Rep. Jayapal calls it ‘inspiring’ when she sees groups obstruct ICE

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said in a new interview that she is most inspired when she sees people obstructing ICE. 

“Some of the most inspiring things have been when people encircle courtrooms and refuse to allow ICE agents in,” Jayapal said during a conversation with Joy Reid on Friday’s episode of “The Joy Reid Show.”

“There are all kinds of nonviolent resistance tactics that we have to use,” Jayapal added. “And I’ve started something called Resistance Lab… It’s a training on really the documented most effective ways to counter democratic backsliding, nonviolent resistance tactics to build that movement.”

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The Resistance Lab website, which includes a page on Jayapal’s new book, “USE THE POWER YOU HAVE: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change,” is advertising a “Virtual Organizing Training 1.0” on July 13. 

The website says that Jayapal “knew we need a way to turn our anger, fear, and frustration into action and progress. That’s exactly why she launched The Resistance Lab, an in-depth organizing training to build our movement and give you the tools you need in this moment. The scary truth is that democracies fall in a matter of months. So this is an immediate, urgent matter – and we need to quickly build our capacity to resist.”

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“We’ve already trained over 10,000 people in all 50 states,” Jayapal told Reid. “And the next one’s coming up on July 13. So, we’re going to keep doing those, because that is what we have to realize is the United States has been complacent for too long. We think that maybe these checks and balances were supposed to keep us safe, but we’re seeing that they assume that people on the other side also care about the Constitution. Not the case right now.”

The Washington State lawmaker has been critical of ICE, calling it a “terrorist force” in a recent Instagram post. 

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She then defended the comment during an interview with CNN, where she was asked to respond to the White House’s criticism of her post. She retorted the White House “owes an apology” to Americans.

Jayapal also called ICE’s immigration enforcement “outrageous,” “unconstitutional” and “illegal” during her CNN segment defending the comments she made, calling ICE a “terrorist force.”

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyon responded to Jayapal’s comments. 

“Rep. Jayapal’s glorification of the harassment of law enforcement officers and of ignoring our nation’s laws is particularly concerning coming from a sitting congresswoman. Moreover, these comments came on July 4, just hours before a coordinated attack at an ICE facility in Texas, during which a local law enforcement officer was shot,” Lyon told Fox News Digital. “And today — also in Texas— a violent attacker shot a U.S. Border Patrol officer. Inciting activists is not a game; there are very real consequences. I’m relieved that both these officers are expected to recover, but how much more dangerous rhetoric can we as a nation tolerate before it’s too late?”