Representative Pramila Jayapal, a progressive Democrat from Washington, is advocating for reparations for undocumented immigrants who experienced trauma due to the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies and widespread ICE operations across the nation.
Jayapal unveiled this proposal during a panel discussion on Friday, which she organized under the theme “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Attack on Children.” The announcement came as a surprise to many, as she addressed a group of “experts” present at the hearing.
“We must consider reparations for the children and families who have suffered trauma throughout these events,” Jayapal stated at the hearing’s close.
Originally from India and a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2000, the 60-year-old lawmaker has consistently voiced her opposition to former President Trump’s immigration measures.
Under Trump’s leadership, the Department of Homeland Security initiated several ICE operations targeting undocumented immigrants. These actions often led to violent confrontations between federal agents and immigration advocates, notably resulting in the tragic deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota.
Jayapal holds the position of ranking member on the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement.
She threatened to move forward with her reparations proposal if the Democrats win back control of the House and elect her to lead the subcommittee.
“If I am chair of the immigration subcommittee, we will be pursuing all of these pieces,” Jayapal indicated.
“We need offensive actions around prosecutions. We need real accountability because at the end of the day, the people that have been inflicting this harm need to be prosecuted,” Jayapal said. “They need to be brought before us and they need to be held account for the trauma that they have created.
In Jaypal’s half-baked proposal, the reparations would be used to fund “support” for the people who didn’t receive relief following their interactions with immigration officials.
“There’s a lot that’s on our plate but I want you to know how seriously we take this issue and how committed I am,” she said.
Jayapal didn’t reveal how the reparations would be funded or how her subcommittee would evaluate who would be eligible to receive such funds.
The fifth-term congresswoman used her anti-ICE stance as the reason she voted against Friday night’s House-passed stopgap bill.
“I have been clear since the start of the appropriations process; I will not vote to give Trump’s ICE or CBP another cent without major reforms,” she said in a statement. “ICE and CBP agents have killed American citizens on the streets, terrorized communities, and forever traumatized families and children. Republicans in the House and Senate continue to refuse to implement any meaningful reforms — it appears they want ICE and CBP to continue their lawless reign of terror against American families and communities.”
The bill, passed with by a 213-209 vote would fund the entire DHS for 60 days, but it is unlikely to make it past the Senate.
The DHS has been unfunded since Feb. 14.
Senate Democrats have leveraged the 60-vote filibuster to block funding for DHS while demanding sweeping reforms to ICE, including restrictions on the ability of agents to wear masks and a tighter judicial warrant system — both of which Republicans have rejected.
President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act has supplied funds to ICE and CBP until 2029, with the shutdown only affecting other portions of Homeland Security, including TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard.
