Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) said Monday that he will skip a meeting scheduled for Thursday between the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and Jamal Simmons, Kamala Harris’s new communications director.
The meeting, confirmed by the CHC and Harris’s office, will take place during the CHC’s weekly members’ meeting. Although the intended purpose of the meeting is to clear the air regarding Simmons’ controversial tweets from more than a decade ago that questioned ICE for not investigating undocumented activists who revealed their immigration status live on MSNBC, Correa told The Hill that he fears that Simmons’ past actions “show his true disposition when it comes to immigration. That’s what my concern is. A meeting is not going to change my mind or give me peace of mind one way or the other.”
Simmons defended himself once the tweets resurfaced: “As a pundit for much of my career I have tweeted a lot and spoken out on public issues. Sometimes I have been sarcastic, unclear, or just plainly missed the mark.”
He went on to apologize, saying, “I sincerely apologize for offending those who care as much as I do about making America the best, multi-ethnic, diverse democracy it can be. I know the role I am taking on is to represent the Biden-Harris administration, and I will do so with humility, sincerity and respect.”
Simmons also reached out to Erika Andiola, one of the activists about whom he spoke in his original tweet. She tweeted out her support of him on January 8:
Jamal committed to be an ally in his role. He acknowledged that the tweet was hurtful in the way it was written & explained that his intention was not to call for ICE to pick us up, but to understand the legality of how undocu folks were on TV without possible legal consequences.
— Erika Andiola (@ErikaAndiola) January 8, 2022
I accepted the apology.
And before y’all come after me with disappointment and confusion, let me explain.
1. Why believe him? Because people who I truly love and respect (including undocu folks) know him, and they’ve known his stances on immigration for years. 👇🏾
— Erika Andiola (@ErikaAndiola) January 8, 2022
2. Do I think it’s ok for him to have twitted that? Absolutely not. It was a terrible choice of words.
3. As I told him, me accepting this apology doesn’t mean I won’t hold him, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden accountable for the promises they’ve made to the immigrant community…
— Erika Andiola (@ErikaAndiola) January 8, 2022
4. Lastly, I said this before and I will say it again. Yes, I can join many of you and cancel Jamal. But I do truly value redemption, and after all the convos I’ve had (in the real world, not twitter), I made a decision that felt good in my heart. If I was wrong, time will tell.
— Erika Andiola (@ErikaAndiola) January 8, 2022
Others on the Left also support Simmons for bowing to cancel culture. Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist who is a high-profile undocumented immigrant, responded on Twitter, as well:
I was just on stage with @JamalSimmons in DC last month talking about Dreamers, DACA and we how we MUST support immigrants.
I promise you he never called ICE. He’s a solid ally, and he’s a friend. Don’t get sucked in by the right-wing outrage machine that @StephenM leads. 👇🏾 https://t.co/rfV4Iqp7pu
— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) January 7, 2022
Simmons’ tenure as communications director for Vice President Harris could be short, based on the backlash Harris has received for her hiring decision. Rep. Correa, while not attending the scheduled sit-down between the CHC and Simmons, had this to say for future relations: “Everybody changes. I think Mr. Simmons, like I, we all change our predisposition, our perspective on issues and you know what, I think actions speak louder than words.”
As Andiola said, only time will tell. In the meantime, a few Twitter users expressed support for Simmons’ train of thought back in 2010, but not necessarily his about-face in 2022:
I agree with you – just sucks your viewpoint changes based on your employer – you’ll be hard to believe moving forward
— jordan sims (@jordans68406339) January 7, 2022
Completely agree with you Jamall, there should be a process to get into this country.
— Jason S (@Mjgrass) January 7, 2022
I am from a legal immigrant family. I agree. Thanks Jamal.
— San Diego Pete (@SanDiegoPete1) January 7, 2022
Seldom do I agree with a member of the @POTUS administration – but it is a VERY good question. Like it or not it entering the country illegally is a crime. And it is ICEs job to pick them up.
— Bob (@btrabucco) January 7, 2022
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