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

Nicki Minaj urged Black and Christian voters to support Bruce Blakeman, citing Kathy Hochul’s past remarks about children growing up in the Bronx
2026-10-29T07:56:01.000Z
US District Judge Ana Reyes blocked further golf course renovations after 430 trees were cut down, ordering 10 days' notice for future changes
2026-10-29T06:52:12.000Z
Barack Obama compared Donald Trump's gold-heavy Oval Office decor to Saddam Hussein's taste while the president defended his renovation plans
2026-10-29T05:58:13.000Z
President Donald Trump said he approved JD Vance’s outreach as Tehran weighed diplomacy amid threats of fresh US military strikes and rising regional tensions
2026-10-29T05:45:03.000Z
Judge David Carter warned that the order could disrupt California’s ongoing election and questioned the evidence behind claims involving over 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters
2026-10-29T05:12:42.000Z
Donald Trump urged Mary Peltola to quit Alaska’s Senate race and face prosecution over an alleged voter fraud scheme involving Dan Sullivan’s namesake
2026-10-29T04:58:07.000Z
Kash Patel and Todd Blanche face scrutiny over federal election powers as officials prepare for possible raids and legal challenges to vote certification
2026-10-29T04:09:31.000Z
Ted Cruz raised concerns about classified intelligence access, while Abdul El-Sayed denied Muslim Brotherhood ties as a poll showed him leading Mike Rogers
2026-10-29T03:55:57.000Z
James O’Keefe and Cam Higby allegedly used registered voters’ names without permission during undercover visits to Minneapolis polling locations
2026-10-29T03:39:26.000Z
President Donald Trump defended his ties to Jeffrey Epstein at an Ohio rally after a heckler interrupted his speech ahead of the midterm elections
2026-10-29T02:59:47.000Z