Washington, DC – Yesterday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement held another in Republicans’ ongoing string of politicized, anti-immigrant hearings. Republicans on the subcommittee invited several virulently anti-immigrant witnesses, including Jessica Vaughn from designated hate group CIS.
But the most infamous Republican-invited witness is now clearly Sheena Rodriguez. As Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) detailed during witness questioning during the hearing, Rodriguez was a supporter and participant in the January 6th insurrection, at minimum confirmed to be on the Capitol grounds that day.
- In a tweet replying to Sidney Powell on January 1, Rodriguez wrote, “Imagine over a million Patriots screaming “Fight for Trump” on the 6th! Think Congress & SC will hear us then?!! #FightForTrump”
- On January 6, Rodriguez tweeted what appeared to be two personal photos on the Capitol grounds as it was being violently overrun.
View the exchange of Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) questioning Sheena Rodriguez about her January 6th participation HERE:
Swalwell: Ms. Rodriguez, were you at the Capitol on January 6th?
Rodriguez: … I was on the premises outside of a reflection pond waving a flag
Swalwell: So you were on the Capitol grounds?
Rodriguez: I am not sure if that is technically Capitol grounds.
Later in the exchange Swalwell asked about the violence that occurred on January 6 to which Rodriguez said “I did not encounter any violence, as a matter of fact it was quite peaceful, I was involved with some prayers.”
USA Today reported more details on Rodriguez’ January 6th connection in a story titled, “‘You don’t get to say that…!’ House members clash on border witness who was also at Jan. 6.” In the piece, reporter Will Carless writes:
“A USA TODAY review of Rodriguez’s social media showed numerous posts placing her at or around the Capitol before, during and after the Jan. 6 insurrection … Rodriguez posted photos and videos from the Capitol protest on Jan. 6 on her Twitter account and on Instagram. In one selfie, she’s standing by Doug Mastriano, the Pennsylvania state senator who was questioned by the Jan. 6 commission (and refused to answer any questions).
On Jan. 7, Rodriguez quote-tweeted the FBI, which was asking witnesses to come forward. ‘I will be submitting my information on what I witnessed first-hand,” Rodriguez wrote.’”
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“Nothing illustrates better the intersection between Republicans’ dangerous nativism and their larger anti-democratic turn than their invitation to a January 6th participant to appear as one of their official witnesses at another GOP anti-immigration hearing.
The implications are larger than just Sheena Rodriguez. In Congress and throughout the country, Republicans are fundamentally attacking who we are as a nation and undermining basic tenets of our democracy. The GOP’s embrace of the Big Lie, their whitewashing of January 6th, and their ongoing embrace of MAGA extremism and white nationalism show that the GOP is no longer committed to our democracy as we know it.”
Read more from the USA Today story, “‘You don’t get to say that…!’ House members clash on border witness who was also at Jan. 6”:
“The hearing of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement featured the testimony of three witnesses who are anti-immigration advocates. One of them, Sheena Rodriguez, runs a fledgling anti-immigration organization in Texas. Rodriguez also sent several tweets from Washington, D.C., before, during and after Jan. 6, discussing her presence at or around the Capitol.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., used his time in the hearing to question Rodriguez about her role in the insurrection, which left a rioter and several police officers dead, and has led to 1,000 prosecutions so far.
‘You asked people to fight for Trump, and you took a picture of yourself near the Capitol,’ Swallwel said to Rodriguez. ‘When you ask people to fight for Trump, and they ultimately fought for Trump, do you regret those words?’
Rodriguez responded by questioning what her presence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 had to do with the subject-matter of the hearing, which was border policy and the plight of unaccompanied minors who cross the US border.
A USA TODAY review of Rodriguez’s social media showed numerous posts placing her at or around the Capitol before, during and after the Jan. 6 insurrection … Rodriguez posted photos and videos from the Capitol protest on Jan. 6 on her Twitter account and on Instagram. In one selfie, she’s standing by Doug Mastriano, the Pennsylvania state senator who was questioned by the Jan. 6 commission (and refused to answer any questions).
On Jan. 7, Rodriguez quote-tweeted the FBI, which was asking witnesses to come forward. ‘I will be submitting my information on what I witnessed first-hand,’ Rodriguez wrote.’”
