Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett was caught on camera last spring telling a church congregation that “we done pickin’ cotton” while arguing that Americans will not do farm work and that immigrant labor fills that gap. The clip, taken at a church event where she defended immigration, shows her insisting that no one in the room wanted to go into farming and drew gasps and laughter when she declared the country “done pickin’ cotton.” The blunt remark spread across social platforms and inflamed critics who say the comment traded on racial pain to justify cheap labor.
The video originally surfaced from remarks Crockett made while speaking at a church anniversary event, and it quickly went viral as conservative media and social accounts amplified the soundbite. Viewers on X and other platforms posted the clip thousands of times, turning what may have been a local sermon into a national controversy overnight. That rapid spread forced even mainstream outlets to pick up the story and frame it as part of Crockett’s pattern of incendiary comments.
Conservative commentators responded with outrage, and rightly so — many argued the language effectively framed illegal immigration as a source of modern slave labor and exposed a moral rot in how Democrats talk about work and human dignity. Voices across the right warned that treating people as a disposable labor pool is not compassion; it is exploitation, and it is a disgrace to the memory of those who suffered under real slavery. That criticism was amplified by high-profile commentators who pointed out the grotesque symbolism of invoking cotton-picking in 21st-century America.
This incident did not happen in a vacuum: Crockett has a track record of off-the-cuff remarks that land poorly, including a Vanity Fair quote about a “slave mentality” that she later tried to walk back after a stern interview on national television. Journalists pressed her about that earlier comment and the pattern of provocative soundbites became a liability as she pondered a larger run for statewide office. Voters deserve to see whether these are thoughtless gaffes or a revealing glimpse into a policy mindset that tolerates lawlessness and cheap labor over rule of law and worker protections.
Let us be crystal clear: conservatives want humane, orderly immigration and opportunities for anyone willing to work, not a labor market propped up by lawbreaking and contempt for citizens. The GOP stands for secure borders, enforcement of labor laws, and policies that raise wages and respect for all workers — not for treating people as a reserve army of low-paid help to be summoned when convenient. If Democrats truly care about workers, they will stop romanticizing open borders and start backing reforms that prioritize legal entry, employer accountability, and American livelihoods.
Crockett’s viral clip and her growing national profile make this more than a cable-news moment; it is a campaign issue. As she eyes higher office, Texas and the country must weigh whether a candidate who casually deploys slavery imagery and flirts with open-borders rhetoric deserves a promotion to the Senate. Patriots who love this country should use every election to demand accountability, common-sense border policy, and respect for the dignity of work.
