The idea of reparations is nothing new. Talk and proposed legislation to somehow right the wrongs of slavery by paying black people today have been around for years. But now a Washington State Democrat wants to give reparations to illegal immigrants for the fear and harm immigration policies and ICE have caused them.
Reparations for Illegal Immigrants
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, has been holding a series of hearings titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared,” which she said focuses “on the immense trauma that Trump and his Department of Homeland Security have caused to our children. In the first seven months of Donald Trump’s term, more than 11,000 US citizen children have had a parent detained. That means that every single day, 50 US citizen children, on average, have had a parent detained.”
In the most recent hearing held on Friday, March 27, the representative said reparations need to be paid to illegal immigrants who have been emotionally harmed by ICE and President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. “We are going to have to have some form of reparation for the kids and the families that have been traumatized through all of this.”
The 60-year-old lawmaker is an immigrant from India who came to America when she was 16. It took 17 years, but she finally became a citizen in 2000 and has been a heavy hitter in criticizing Trump and his immigration policies. During the meeting, titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Attack on Our Children,” Jayapal threatened to move forward with the preparations for illegal immigrants proposal if the Democrats win back control on the House and elect her as the subcommittee’s lead. “If I am chair of the immigration subcommittee, we will be pursuing all of these pieces,” she promised.
Several people spoke at the hearing, describing situations where children were separated from their parents, sometimes for months. Dr. Sonya Caballero, a pediatrician and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins discussed the mental and physical harm caused by separation, including anxiety, depression, and other issues that could haunt children into adulthood. Another woman spoke about the financial hardships of illegal immigrants who have to pay to try and get their loved ones out of detention, and how teens are putting their higher education on hold to help support their families. Manny, a 17-year-old from Hillsborough, OR, spoke about his friend’s father, who had been arrested by ICE, and how he lives “in constant fear and sadness,” even though he was born in the US.
“We need offensive actions around prosecutions,” Jayapal said. “We need real accountability because at the end of the day, the people that have been inflicting this harm need to be prosecuted. They need to be brought before us and they need to be held account for the trauma that they have created.”
“Our students and their families are deliberately terrorizing and traumatizing our neighbors and their children,” said educator Nicole Isern. “It’s a massive letdown that there are no checks and balances to stop a hateful administration trying to erase minority races.”
Critics of Jayapal’s suggested proposal argue it will do more harm than good, that it would reward illegal immigrants who chose to come into the country without permission. Some comment that if there is to be reparations paid out, then it should go to the victims’ families who have been hurt by the undocumented criminals. The lawmaker hasn’t explained where the money would come from, just that it would be taxpayer funded. Also, there’s the argument that providing reparations to illegal immigrants is unfair to those who came to the country legally and went through the proper channels, which includes paying sometimes pretty hefty fees.
Pramila Jayapal
Controversial proposals are nothing new for the Washington state politician. The Medicare for All Act was introduced several times but died in the committee. Its purpose was to create a single-payer, government-run healthcare system that would replace most private insurance with a federal system. Critics argued it would get rid of private insurance while requiring massive federal spending.
The Housing Not Handcuffs Act was introduced last year but hasn’t moved since. It would ban cities from criminalizing homelessness when no shelter is available. Supporters say it would protect vulnerable people from being punished for being poor while critics say it would limit governments’ ability to manage public spaces.
The Health Care for Immigrants Act was introduced in 2021 and is still sitting in the committee. This controversial idea would expand healthcare access to immigrants regardless of their status, something that has been an ongoing debate between Democrats and Republicans for a while.
The New Way Forward Act was first introduced in 2019 by Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) and Jayapal is a co-sponsor. This legislation, if passed, would decriminalize border crossings, making it a civil, not criminal, issue. It is currently still sitting in the committee.
Friday’s hearing was the seventh in the series. Previous hearing titles included “Trump’s assault on Minnesota,” “Detention abuses,” “Trump’s assault on Chicago,” “Families that have been torn apart,” “Unlawful third-country deportations,” and “efforts to undermine due process.”
Jayapal’s idea of reparations for illegal immigrants is just that right now – an idea. If she pursues this, she’ll likely have quite the battle on her hands. Reparations are not very popular. According to a 2022 Pew Research poll, 68% of American respondents do not support reparations for blacks, and it’s likely that number will be even higher for illegal migrants.
