The Republican legislator who co-sponsored a nasty anti-”sanctuary city” bill in Pennsylvania angrily lashed out at a group of immigration advocates that included pregnant women, families, seniors and college students.
The advocates — including members of Juntos, Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, the New Sanctuary Movement and Make the Road PA — were seeking meetings with Rep. Martina White and other legislators regarding the bills.
But when one of the advocates politely asked White to stop referring to the 10-15 advocates in the room as “these people,” White blew up in a moment captured on video.
“Well, this is what the benefit of being in America is,” she’s heard screaming in the video. “It’s that you have the freedom of speech. Please leave my office now! I’m not going to be harassed in my own office!”
According to White’s account to PennLive, she claims she was frightened, and even suggested that the group of women, young adults, and seniors were dangerous.
“We’ve seen incidents in other cities, in other states, in sanctuary cities where illegal immigrants have harmed Americans, raped children, murdered people. And these are the type of people this group is a proponent of,” she said.
Juntos Executive Director Erika Almiron, who was present, was at a loss for words. She said the group had actually been invited into the office — contrary to White’s claim — and that the advocates were greeted cordially during visits with legislators after the incident.
“We need to have a real conversation about what scares her of 10 to 15 predominately brown people in her office. What’s so scary about that?”
