Democratic Vermont Rep. Becca Balint said during a town hall in Newport, Vermont on May 29 that America’s reliance on migrant labor is no longer a political issue but an issue of national survival.
Balint held a town hall where she engaged with constituents, responded to their questions, and outlined her efforts in Congress. She is now under fire for suggesting that President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown will leave Vermonters without “anyone around to wipe our asses.”
“We have to come to a place in Congress where it is no longer a political issue, but we see it as an existential issue for the country. If we don’t have avenues for people to come here legally to work or to build a home here,” Balint said.
Balint then pointed out what she said was the critical need for migrant labor, suggesting the nation’s survival depends on it.
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“I’m going to be really crude right now. We’re not going to have anybody around to wipe our asses because we don’t have enough people to fill the jobs that we have right now,” Balint said.
Since President Donald Trump vowed to carry out mass deportations of illegal migrants with criminal records, Democrats have actively opposed the administration’s agenda. A recent Marquette Law School poll shows that most voters support deporting illegal immigrants, indicating Democrats have struggled to persuade Americans that Trump’s deportation effort harms the country.
Democratic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested outside the US. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility earlier in May after attempting to join a tour with three Democratic Congress members, including New Jersey Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman. In addition to staging protests at ICE detention centers, Democrats such as Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen have taken taxpayer-funded trips to El Salvador to advocate for illegal migrant Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia.
Liberal groups have blocked the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Tren de Aragua gang members, continuing their legal challenges against his immigration enforcement efforts. However, the Trump administration scored a temporary win on Monday when the Supreme Court permitted him to continue removing deportation protections for certain Venezuelan nationals.
