Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) delivered blistering criticism of the current administration’s immigration policies, declaring that federal actions are “dishing out death” and tearing apart families across the country.
Her remarks, captured in a now-circulating video clip, underscore escalating Democratic pushback against what they describe as dangerous and dehumanizing enforcement tactics.
Speaking at an event supporting Muriel Bowser—whose city, Washington DC, she said, has been “under attack” by federal authorities—Crockett framed the moment as nothing short of existential.
“I am here because this is truly life or death,” she told the crowd. “We have an administration that is not only killing people, but is a dream killer right now. That is not the best of America.”
Crockett’s sharpest criticism targeted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pointing to a “record number” of deaths in ICE custody and arguing that the agency is detaining large numbers of people with no criminal history.
“More than 50 percent of the people currently being detained have no criminal records at all,” she said. “They are our neighbors, they are our friends… They contribute to the fabric of this country.”
She accused some ICE agents of behaving like “thugs” and violating constitutional values, a line certain to fuel further partisan dispute over immigration enforcement.
The Texas Democrat, a member of the House Oversight Committee, positioned herself and her Democratic colleagues as a bulwark against federal overreach.
“This isn’t right or left for us. This is right or wrong,” she said. “Democrats on the Oversight Committee—we got your back.”
Her social-media caption reinforced the theme: the administration isn’t “making America great,” she wrote, but instead is “targeting our neighbors, tearing families apart, and putting lives on the line.”
Crockett’s comments tap into a broader national debate about the limits and moral dimensions of immigration enforcement. With migrant deaths in custody facing intense scrutiny and cities nationwide clashing with federal agencies, her speech reflects a party faction determined to recast immigration not as a border-security flashpoint, but as a human-rights emergency.
Crockett’s remarks signal Democrats’ intent to confront the administration head-on—on the law, on the facts, and, increasingly, on moral grounds.
