Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who represents Washington’s 7th district in the U.S. Congress, posted a series of tweets on September 23, 2025, addressing issues related to deaths in ICE custody, criticism of scientific discourse by authorities, and concerns over threats to free speech.
In her first tweet at 17:26 UTC, Jayapal wrote: “I was just notified of ANOTHER death in ICE custody — the 16th since Trump took office. The second death TODAY. This is absolutely unacceptable.”
Later that day at 18:40 UTC, she shared a quotation from an unnamed expert regarding scientific claims made by authorities: “The saddest display of a lack of evidence, rumors, recycling old myths, lousy advice, outright lies, and dangerous advice I have ever witnessed by anyone in authority in the world claiming to know anything about science.”
At 20:00 UTC on the same day, Jayapal commented on actions taken by former President Donald Trump and members of the Republican Party concerning free speech: “Donald Trump and Republicans are going after free speech and the First Amendment — one of the most fundamental rights we have as Americans. This is authoritarianism, and we must fight it at every turn. Free speech is not up for debate.”
Pramila Jayapal has served in Congress since 2017 after succeeding Jim McDermott. She previously held a seat in the Washington State Senate from 2014 to 2016. Born in Chennai (formerly Madras State) in 1965 and currently residing in Seattle at age 57, Jayapal holds degrees from Georgetown University (BA) and Northwestern University.
