confirmation of something Democrats have long denied: that illegal aliens are receiving taxpayer-funded benefits, including food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — a program Jayapal passionately supports. Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from directly receiving SNAP benefits. However, in mixed-status households — where children born in the U.S. are citizens but their parents are undocumented — benefits can legally support the household, indirectly aiding the adults as well. Democratic leaders continue to insist that SNAP benefits are limited to those who qualify under federal law. But Jayapal's unscripted admission has cast fresh doubt on those claims. For many Americans, especially during a rising national debt and concerns over the influx of illegal immigration, the idea that benefits may be quietly extended to non-citizens, many of whom do not pay federal income taxes, is deeply troubling. This isn't the first time Jayapal has found herself under fire this month. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials pushed back after Jayapal referred to the agency as a 'terrorist force' in a July 1 Instagram post — sparking widespread backlash. In a separate interview with CNN's Brianna Keilar, Jayapal doubled down, claiming that U.S. citizens were being detained by masked ICE agents without proper oversight — a claim ICE officials have called completely unfounded. Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons slammed the remarks as 'reckless' and 'dangerous,' noting a 700% rise in assaults on ICE officers, which he added is only worsened by Jayapal's negative remarks. Not only that, Lyons also highlighted how Jayapal's response came after a genuine terrorist attack on the ICE processing center in her own state. 'An actual Antifa terrorist tried to blow up ICE's Northwest Processing Center in Rep. Jayapal's home state of Washington in 2019. At the time, she tried to blame the violent attack on rhetoric from the right, in defense of an actual terrorist who tried to murder detainees and employees alike!' Lyons said in a statement published two days after Jayapal's post referring to ICE as terrorists. 'Now, she labels ICE officers enforcing immigration law set by Congress 'terrorists.' This, at a time when officers are facing a nearly 700% increase in assaults, in part due to the type of rhetoric she spews,' Lyons added. Voters in Washington may want to ask whether Jayapal is more interested in representing her district — or booking interviews to make provocative statements. Either way, Jayapal's recent comments have added fuel to an already heated national debate over immigration, enforcement, and entitlement programs. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Lawmakers Question Whether CBS Canceled Colbert's Show for Political Reasons
Democratic lawmakers are questioning the timing of CBS's announcement to cancel 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,' which came days after Mr. Colbert criticized the network's parent company for paying President Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit. Hours after CBS executives characterized the move as 'purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,' lawmakers began suggesting that the cancellation was linked to Paramount's recent settlement with Mr. Trump. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wrote on social media that the settlement with Mr. Trump 'looks like bribery,' and Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington said, 'People deserve to know if this is a politically motivated attack on free speech.' Paramount recently agreed to pay the president $16 million to settle his lawsuit over the editing of an interview on the CBS News program '60 Minutes.' Mr. Colbert, a longtime critic of Mr. Trump, panned the settlement on Monday night as a 'big fat bribe,' a reference to Paramount's multibillion-dollar merger with the movie studio Skydance that still requires approval from the Trump administration. CBS executives said in a statement Thursday night that the decision was 'not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.' The show's cancellation comes during a period of upheaval in the world of late-night television, as viewers migrate away from traditional broadcast and cable television and as advertising revenue for late-night programs plummets. Mr. Colbert's show will end in May, when his contract expires. Still, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, also cited the pending merger in a social media post on Friday morning. 'Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired,' Mr. Sanders said. 'Do I think this is a coincidence? NO.' Mr. Colbert said during Thursday's taping of the show that he was informed of the cancellation on Wednesday night. For his part, Mr. Colbert had joked on Monday that his mustache would protect him from any pressure that comes from 'the new owner's desire to please Trump,' asking, 'How are they going to put pressure on Stephen Colbert if they can't find him?' Senator Adam Schiff of California, who was a guest on Mr. Colbert's show on Thursday night, demanded more answers as to whether the show was canceled for political reasons. 'If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know,' Mr. Schiff wrote on X. Mr. Trump, meanwhile, celebrated the decision to cancel the show. 'I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired,' Mr. Trump said in his own social media post. 'His talent was even less than his ratings.'
