Democratic congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema referred to illegal immigrants as “housekeepers” and people “working at restaurants” during a Thursday interview.
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Sinema, who is running for an Arizona Senate seat, slipped some casual racism into an interview with KTVK’s “Good Morning Arizona” while explaining why she does not support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I think that most Americans agree we could use some reform,” Sinema said. “For instance, ICE targeting individuals who haven’t done anything wrong, who are, you know, housekeepers or working at restaurants.”
“Those are individuals who are working their hardest to become a part of the American dream and so abolishing ICE isn’t realistic and it doesn’t make any sense,” she added.
Actress Amber Heard made a similar statement in a Tuesday tweet, asserting that celebrities should drive home their “housekeepers, nannies, and landscapers” to avoid ICE checkpoints. Heard later deleted the tweet after critics accused her of being racist.