Rep. Frederica Wilson Calls for Public Pressure on Lawmakers Amid Rising Immigration Detentions

Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson is turning up the heat on lawmakers over the Trump administration's immigration policies, urging Americans to get vocal — and not exactly in a whisper.

After visiting the ICE Krome Detention Center in Miami, Wilson took to Instagram Live, encouraging people to call up members of Congress and demand change. "You threaten it, and you say, this is wrong. This is not America. This is not what we stand for. We need a change," Wilson insisted, adding that an uprising of calls, letters, and street protests is what it will take to move the needle.

Before her facility visit, Wilson admitted she expected to see "criminals... with cases tattooed with gold teeth," but what she found instead were men she described as "hard working," with varying levels of literacy and some struggling with mental health issues. Not quite the Hollywood villain lineup she anticipated.

Wilson, no stranger to sparring with President Trump, laid blame for the recent uptick in immigration detentions on the Laken Riley Act. Signed into law shortly after Trump took office, the act requires ICE to detain undocumented immigrants arrested or charged with theft-related crimes or accused of assaulting police officers. It also lets states sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm tied to illegal immigration.

The law is named for Laken Riley, a University of Georgia nursing student who was tragically killed while jogging on campus by an undocumented immigrant, Jose Ibarra, who has since been sentenced to life in prison.

Wilson argued that the act has led to a surge in detentions, claiming that even minor offenses like jaywalking or shoplifting can land undocumented migrants in detention centers. "You could have been here forever," she said, "and they will detain you and bring you right here."

As of now, Wilson's offices have not responded to requests for further comment. But if her call to action is any indication, she won’t be staying quiet anytime soon.