Two days after she was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Yassamin Ansari used her first appearance on a D.C. Sunday show to express concern about Republicans’ agenda on immigration.
Ansari, D-Ariz., appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” alongside other newly minted members of Congress. She pushed back on freshman Texas GOP Rep. Brandon Gill’s suggestion that outgoing President Joe Biden caused “chaos” at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Though illegal border crossings initially soared under Biden, they declined steeply after Biden signed an executive order restricting asylum access in June 2024. Migrant apprehensions have now fallen to the lowest levels since 2020, Ansari pointed out.
“We can have a secure border, but also not promote xenophobia, not scapegoat, not blame every problem we have in this country on immigrants,” she said.
Ansari said she supports comprehensive immigration reform and wants to make sure there are enough resources at the border. She also argued Phoenix’s economy and its residents could be adversely affected by President-elect Donald Trump’s plans, which have included a pledge to carry out “mass deportations” of undocumented migrants.
“For mixed-status families, for families, kids that are born in this country, we need to make sure they are protected,” she said.
Asked about the fact that members of Congress are getting older, Ansari said it was a “valid point.”
Though the GOP has made some gains with young voters, Ansari said, “if young people only had voted in this election, under 40 … Democrats would have won across the board.”
Kelly: ‘significant concerns’ about Trump cabinet picks
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., also appeared on the show to discuss the deadly New Orleans truck attack that killed more than a dozen people on New Year’s Day. Kelly, who sits on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, said the attacker didn’t seem to be on the intelligence community’s radar prior to the attack. But the attack highlights a perennial challenge for law enforcement, he said.
“When they become aware of an individual, or individuals, that could be a threat to our country, it’s hard to make a decision to act,” he said. “You want to find out if there are other bad actors out there. You want to be able to arrest everybody. But to do that, you have to wait.”
Asked about President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, Kelly said he has “big concerns” about Trump’s selections related to national security.
“We want serious people that have a background to do these very, very hard jobs,” Kelly said.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Defense, “doesn’t seem to have those,” Kelly said.
Hegseth, a veteran who was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, is a former host on the right-leaning television network Fox News. Trump’s selection of Hegseth raised eyebrows because it broke with the longstanding tradition of filling the position with Pentagon chiefs who have long careers in government.
“I’m very interested in seeing what he has to say about his background and his experience that makes him qualified to do this challenging job,” Kelly said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Yassamin Ansari pushes back on GOP immigration plans on Sunday show