Rep. Steve King is no stranger to controversy. The Iowa Republican can often be found spewing hateful language about our nation’s immigrants, and has been one of the most outspoken critics of comprehensive immigration reform.
His latest remarks may be his worst yet.
In an interview with Conservative news website Newsmax, King broadly criminalizes our nation’s undocumented immigrant youth.
Some of them are valedictorians, and their parents brought them in. It wasn’t their fault. It’s true in some cases, but they aren’t all valedictorians. They weren’t all brought in by their parents.
For everyone who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. Those people would be legalized with the same act.
Besides being entirely factually incorrect, King’s revolting remarks also broadly labels entire communities and ethnicities as criminals and drug traffickers.
White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said on Twitter, “Every member of the GOP should condemn Rep. King for comparing the Dreamers to drug mules, they represent what is great about this country.”
In a House subcommittee hearing on the issue of young undocumented immigrants, Rep. Joe Garcia quoted King’s comment and called it “beneath the dignity of this body and this country.”
Not only have immigration advocates and Democrats been condemning King’s latest tirade, Republican leadership has also stood against the comments.
“I strongly disagree with his characterization of the children of immigrants and find the comments inexcusable,” said Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who is working on the KIDS Act, legislation which offers a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
House Speaker John Boehner called the characterization “hateful.”
“What he said is wrong,” Boehner said in a statement. “There can be honest disagreements about policy without using hateful language. Everyone needs to remember that.”
