Congresswoman Jayapal, your story is worth telling accurately.
You came to America at 16 to attend Georgetown.
You spent 17 years navigating what you have described as an “alphabet soup of visas” before becoming a naturalized American citizen.
That is a powerful example of someone working through America's lawful immigration process.
You did it. Inspire others to pursue lawful entry and citizenship too.
But saying this administration is “slamming the door shut” deserves specifics.
Some immigration pathways have been restricted. TPS and asylum policies, among others, have changed substantially and deserve debate on their actual merits.
But naturalization still exists, and lawful immigration has not simply disappeared.
So what TDS specific door are you saying has been “slammed shut”?
Which legal pathway?
Which applicants?
Which policy?
Those details matter when making an accusation this broad.
Your own experience demonstrates why the distinctions matter. Legal immigration, asylum, temporary status, unlawful entry and naturalization are not interchangeable terms.
Reader, can we have an honest immigration debate without pretending they are all the same thing?
Silas Truth
Sons of Liberty