‘Need to be prosecuted’: Indian-American congresswoman calls for compensation for immigrants ‘traumatized’ by ICE crackdown

Indian American Congressman Pramila Jayapal calls for reparations for undocumented immigrants, saying immigration enforcement under US President Donald Trump has caused “trauma” to families.Speaking at a congressional hearing titled “Kidnappings and Disappearances: Trump’s Attack on Children,” Jayapal said people affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations may need compensation. “We have to provide some form of reparations for the children and families who have been traumatized by all of this,” Jayapal said at the end of the hearing.Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, was born in India and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. She has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s immigration policies. During his presidency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a series of enforcement operations aimed at identifying and deporting undocumented immigrants across the country.She believes these actions caused harm. “We need to be aggressive about prosecutions. We need real accountability because at the end of the day, the people who caused this harm need to be prosecuted,” Jayapal said. She added: “They need to be brought before us and they need to be held accountable for the trauma they have caused.”The proposal remains broad. Jayapal did not outline how such compensation would be funded or how eligibility would be determined. She suggested the payments could be used to provide “support” to individuals who have not received relief after running afoul of immigration authorities.The issue comes amid heightened political tensions over immigration enforcement. The federal crackdown has sometimes led to clashes between officials and pro-immigration protesters. In Minnesota, two people, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed in incidents related to such confrontations.Jayapal serves as ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement. She said she would move forward with her proposal if Democrats regain control of the House. “If I were chairman of the immigration subcommittee, we would pursue all of these issues,” she said.She also tied her position to opposition to a recent temporary funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. “I have been clear since the beginning of the appropriations process; I will not vote to dedicate another cent to Trump’s ICE or CBP without significant reforms,” ​​she said in a statement. She added: “ICE and CBP agents are killing American citizens in the streets, terrorizing communities, and inflicting permanent trauma on families and children. Republicans in the House and Senate continue to refuse to enact any meaningful reform — and they appear to want ICE and CBP to continue their lawless reign of terror against American families and communities.”The bill, which narrowly passed the House and aims to fund the department for 60 days, faces uncertainty in the Senate, where Democrats are pushing for tighter oversight and reform of immigration enforcement agencies.