Pelosi Says Don’t Ship Immigrants North — “We Need Them to Pick the Crops in Florida”; KJP Threatens Oil Companies Again Despite No Evidence of Gouging

On 9/30/2022, Pelosi made a remarkable statement about immigration: rather than opposing the busing of migrants on humanitarian grounds, she argued they should stay in Florida because “we need them to pick the crops.” Biden again threatened oil companies with price gouging investigations despite John Kerry admitting the day before they had seen “no evidence” of it. The White House also quietly narrowed student loan forgiveness eligibility, and Pelosi touted the session’s achievements while refusing to say whether the border was “secure."

"We Need Them to Pick the Crops”

Pelosi’s comment exposed a tension between the humanitarian framing Democrats used publicly and the economic logic they applied privately. “We have a shortage of workers in our country. And you see even in Florida, some of the farmers and the growers saying, ‘Why are you shipping these immigrants up north? We need them to pick the crops down here,’” Pelosi said.

The comment — suggesting immigrants should remain in border states as agricultural labor rather than being transported to sanctuary cities — contradicted months of Democratic messaging that the busing was inhumane. It also echoed arguments critics had long made about the economic incentives behind lax border enforcement.

Border: Won’t Say “Secure”

When asked directly whether the border was secure, Pelosi hedged. “I believe that we have to have a secure border, and I think that we are trying to address — the President has a plan to address that,” Pelosi said — carefully avoiding the word “is” in favor of “have to have.”

This was a notable retreat from VP Harris’s earlier claim that “the border is secure” and KJP’s affirmation of that statement.

Oil Companies Threatened — No Evidence of Gouging

A reporter caught a significant contradiction. “A couple of times this week the President came after oil and gas companies. He threatened again to investigate price gouging. But John Kerry said yesterday that they haven’t seen any evidence of that happening,” the reporter said.

“The President first put out this call for the FTC to investigate in November of last year. Why does he keep throwing that out there?” the reporter asked, also noting the timing ahead of a potential OPEC production cut.

KJP insisted it was about vigilance. “The President is making it very clear to the oil companies. He thinks it’s important to use his platform to do so,” KJP said.

A reporter pressed on whether the threats were “further fraying the relationship” with an industry the administration needed to produce more. “The companies say the Biden administration is hostile and that’s why we can’t ramp up production,” the reporter noted.

Student Loan Eligibility Narrowed

The White House quietly changed student loan forgiveness eligibility, excluding borrowers with federal loans owned by private banks. “The number of borrowers impacted is much smaller than reports suggested,” KJP said, though estimates ranged from 770,000 to “a couple million.”

“Our goal from day one has been to deliver relief to as many borrowers as possible, as quickly as possible,” KJP said. She framed the program’s popularity: “What we are doing is actually popular with Americans.”

Jackson Investiture

KJP highlighted Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic investiture to the Supreme Court. “For the first time, Americans will see a Black woman serving on our nation’s highest court,” KJP said. She cited Biden’s judicial record: “143 nominations, 84 confirmed — 68% women, 66% people of color.”

Pelosi’s Session Recap

Pelosi summarized the session’s achievements. “We put people over politics — lower costs, lower healthcare costs, prescription drug costs. Bigger paychecks and safer communities,” Pelosi said, promising to return for a lame-duck session.

Key Takeaways

• Pelosi said immigrants shouldn’t be shipped north because “we need them to pick the crops in Florida” — undermining the humanitarian framing of opposition to Republican busing.
• She would not say the border “is” secure, instead saying “we have to have a secure border” — a retreat from Harris and KJP’s prior claims.
• Biden again threatened oil companies with price gouging investigations despite Kerry admitting “no evidence” of gouging existed.
• Student loan forgiveness eligibility was quietly narrowed, excluding borrowers with privately-held federal loans.
• Justice Jackson was formally invested as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

• Why are you shipping these immigrants up north? We need them to pick the crops down here.
• Do you believe the border is secure? We have to have a secure border. The President has a plan.
• Kerry said no evidence of price gouging. Why does Biden keep threatening investigations? He thinks it’s important to use his platform.
• Borrowers with federal loans owned by private banks are now ineligible. The number impacted is much smaller than reported.
• For the first time, Americans will see a Black woman serving on our highest court. 68% of nominees are women.
• We put people over politics — lower costs, bigger paychecks, safer communities.

Full transcript: 718 words transcribed via Whisper AI.