Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who represents New York’s 7th district in the U.S. Congress, has used her social media platform to address a range of issues involving federal law enforcement and recent policy decisions by former President Donald Trump.
On August 11, 2025, Velázquez commented on the deployment of the National Guard in Washington D.C., writing: “On Jan 6, as the Capitol was under attack, Trump refused to call in the National Guard. He later pardoned those who beat police and tried to overturn the election. Now, with DC crime at a 30-year low, he’s sending in the Guard in an authoritarian power grab. We must stand”.
In another post dated August 12, 2025, Velázquez discussed concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics and their impact on women: “Proud to lead the call with my @DemWomenCaucus colleagues urging DHS to act against ICE impersonators attacking women. Trump’s masked ICE raids make it easier for predators to strike My No Masks for ICE Act would end these tactics for good.”
A third tweet from August 13, 2025 focused on oversight efforts related to conditions at a federal detention facility: “For months, the Trump admin has blocked me & my colleagues from inspecting 26 Federal Plaza. This ruling is more proof they’ve been hiding abusive, illegal conditions. Judge Kaplan’s order is progress, but we won’t stop until the 10th floor ICE detention site is shut down.”
Velázquez has represented New York’s 7th District since replacing Stephen Solarz in 1993 and remains one of Congress’s longest-serving members from New York. She was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico in 1953 and currently resides in Brooklyn. Velázquez graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras with a BA in 1974.
