Dupage Policy Journal

Former Republican state Rep. Jeanne Ives said U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) follows the agenda of D.C. politicians rather than the concerns of her constituents.

Ramirez, who represents Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District including parts of DuPage County, recently addressed the Brownsville, Texas, incident involving George Alvarez, 34, who was allegedly intoxicated when he crashed a vehicle into 18 Venezuelan migrants at a bus stop. Eight of the individuals died, and Alvarez, who has a lengthy criminal record, was arrested and charged with eight counts of manslaughter, 10 counts of aggravated assault and held on $3.6 million bail. 

Ramirez said events like this are occurring because Republican politicians refer to the border crisis as “an invasion” and it happened because “dangerous and disgusting white supremacist rhetoric has fueled deadly violence again and again.”

Ives is among those who counter Ramirez’s claims. 

“Delia Ramirez will say anything without knowing the facts," Ives said. "No one should be surprised that she called the Hispanic man who allegedly ran over a crowd of allegedly illegal immigrants a white supremacist. As she derides the use of the term 'invasion' to describe illegal border crossings that are at historic levels, she must not know that an NPR poll shows that the majority of Americans are describing the illegal crossings as an 'invasion.' Facts don't matter to Ramirez and she has quickly adopted the talking points of (President) Joe Biden now that she is in Congress.”

The NPR poll Ives was referring to shows that 19% of Americans disagree with the term "invasion" being applied to the situation.

“Ramirez is more comfortable representing illegal immigrants than the citizens that elected her as she is the daughter and daughter-in-law of people who crossed illegally," Ives said. "But if her voters knew her record as a state representative she would have never been elected to higher office. As a reminder, she voted to decriminalize possession of enough fentanyl to kill 1,500 people – fentanyl is a scourge on America and is distributed by illegals. Ramirez also voted to fund noncitizen health care, which will cost Illinois taxpayers $1.1 billion this year, rather than returning that money to her taxpayers."

Ives said Ramirez needs to address the needs of her constituents.

“Already as a congresswoman, she has voted against protecting women from having to compete with men on sports teams or showering with them in locker rooms," Ives said. "The family-centered Hispanic residents in her district would be appalled if they knew. She also is OK with the country taking on more debt that drives up inflation. Rather than auditioning to join the squad in D.C., Ramirez should think about trying to represent working families in her district.”