Internet accuses John Fetterman of throwing his wife 'under the bus' after endorsing tougher immigration laws

Senator John Fetterman faces backlash as he advocates for stricter immigration laws and distances himself from progressive label
John Fetterman's wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, came to the US as an undocumented migrant at the age of seven (Getty Images, Wikimedia Commons)
John Fetterman's wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, came to the US as an undocumented migrant at the age of seven (Getty Images, Wikimedia Commons)

BRADDOCK, PENNSYLVANIA: As Democratic Senator John Fetterman advocates for stricter immigration laws, social media accuses him of throwing his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, under the bus, highlighting her past as an illegal immigrant, reported Newsweek.

Gisele, born in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, came to the US at the age of seven, and her mother and younger brother as undocumented immigrants, says 'Gisele's Story' shared on the Senator's personal website.

According to an article by Gisele in an online portal TribLIVE, she received her green card in 2004 and became a US citizen in 2009

The former lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania recently broke away from the left by demanding tougher laws on illegal immigration.

ERIE, PA - AUGUST 12: Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks during a ral
John Fetterman opened up about his stand on illegal immigration (Getty Images)

John Fetterman declares that he is 'not a progressive'

John, in a recent interview with NBC News, published on December 15, stated, "I'm not a progressive. I just think I'm a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things."

Adding his views on the present stage of immigration to the country, he said, "Immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it, as well."

His interview comes amidst Republicans in Congress's demands for stricter border policies to contain illegal immigration. According to the New York Times, around 177,000 migrants illegally crossed the southern border in August alone.

Pointing out the skyrocketing number of undocumented migrants, the Senator said, "It's a reasonable conversation—until somebody can say there's an explanation on what we can do when 270,000 people are being encountered on the border, not including the ones, of course, that we don't know about. To put that in reference, that is essentially the size of Pittsburgh, the second-largest city in Pennsylvania."

Internet criticises John Fetterman

Following his interview, a screenshot of a tweet from John in June 2021 and a picture of his wife holding official papers and an American flag with the caption "Immigration makes America, America" resurfaced online.

The resurfaced social media post by John Fetterman where his wife holding citizenship documents (@ampol_moment/X)
The resurfaced social media post by John Fetterman showed his wife holding citizenship documents (@ampol_moment/X)

This led to widespread backlash against the former governor.

One user said, "Senator Fetterman throws his wife under the bus (2023)."



 

Another user said, "She was quite literally here illegally too, good god man."



 

"More like 'we got ours, time to pull up the ladder'," remarked another user.



 

One user quipped, "Bro prepping for a divorce."



 

Another witty reaction read, "He put us above his wife that's my goat."



 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff traveled to Russia and Ukraine last month to begin talks aimed at ending the years-long conflict
2026-10-17T20:47:47.000Z
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that reviving the economy would take time as the Trump administration worked to turn things around
2026-10-17T19:58:00.000Z
Judge Ana C Reyes reprimanded Trump's lawyers for removing park trees without notifying the court as previously ordered
2026-10-17T18:58:06.000Z
Trump reportedly reconsidered his candidates for key seats as Republicans fought to protect their slim majorities in the Senate and House
2026-10-17T17:31:48.000Z
Trump wanted Maria Bartiromo to replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary, but a key issue reportedly stopped the plan
2026-10-17T16:27:24.000Z
Trump said that the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 lets him reverse sanctions provisions for any foreign person
2026-10-17T15:29:56.000Z
Ilhan Omar has reportedly not been seen in public since Monday, October 12, when federal agents searched her Washington, DC, home
2026-10-17T08:03:31.000Z
Kristi Noem was appointed special envoy in March after her removal as HSS amid scrutiny of her leadership and Corey Lewandowski’s influence
2026-10-17T07:55:06.000Z
Trump revisited Barack Obama’s promise that Americans could keep their doctors under the Affordable Care Act during his rally in Dalton, Georgia
2026-10-17T06:49:31.000Z
DHS Secretary credited Trump’s border security policies for the decline, saying the latest figures reflected his efforts to strengthen enforcement
2026-10-17T06:28:54.000Z