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NY Democrat Accused of 'Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud' About Illegal Immigration in Viral Clip

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  January 11, 2024 8:00 AM

In September 2021, Daniel Foote resigned as U.S. special envoy for Haiti in protest over what he called the “inhumane, counterproductive decision [by the Biden administration] to deport thousands of Haitian refugees...” It was one of the largest mass expulsion operations in recent history at the time, causing widespread uproar.

Not long afterward, Foote appeared before lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss “U.S. Policy Toward Haitian Migrants,” where he explained the “grave” state of the security, economic, and health situations in the country. 

“Haiti can’t support the people it has there right now. The last thing they need is desperate people without anything to their names because they just spent everything trying to get to the states coming back — there’s no safety net. It’s just a recipe for human tragedy,” he said.  

It was in that hearing that Democratic Congresswoman Yvette Clarke of New York asked how the diaspora can help stabilize the country. 

“I’m from Brooklyn,” she said. “We have a diaspora that can absorb a significant number of migrants and when I hear colleagues talk about the doors of the inn being closed, no room at the inn, I’m saying I need more people in my district for redistricting purposes, and those members could clearly fit here.” 

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While the lawmaker's comment during the hearing took place on Oct. 7, 2021, the resurfaced clip is going viral as the border crisis rages on, and is now taking a toll on New York City and other areas due to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's efforts sending buses full of illegal border crossers to sanctuary cities. With the Biden administration's failure to step up, the Republican governor has argued it shouldn't just be border states that carry the burden. 

Critics allege many Democrats are fine with mass illegal immigration because it suits them politically. Indeed, the popular X account End Wokeness accused Clarke of "saying the quiet part out loud about the border" in the clip, which caught the attention of Elon Musk, Abbott, and many other prominent individuals. 

Clarke responded directly to Musk, dismissing the remarks as "years old" and "out of context."

 Republican congressional candidate Joel Anabilah-Azumah took issue with her response.

 “The clip is clearly not out of context,” he replied. “This discussion did not begin yesterday. This has been a discussion for YEARS because many communities have struggled to absorb unscheduled newcomers. In fact, both DeBlasio and @NYCMayor made disparaging comments when Texas and other border communities complained about their quality of life. Now, @NYCMayor is experiencing the same issue that the border communities are and you don't really care.”

He added: "The folks in New York's 9th Congressional District realize that you don't care about their quality of life...immigration is an important part of maintaining the US workforce, but we cannot handle the level of immigration that we are dealing with. There are not enough jobs, housing, and resources to handle this flow of people."