Melanie Stansbury from New Mexico launched a scathing critique against the Trump administration and Republican colleagues. Stansbury’s passionate defense included profanity as she rejected the premise of the hearing. What impacts have sanctuary city policies had on crime rates in major metropolitan areas?
Stansbury’s Fierce Defense of Sanctuary Cities
Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico didn’t mince words during a contentious House Oversight Committee hearing focused on sanctuary cities. The hearing, which featured testimony from Democratic mayors of New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Denver, became a battleground for the ongoing immigration policy debate that has divided lawmakers along party lines.
Stansbury emphatically rejected the premise of the hearing, suggesting it was orchestrated to intimidate local officials who support sanctuary policies. “I always think that we should sage this room after these hearings because we hear a lot of crazy stuff in here,” she stated, adding that the mayors were “enduring this ridiculous, ridiculous hearing as they’ve been threatened in front of the American people.”
Democrat Rep. Melanie Stansbury has a meltdown over Trump‘s border policies. Claims “it’s bullshit“ that cracking down on criminal illegals makes our cities safer. pic.twitter.com/4mlIUrPq0e
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 5, 2025
Sharp Criticism of Trump-Era Immigration Policies
The New Mexico representative didn’t hold back in her assessment of President Trump’s immigration approach, using profanity to emphasize her point. “Its total bulls–t, absolute bulls–t,” Stansbury declared, arguing that Trump’s policies were “not making America safer again” but instead “terrorizing immigrant families.”
Sanctuary laws, which restrict local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities on deporting illegal immigrants, have become a flashpoint in the national immigration debate. These policies prevent local authorities from assisting in deportations, even for individuals with criminal charges, a practice that supporters claim builds trust within immigrant communities, while critics argue it undermines public safety.
This is not normal. pic.twitter.com/KBXUGcFS90
— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) March 5, 2025
Political Theater and Immigration Reform Failures
Stansbury characterized the hearing as political theater designed to create misleading campaign advertisements rather than address immigration challenges. She accused Republicans of “spending millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars both in the administration and in Congress to make ads that are complete smoke and mirrors, trying to say that Donald Trump has somehow secured America’s safety.”
The congresswoman has previously demonstrated her opposition to Trump, notably holding a sign reading “This is not normal” on the House floor before Trump’s joint address to Congress. Her latest comments reflect the deep partisan divide on immigration policy that continues to challenge lawmakers’ ability to enact comprehensive reform that addresses border security, humanitarian concerns, and the status of millions of undocumented immigrants already in the country.