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Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., sparked a social media firestorm on Thursday for saying she does not “give a sh–” whether people in her district can vote for her in a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
During a press conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Ansari was asked about her use of the term “constituents” while criticizing the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.
“So, I didn’t realize this was such a controversy until the right-wing media started attacking me for using the word, so I Googled the word constituent. The definition of constituent is somebody who is part of a community, doesn’t matter what their legal status is,” Ansari said.
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“If somebody is an asylum seeker, if somebody has a green card, if somebody is a U.S. citizen, if somebody lives in the community, I represent them,” she added, responding to a question from a Daily Caller News Foundation reporter. “Constituent does not mean voter. I don’t care if none of these individuals can vote for me. I don’t give a sh–. I care about making sure that the United States government with our taxpayer dollars, is treating people with dignity and respect.”
The comments triggered some backlash on X, including from one of her Republican colleagues.
“A Member of Congress who brags she had to ‘Google’ the word constituent has no business writing laws,” Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., posted. “Constituents are hardworking American citizens, the people who elect you. Not illegal aliens. Not asylum shoppers. When you say ‘I don’t care if they can’t vote for me’” you admit it. You don’t represent Americans, you represent everyone but them.”
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Ansari fired back at his post directly, saying his “selective hearing is showing” and that he missed the purpose of her remarks, which focused on alleged mistreatment at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona.
“The women I met have committed no crimes— seeking asylum is not a crime, fyi. This press conference was about a woman named Yari, who was a green card holder from my district, who has leukemia, is coughing up blood, and has been denied an oncologist for nearly 7 months,” she replied.
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Harrigan replied, saying with a lengthy post that Yari, a cancer patient who Ansari was spotlighting during the press conference, had “been seen by medical staff 13 TIMES and cleared EVERY time. When arrested, she told law enforcement she had NO medical issues and took NO meds.”
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Other X users expressed their frustration with her remarks.
“Can someone please explain to me what sort of national identity or heritage or culture we are supposed to share with foreigners who get elected and see their primary job as serving the interests of other foreigners?” conservative digital strategist Logan Hall posted.
“The Democrats can’t even hide it anymore,” Florida GOP chair Evan Power posted.
“She doesn’t swear an oath to preserve, protect and defend the idea that every illegal alien in the country be treated with dignity and respect…These people are insufferable morons,” conservative radio host Derek Hunter posted.
Ansari said in a separate post that her position is an example of being empathetic toward others.
“Right-wing media is perplexed that an elected official might actually care about someone who can’t vote for them. It’s called representing ALL residents—regardless of immigration status. That’s how our Constitution (and empathy) works,” she wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ansari’s office, ICE and DHS.
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