“I’m Just Asking If There’s Any Decency Or Heart Or Courage On That Side Of The Aisle,” Said The 44-Year-Old Texas Congresswoman And U.S. Senate Candidate
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett delivered an emotional condemnation of Republicans in Congress on Thursday, following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during an operation in Minneapolis.
Speaking during a markup hearing of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, Crockett said she was struggling to participate in legislative work she believes is actively harming people, particularly immigrants, while her colleagues across the aisle avoided confronting the circumstances surrounding Good’s death.
“It is so hard to sit here sometimes because I didn’t come to Congress to write laws or to do things that are hurting people,” Crockett said. “I’m just asking if there’s any decency or heart or courage on that side of the aisle.”
Good, a 37-year-old legal observer and mother of three, was shot in the head by an ICE agent identified as Jonathan Ross. Crockett expressed frustration that lawmakers continued with business as usual despite the killing.
“The fact that a woman was killed, she was shot in her head, and y’all are pretending like nothing happened,” she said.
Crockett then referenced the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, recalling the response from Democrats at the time. “I remember when Charlie Kirk got killed,” she said. “Do you remember what our response was? Our response wasn’t to sit there and pretend like it was OK.”
She argued that Republicans were reflexively siding with the ICE agent because he carried a badge, rather than considering whether justice and accountability were being applied equally. “The last time I checked, allegedly, no one is above the law,” Crockett said.
Growing more emotional, she pressed her colleagues to remember who they were elected to serve. “Can y’all not just have a little bit of courage and humanity?” she asked. “I am asking if there is anyone that will stand for the very people that elected us and sent us to Congress.”
The Judiciary Committee hearing was focused on several Republican-backed proposals, including legislation that would require federal contractors to use the E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of immigrant workers, as well as measures that would withhold federal grant funding from states and local governments that limit the use of cash bail.
Crockett rejected claims that immigrants are responsible for rising crime, saying those talking points ignore the role of federal policy and enforcement decisions. “You tell us things like, well, the immigrants are bad, and so we got to get all these bills, because the immigrants are the ones that are causing the harm they’re bringing the crime,” she said. “It is this administration that is bringing crime to your streets. That’s what’s happening.”
Her remarks underscored growing Democratic outrage over the Minneapolis shooting and the broader direction of immigration enforcement, as Republicans continue to advance legislation expanding ICE authority and rolling back criminal justice reforms despite mounting criticism and public protest.
