Mejia says ‘no corner’ of U.S. livable with pay below $25 an hour

Newly sworn Rep. Analilia Mejia is moving quickly to define her agenda on Capitol Hill. Mejia in April was the winner of a special election to finish the term of Democrat Mikie Sherrill, a fellow 11th District Democrat who resigned in November when she was elected New Jersey governor.

In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, Mejia says she’s “hitting the ground running” on economic and immigration issues. She’s also preparing for a June Democratic primary, whose winner will face Republican Joe Hathaway and independents for a two-year term that starts in January.

Mejia is a former leader of the New Jersey Working Families Party and top aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). She’s  advocating for a $25 federal minimum wage, Medicare for all and the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“There is no corner in the United States in which making less than $25 an hour is tenable to families,” said Mejia, adding that her phase-in proposal would balance the needs of workers and small businesses. She pointed to New Jersey’s increase to a $15 minimum wage as evidence that higher pay can coexist with economic growth. “There is no way that most communities can actually thrive if their workers, if their families are making so little money.”

Mejia also renewed her criticism money’s influence in politics, saying she will continue to reject corporate political action committee contributions. “Big money has captured our political system,” she said. Policymaking, she said, should center on “regular, everyday” constituents.

She reiterated her call to dismantle ICE and replace it with a system based on efficiency and accountability. Mejia says the current structure lacks transparency and has eroded public trust, and proposed investing more in immigration courts to speed processing times.

As a new member on the House Homeland Security Committee, Mejia said her position on the matter hasn’t changed. She emphasized the need, though, for public safety and constitutional protections. She stopped short of committing to funding legislation that includes ICE in its current form, saying any measure must ensure transparency and accountability.

“My proposal is that we instead invest in judges in the system — that we instead invest in ensuring that our system is able to understand who we want to bring into the fabric of our nation in a more quick and effective way,” she said.