Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who represents Washington’s 7th district in the U.S. Congress, posted a series of statements on social media criticizing both the current and previous administrations’ policies on immigration enforcement and trade tariffs.
On July 18, 2025, Jayapal expressed mixed emotions regarding recent developments involving U.S. citizens detained abroad. She wrote: “I’m grateful that US citizens held by the Maduro regime are finally able to be reunited with their loved ones. At the same time, I am outraged that this admin continues to lie to the American people about those deported with no due process.“
Later that evening, Jayapal addressed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under former President Donald Trump’s administration, stating: “Trump’s ICE is not going after the “worst of the worst.” 72% of the people they’ve detained have ZERO CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS. It’s U.S. citizens, people with legal status, and people who have been here for decades, contributing to our country.” The tweet was published on July 18, 2025.
In another post from July 19, 2025, Jayapal criticized Trump’s economic policy regarding tariffs: “Another Trump lie: he said businesses wouldn’t pass the costs of tariffs on to customers. They are. That means everything you buy is getting more expensive — thanks to Trump.”
Jayapal has served in Congress since 2017 after replacing Jim McDermott and previously held office in the Washington State Senate from 2014 to 2016. Born in Chennai in 1965 and currently residing in Seattle, she holds degrees from Georgetown University and Northwestern University.
