Democrat Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal made a Sunday appearance on CNN and discussed a moment that brought her to tears in the Oval Office.
Jayapal told CNN host Jake Tapper that she had spoken to President Biden in the Oval Office about immigration reform, and she recounted a story that brought her to tears. “I went through all my priorities for the Progressive Caucus … the agreements that had been made. At the end I said ‘Mr. President, I want to tell you why this is so important.’ And I told the story, Jake, of coming to this country at 16 years old. My parents had nothing in their pockets … I arrived here alone with nothing in my pockets.”
The CNN host interrupted Jayapal to ask where she had immigrated from. “From India,” she responded. (RELATED: STEIN: Democrats’ Divisive Push To Jam Mass Immigration Amnesty Bill Through Budget Reconciliation)
“My parents, for whatever reason, believed that America was a place where I was going to be able to have a different kind of life- an opportunity,” Jayapal continued. “And I did … I went from nothing in my pockets at 16 by myself to actually sitting in the Oval Office with the president as the first South Asian American woman in the House.”
“This isn’t just about numbers. This is about real people getting opportunity and transforming their lives,” she said in conclusion.
Jayapal also appeared on CNN Tuesday and criticized fellow Democratic representatives. She accused her colleagues of being “willing to crash the entire Democratic agenda by refusing to come together on the entire reconciliation bill” including the Build Back Better Act. Moderate Democrats have expressed concern about the $3.5 trillion dollar price tag of the act.