During a press conference on Friday (September 30), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA.) declared states like Florida needed illegal immigrants to “pick the crops.”
Her choice of words instantly drew criticism for demeaning migrants, with critics claiming she’s encouraging America to welcome illegal immigrants only to exploit — and profit from — their undocumented status.
When Pelosi made her remarks, she intended to point the finger at Republican Governors from southern states relocating migrants to northern, Democrat-led cities, saying that they needed to stay in the south to “pick the crops down here.”
The House Speaker’s comments were primarily aimed at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who recently relocated about 50 migrants by plane to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
In response to a question about the relocation Pelosi stated, “The fact is… we have a responsibility to secure our border. We also have a responsibility to recognize the importance of newcomers to our nation. Right now the best thing we can do for our economy is have comprehensive immigration reform.”
She then decided to highlight that there is a “shortage of workers in our country,” saying that “even in Florida some of the farmers and the growers [are] saying, ‘Why are you shipping these immigrants up north? We need them to pick the crops down here.'”
The Speaker’s comments quickly drew the ire of many on Twitter, many highlighting that Pelosi was admitting that the only reason illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country was so Americans could exploit their cheap labor.
Ian Miles Cheong, a conservative journalist, wrote in response to a video of Pelosi’s remarks, “Immigrants, what are they good for?”
Rich Lowry, National Review editor, wrote, “A massive and uncontrolled wave of illegal immigration isn’t a solution to anything, but this is how they think.”
The Twitter account for The Federation for American Immigration noted the reason Dems are eager to accept illegal immigrants in the U.S., writing, “For Democrats, mass immigration checks two boxes: 1. More future voters 2. Cheap foreign labor.”
