Democrat Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) has declared that all illegal aliens who are living in her district are her constituents.
Torres made the claims during a Wednesday press conference at an event to promote her Fairness to Freedom Act.
The bill would require the government to use taxpayer funds to pay for the legal defense of any immigrant facing deportation who cannot afford counsel.
A reporter asked Torres whether she considers illegal aliens to be among her constituents.
“Everyone living in my district is my constituent, and I am there to serve and be a public servant for them,” Torres said.
She then argued that illegal aliens across the country should be considered constituents by the federal government if they are paying taxes.
“Everyone who pays taxes is a constituent of all members of Congress, including immigrants who have filed for a tax ID and are denied any benefits,” she added.
WATCH:
The remarks come amid the recent controversy over Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-MD) meeting with illegal alien MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego-Garcia.
The Salvadoran national was deported from Maryland to an El Salvador prison.
He was known by U.S. federal authorities as a gang member, human trafficker, and a domestic abuser.
The MS-13 gang that Abrego-Garcia is associated with has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
White House adviser Stephen Miller said that Van Hollen was confused about Abrego-Garcia’s status.
“Senator Van Hollen seems to be under the very confused impression that this MS-13 terrorist is his constituent,” Miller said on Fox at the time.
“He is [Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s] constituent. …
“He is President Bukele’s resident.
“He is not a ‘Maryland man’ … .
“He is an illegal alien from El Salvador … .”
WATCH:
.@StephenM: “Senator @ChrisVanHollen seems to be under the very confused impression that this MS-13 terrorist is his constituent. He is President @nayibbukele’s constituent… He is not a “Maryland man” — he is not a Maryland anything. He is an illegal alien from El Salvador with… pic.twitter.com/VW7bZ7l9lM
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 16, 2025
At the press conference, Torres laid out her legislation as a way to prevent deportations.
“We all know that the system is designed to leave people in the dark without legal support so they can be railroaded through the system and taken out of our country,” she said.
“But the Fairness to Freedom Act says, ‘Enough is enough’—if a detainee doesn’t get counseled in time, the deportation proceedings must be terminated with prejudice.”
Torres was joined by fellow Democrat Reps. Robert Garcia (D-CA) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).
Jayapal boasted that they were “three of the less than two dozen naturalized citizens to serve in the United States Congress … and so we know how tough the system is to navigate.”
She also mentioned that “decades of research clearly shows that immigrants with representation are 10 times more likely to obtain relief from deportation … and detained immigrants with representation are three-and-a-half times more likely to be granted bond, enabling their release.”
But Garcia and Torres both voted against the Laken Riley Act in January.
The bill requires that illegal aliens charged with theft or violent crimes be detained.
Jayapal did not vote on the legislation, which was named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien.
It passed the House on January 22, two days after it passed the Senate, in both cases with large bipartisan majorities.
On January 29, it became the first bill signed into law by President Donald Trump at the start of his second term.
Torres, Garcia, and Jayapal all voted against the SAVE Act.
The bill would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
The SAVE Act passed the House 220-208 on April 10, with just four Democrats voting in favor.
It has yet to receive a vote in the Senate.