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Democrats stumble when challenged on why they didn't release Epstein docs under Biden
Democrats stumbled this week when confronted about why they failed to secure the release of documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein while they still held the White House and Congress, as they demand action now. "Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough pressed Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., on Thursday over why Democrats failed to act on the issue during the Biden administration and the liberal lawmaker failed to provide an answer. "But, Congressman, you could have gotten that from '21 to '25, when Democrats controlled DOJ. Why — it was a crisis then. It's a crisis now. Why didn't Democrats call for it from '21 to '25?" Scarborough asked. "So, I mean, you'd have to go back and look specifically at particular prosecutorial decisions and what was taking place in terms of the other cases. So, I don't know, we could try to reconstruct that record," Raskin replied. Democrats have seized on the issue since the case became a political controversy for the Trump administration. However, despite their current calls for transparency on the case, the Biden Department of Justice also failed to release additional documents on Epstein. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was also caught off guard when a CNN anchor challenged her on why she never called for transparency on Epstein while Biden was president, despite her hammering the Trump administration over the case. "If you see such a need to investigate this, why didn't you raise it during the Biden administration? We couldn't find that you made any public comments about Epstein in previous administrations," CNN's Pamela Brown asked the congresswoman on Wednesday. "I would have been happy to raise it then as well. Frankly, we were focused on so many different pieces," Jayapal replied. Epstein, the disgraced New York financier, infamously killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors. Due to his association with several high-profile figures, including former President Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Prince Andrew and others, Epstein's death spurred a tidal wave of conspiracy theories. Many Trump supporters have called for the president to release the "Epstein Files" and an alleged "client list" including names of people who had supposedly been involved with Epstein in sex-trafficking minors. Attorney General Pam Bondi was widely criticized when she invited several right-wing influencers to the DOJ to view documents related to the Epstein case in February, which turned out not to reveal any new information and be highly redacted. Bondi has faced harsh backlash in the wake of releasing a two-page Justice Department memo earlier this month which claimed that there is no evidence that a "client list" exists and that there is no "credible evidence" that Epstein was blackmailing associates. This memo triggered a firestorm among Trump's base, with many influencers accusing the administration of covering up the Epstein case. Trump has repeatedly dismissed the interest in the topic, calling the case "boring" and claiming he no longer wants the support of those still obsessed with Epstein in a July Truth Social post.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Ice given access to Medicaid data in move critics call a privacy betrayal
Medicaid officials have reportedly made an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) to allow agents to examine a database of Americans' personal information – including home addresses, social security numbers and ethnicities. The data sharing agreement will allow Ice to find 'the location of aliens', according to an agreement obtained by the Associated Press. Medicaid is the nation's single largest health insurer, providing coverage for 79 million low-income, disabled and elderly people. 'This is about the weaponization of data, full stop,' said Pramila Jayapal, a Democratic US representative from Washington state, who has worked extensively on US healthcare, in a statement on social media. 'Trump said he would go after the 'worst of the worst' immigrants, yet now is giving ICE EVERYONE's Medicaid data, even as ICE targets US citizens. Oh, and undocumented immigrants can't even enroll in Medicaid.' The AP first reported the existence of an agreement between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) in June. Trump administration officials reportedly overrode the warnings of career civil servants who said such a data sharing arrangement would violate multiple statutes at the insistence of top aides to health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. 'Multiple federal statutory and regulatory authorities do not permit CMS to share this information with entities outside of CMS,' Medicaid deputy director Sara Vitolo wrote, according to a memo obtained by the AP in June. Trump administration officials defended the data sharing agreement as a tool to prevent waste, fraud and abuse. 'HHS and CMS take the integrity of the Medicaid program and the protection of American taxpayer dollars extremely seriously,' said health and human services (HHS) spokesperson Emily Hilliard, in response to questions from the Guardian. 'With respect to the recent data sharing between CMS and DHS, HHS acted entirely within its legal authority – and in full compliance with all applicable laws – to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them.' Hilliard's statement went on to criticize the Biden administration for opening 'the floodgates for illegal immigrants to exploit Medicaid'. Hilliard said data sharing was part of an 'oversight effort – supported by lawful interagency data sharing with DHS,' that 'is focused on identifying waste, fraud, and systemic abuse. We are not only protecting taxpayer dollars – we are restoring credibility to one of America's most vital programs.' In June, the Trump administration similarly defended the data sharing agreement as part of an effort to ensure undocumented migrants who are not eligible for the program did not receive benefits. The new agreement reported by the AP said: 'ICE will use the CMS data to allow ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE.' The administration arrested about 650 people per day during the first five months of the administration, according to the AP. The Trump administration is seeking to boost arrests in its crackdown on undocumented migrants, hoping to detain as many as 3,000 people per day. The administration has also enacted a strategy of arresting migrants at churches, courthouses and at a wide range of workplaces. Immigrant farm workers reportedly feel 'hunted like animals' and immigrant construction workers face exploitation, as immigration agents have sought to increase arrests. Undocumented migrants are generally not eligible for Medicaid and only some lawfully present migrants may obtain coverage under the program. Eligible noncitizen immigrants represent only about 6% of people currently enrolled in Medicaid, according to the healthcare research non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation. The Trump administration has deeply cut Medicaid by adding bureaucracy and red tape. Income-eligible undocumented immigrants could once enroll in Medicaid in California, however new enrollment in the program was paused by Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. It is unclear whether Ice agents have already accessed Medicaid information, according to the AP. However, even the existence of such an agreement could deter people from seeking needed medical care, including for children. 'This is a privacy violation of unprecedented proportions and betrayal of trust, as the government has explicitly said, for decades, that this information will never be used for immigration enforcement,' said Ben D'Avanzo, a healthcare strategist at the National Immigration Law Center, on social media. The Guardian reached out to homeland security. The agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
