Progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal laughs at coverage of migrant who raped 13-year-old girl in NYC

Anything funny, Congresswoman?

Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington got a good laugh during an interview with MSNBC this week when she mocked the coverage of the case of an Ecuadorian migrant accused of binding, gagging and raping a 13-year-old girl in a Queens park.

The chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus mocked a Fox News time-lapse film during an appearance on “The Reidout” on Tuesday about the horrific June 13 attack by Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi, 25, who admitted to police that he recorded his heinous acts.

“There is a lot of panic going on,” Jayapal told host Joy Reid after welcoming President Biden’s executive order granting permanent residency to spouses of U.S. citizens who have lived in the country for at least 10 years.

Reid then drew Jayapal’s attention to a selection of media coverage from Tuesday

“Here’s the three cable networks’ coverage of it,” the anchor said. “Our (MSNBC’s) banner said, ‘Coming Soon: Biden Announces Legal Protections for Spouses of Undocumented Citizens.’ CNN’s banner said, ‘Biden Announces New Protections for Some Undocumented Spouses.'”

“Here was Fox’s banner: ‘Migrant arrested for raping 13-year-old New York girl,'” she added, falsely claiming that the leading news network did not cover the executive order in its broadcasts Tuesday.

“Ha!” “Yes,” replied Jayapal.

“And I think that’s part of the problem,” Reid continued.

“Exactly,” Jayapal agreed.

“They’re creating a lot of panic,” Reid repeated.

A Fox News spokesperson confirmed to the Post that Biden’s announcement of the new immigration order was broadcast live by the network.

“Unfortunately, Ms. Jayapal’s callous and heartless response to these tragedies shows how many on the left, including in Washington, view the people affected by the Biden administration’s open borders,” Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tennessee) told the Washington Post on Friday.

“The truth is they only see political advantage in not enforcing our laws – the human devastation they leave behind is simply collateral damage,” he said. “I wish lawmakers across the aisle would take this crisis seriously, and that starts with acknowledging that thanks to President Biden and (Homeland Security) Secretary Mayorkas, many Americans are rightly afraid right now.”

A spokesman for Jayapal’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Inga-Landi illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into Eagle Pass, Texas, on June 25, 2021, and was subsequently released by the Border Patrol — but in February 2022, she was ordered to leave the country by an immigration judge, the Post first reported on Tuesday.

Judge Joanne B. Watters on Wednesday ordered the suspect to be held in custody without bail until his next court date on July 1. She agreed with prosecutors, saying his ties to the United States were “weak” and he was a risk of fleeing.

During the MSNBC interview, Jayapal advocated making it easier for the millions of migrants who entered the country illegally during the Biden administration to obtain work permits.

“Why don’t we let people work?” she asked, pointing to the low unemployment rate.

Jayapal also reiterated a White House position that the 500,000 spouses of immigrants affected by the order have lived in the United States for an average of 23 years.

These families care for an estimated 50,000 non-citizen children who they say would also benefit from Biden’s executive action.