Far-left members of the “Squad” are praising late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee who passed away early Thursday morning, for signing subpoenas in his hospital bed just hours before his untimely death.
Cummings, 68, passed away at Johns Hopkins Hospital early Thursday morning due to “complications concerning longstanding health challenges,” according to his office. He had previously undergone an unspecified medical procedure, which ultimately prevented him from going back to work. Despite that, the lawmaker reportedly signed two subpoenas in his hospital bed, just hours before his death. The subpoenas were associated with a policy that “allowed some immigrants with severe health issues to remain in the US,” according to CNN.
His signature followed a September House Oversight subcommittee hearing featuring a 16-year-old Honduran boy battling cystic fibrosis, who told lawmakers he feared he would die if he had to go back to his country. The Trump administration ultimately reversed its position, granting “temporary reprieve from deportation for immigrants facing life-threatening medical conditions and other humanitarian circumstances,” CBS News reported.
Aides reportedly drove the documents — related to the policy — to Cummings in Baltimore on Wednesday so he could sign them:
“Chairman Cummings felt so strongly about the children, that he was going to fight until the end,” an aide reportedly said.
Far-left “Squad” member Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) praised the “forever Chairman” for “pursuing justice for immigrants” in his final hours.
“As I was paying my respects to our forever Chairman, his staff told me that in his final hours he signed subpoenas to USCIS and ICE, pursuing justice for immigrants in my district & across the country with chronic medical conditions,” Pressley wrote in a tweet accompanied by a picture of the Massachusetts lawmaker viewing flowers in front of the late chairman’s seat.
“A man of his word every moment of his life,” she added:
Pressley’s message was retweeted by both Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
Both offered their own condolences on Thursday as well. Tlaib praised Cummings for understanding the intricacies of their “Squad.”
“I already miss him. He believed in the possibility of better from this institution. He understood that our squad was big & embraced the presence of a new era of social justice,” she wrote.
“I will always remember him as my Chairman,” she continued. “His presence was iconic & I’m humbled I got to serve w/ him”:
“A devastating loss for our country,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote, calling the late lawmaker a “giant” and “universally respected leader who brought profound insight, commitment, and moral fortitude to Congress.”
“His guidance and vision was an enormous gift. I will forever cherish his example,” she added. “May he rest in power”:
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