Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., is going viral for her remarks against the deportation of illegal immigrants and her urging Americans to “think about who picked” the food on their tables.
“If you look at the food that’s on your table, think about who picked it. If you look at your homes, think about who built them. If you look at your vulnerable elders and your kids, think about who’s taking care of them,” Jayapal told the crowd.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was slammed for recently saying that climate-harming corporations — while pointing at McDonald’s — are to blame for California fires. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The controversial remarks were made during the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Tax the Greedy Billionaires Press Conference, and critics quickly slammed Jayapal. Some even compared her remarks to advocating for slave labor or indentured servitude, pointing out the mistreatment that illegal immigrants face.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., took to X to criticize Jayapal, calling the remarks a “MEGA WTF moment.”
“Rep. Pramila Jayapal just sang praises for illegal immigration—gushing over cheap labor and glorifying indentured servitude,” Mace tweeted.
This is not the first time Jayapal has made remarks about the U.S. relying on illegal immigrant labor. In 2023, she was criticized for saying that illegal immigrants were needed to “pick the food we eat,” “clean our homes,” and “rebuild our communities after climate disasters.”
Elon Musk speaks during an event in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Photo/Alex Brandon)
Jayapal also took a swipe at Elon Musk, saying that he “conveniently seems to have forgotten that he was an undocumented immigrant.”
The lawmaker was likely referring to a Washington Post report from October 2024 that purported that Musk briefly worked in the U.S. illegally in the 1990s. The billionaire denied the report in a post on X, saying he held a “J-1 visa that transitioned to an H1-B.”
In a recent interview, Jayapal slammed President Donald Trump for claiming that “everyone who’s undocumented is a criminal.” The lawmaker insisted that the statement “is just not true.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., speaks with reporters after a vote on Capitol Hill on Thursday, July 28, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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The White House has made it clear that it is going in a different direction than the Biden administration when it comes to illegal immigration.
In January, when asked about the criminal status of illegal immigrants detained by ICE, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “all of them” were criminals because they “illegally broke our nation’s laws.”
“If they broke our nation’s laws, yes, they are a criminal,” Leavitt said when pressed on the issue again.
