House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Florida farmers need immigrants to pick crops, stating that there is a shortage of workers in the United States as she called for comprehensive immigration reform.
The California Democrat spoke during a press conference on Friday about border security, stating that while “we have a responsibility to secure our border, we also have a responsibility to recognize the importance of newcomers to our nation.”
BROKEN BORDER: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ARRESTS UNDER BIDEN EXCEED OBAMA’S EIGHT YEARS
“Right now, the best thing we can do for our economy is to have comprehensive immigration reform,” she said.
Pelosi alluded to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican governors sending migrants who cross the southern border to cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Martha’s Vineyard.
“You see, in Florida, some of the farmers and growers say, ‘Why are you shipping these immigrants up north? We need them to pick the crops down here,'” Pelosi said.
Her comments received swift backlash, with the Republican National Committee turning to social media to express disdain over the appearance that the speaker believes immigrants are in the U.S. just to pick crops.
“Nancy Pelosi thinks immigrants should be picking crops,” the RNC Latinos account tweeted. “When Democrats show you their true colors, believe them.”
Nancy Pelosi thinks immigrants should be picking crops.
When Democrats show you their true colors, believe them. https://t.co/BgsM8mcxhV
— RNC Latinos (@RNCLatinos) September 30, 2022
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was also among those to share their thoughts on Pelosi’s comments. “Nancy Pelosi said the quiet part out loud: Democrats want illegal immigrants to come in and take American jobs,” she tweeted.
Nancy Pelosi said the quiet part out loud: Democrats want illegal immigrants to come in and take American jobs.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) September 30, 2022
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The number of encounters at the border has soared this year. Since Sept. 19, a record 2 million encounters with immigrants have occurred at the southern border. Based on data from Border Patrol, this is up 25% from last year.
Florida was hit by a Category 4 hurricane last week, and the death toll has risen above 70 as of this weekend.
