Democrat Congresswoman Becca Balint shared her perspective that immigrant labor in America serves a rather undesirable purpose.
If we don't have avenues for people to come here legally to work or to build a home here—I'm gonna be really crude right now. We're not gonna have anyone around to wipe our a**es because we don't have enough people."
The comments came while she was speaking to constituents at a town hall in Newport, Vermont. Balint is also proudly the first congresswoman for the state of Vermont.
@BeccaBalintVT tells constituents at a town hall in Newport:
— Vermont Daily Chronicle (@VTDC802) May 31, 2025
“if we don’t have avenues for people to come here legally to work or to build a home here… we’re not gonna have anyone around to wipe our a**es because we don’t have enough people” pic.twitter.com/f0PeoWtEj6
Contrary to the claims made by Congresswoman Balint, avenues for legal immigration already exist in the United States. They have existed for quite some time.
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is foundational to immigration policies in the United States. The act was first codified in 1952, but has since been amended significantly.
The United States distinguishes between permanent and temporary immigration. Permanent immigration categories reflect the values and principles that serve the interests of the nation as a whole. These categories include family-sponsored, employment-based, and diversity immigration.
Categories for temporary entry into the United States also exist. These categories concern nonimmigrants who are "foreign nationals admitted to the United States for a specified purpose and temporary period, including tourists, diplomats, students, temporary workers, and exchange visitors, among others," according to Congress.gov.
Congresswoman Balint's comments reflect a common misconception not represented by data.
In 2025, the government conducted the Current Population Survey (CPS) which reflected the record high population of both immigrants and citizens in the United States. The Center for Immigration Studies summed up the common misconception embraced by Balint.
Equally important, the figure also shows that there are still millions of U.S.-born workers in high-immigrant occupations. The 'immigrants only take jobs Americans do not want' argument is not supported by the data. The majority of workers in every broad job category are U.S.-born, even in the lowest-paid, lowest-status categories."
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