In Congress, Swear Words Matter More Than Dead Mothers

Representative Jasmine Crockett stood during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday and let it rip.

"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 asking if there's any decency or heart or courage on that side of the aisle. The fact that a woman was killed, she was shot in her head, and y'all are pretending like nothing happened."

The Texas Democrat wasn't finished.

"I remember when Charlie Kirk got killed. Do you? Do you remember what our response was? Our response wasn't to sit there and pretend like it was okay. Is it okay because you have a badge? Because the last time I checked, allegedly no one is above the law."

She pressed harder. "Can y'all not have a little bit of courage and humanity? A child. A child lost her mom. And y'all want to pretend that it is okay."

Crockett challenged her colleagues directly. "I am asking if there is anyone that will stand for the people that elected us and sent us to Congress. 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."

Then she quoted Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. "The mayor of Minneapolis told y'all to get the fuck out. Yet y'all are the ones. It is this administration that is bringing crime to the city. That's what's happening."

That's when someone interrupted. "It's the third incident where somebody has dropped an F-bomb in this committee, including the video that we had to watch earlier."

Representative Eric Swalwell of California wasn't having it. "Are your princess ears okay? Is it profane to you? Shut up about the fact that a woman is here."

"All members will stand," the chair announced.

Thirty-two people died in ICE custody in 2025. Three more were shot dead by federal agents during enforcement operations. Two detainees were killed when a gunman opened fire on a Dallas facility. That's 37 deaths connected to immigration enforcement in a single year. For context, 2025 marked the deadliest year for ICE detainees since 2004, surpassing even 2020 when COVID-19 ravaged detention centers.

Meanwhile, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin insists there's been "NO spike in deaths" and claims ICE provides a "higher standard of care than most prisons."

The statistics suggest otherwise. So does the body count. So does what happened Wednesday morning in Minneapolis.

Renee Nicole Good died Wednesday. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot the 37-year-old woman in the head during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Her child no longer has a mother. Congress responded by debating profanity during Thursday's markup hearing on bail reform bills.

Crockett questioned enforcement tactics while Republicans counted F-bombs. Republicans campaign on immigrant crime. They pass enforcement bills justified by public safety concerns. Then their enforcement priorities result in an American woman dying in her own country, and suddenly nobody wants to discuss it.

The profanity objection served its purpose perfectly. It derailed conversation about accountability. It moved focus from policy consequences to tone policing. It allowed members to avoid addressing whether current immigration enforcement serves public safety or destroys it.

Swalwell's response captured the absurdity of prioritizing decorum over death. His question about "princess ears" recentered the issue at hand.

The committee chair's call for all members to stand restored order. It did nothing to restore the life federal agents took. It provided no answers to the daughter who lost her mother. It addressed none of the questions Crockett raised about accountability and oversight.

Congress excels at missing the point. Good died. Her death raises serious questions about enforcement tactics, oversight, and consequences. These questions demand answers.

Instead, members got distracted by a four-letter word.

Crockett asked whether anyone possessed the courage to stand for constituents. The response suggested courage remains in short supply. So does perspective. Dead mothers apparently matter less than maintaining proper House decorum.

The child who lost her parent will remember Congress had priorities. The wrong ones.

@Santitos

@salinasmariasantos

Copyright © 2026 Maria Santos Salinas for FRONTeras.