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

Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden informed Trump administration Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a letter that he plans to investigate his 2025 confirmation testimony
2026-11-12T19:18:59.000Z
In his series of blistering attacks against President Trump, El-Sayed called Trump a ‘bully’ and advised Democrats to treat him as an ‘unserious fool’ rather than show him ‘decorum'
2026-11-12T16:42:00.000Z
Accusing blue states of stealing billions of dollars “each and every month,” President Donald Trump added that the budget could be balanced with the “correction of this large-scale criminal activity”
2026-11-12T15:29:14.000Z
Netanyahu urged Trump to resume Iran strikes, but the US president favored giving ongoing peace talks with Tehran more time
2026-11-12T07:59:15.000Z
The bill would let Epstein survivors, state attorneys general and lawmakers sue the DOJ over withheld records and expand prosecutions of alleged offenders
2026-11-12T06:39:59.000Z
Miles Taylor described how Miller's direct intervention across federal agencies and late-night calls kept officials aligned with Trump's agenda
2026-11-12T06:15:15.000Z
The US provides Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military aid, including $3.3 billion for weapons and $500 million for missile defense
2026-11-12T05:21:48.000Z
Mike Levin and Jason Crow's proposal seeks greater transparency in presidential pardons, including disclosures of gifts to Trump-linked projects
2026-11-12T05:05:30.000Z
A source familiar with the memo said the changes would streamline the Cabinet and make it a more effective instrument for President Donald Trump
2026-11-12T04:56:44.000Z
Incoming lawmakers Adam Hamawy, Melat Kiros and Claire Valdez seek legislative guarantees before committing their votes for the speakership
2026-11-12T04:46:59.000Z