America Ferrera Connects Supreme Court Ruling to Her Immigrant Upbringing: “Children Are Terrified”
America Ferrera did not hold back when asked about the Supreme Court’s decision to lift restrictions on immigration stops. Appearing on The View, the Barbie actress and activist began her response with gratitude for Justice Sonia Sotomayor. “Well, first of all, thank God for Justice Sotomayor. For people who still speak with a voice of reason and the values that we recognize as American values,” she said.
Ferrera said she feels “angered and terrified to watch our constitutional rights be eroded by the Supreme Court.” She added, “If any American can get pulled over because of the language they speak or the color of their skin or because they work in a low-wage job, who’s safe? So as an American, I’m pissed off.”
America Ferrera connects the decision to her family’s immigrant story
Ferrera also reflected on her own upbringing in California as the daughter of immigrants. She recalled that her family often found themselves in heated conversations about immigration. Though she emphasized that the current climate is much harsher.
“I remember what it felt like to be a child in elementary school. Going to school, hearing whisperings and not knowing what that meant,” she said on The View. “And what I know right now is that there are children who are terrified. There are families who are terrified of their lives being destroyed in a moment.”
Ferrera said she thinks of those families when reacting to the Court’s ruling. “We all have an opportunity to remember who we are and what we believe and what our values are and what we care about,” she said. “And to recognize that there are people suffering and that we all have the capacity to be human and to reach out and to care for each other.”
Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent set the stage
Ferrera’s remarks came just days after Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the ruling in a 21-page dissent. According to The Hill, the Court’s order lifted a lower court’s limits on ICE tactics in Los Angeles, a move Sotomayor described as “unconscionably irreconcilable with our nation’s constitutional guarantees.” She wrote, “We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job.”
Appearing on The View earlier in the week, Sotomayor urged Americans to read both majority opinions and dissents to understand the reasoning behind Court decisions. “Become informed citizens and not just reactive,” she said. “Because people will say things that are simply not there, or say things and misconstrue them.”
America Ferrera amplifies the fear felt by immigrant families
Ferrera’s words echo Sotomayor’s warnings while grounding them in lived experience. By speaking as both an American and a daughter of immigrants, Ferrera highlighted how deeply the ruling affects communities who already feel vulnerable.
“As an American, I’m pissed off,” she repeated, underscoring that the issue extends beyond any one group. For her, the decision raises a larger question about who gets to feel safe in America.
