As supporters of comprehensive immigration reform, Bridge Project commends the Senate for overcoming the political dysfunction that has become typical of Congress to overwhelmingly pass a bipartisan bill. Despite the right-wing naysayers who have been actively working against compromise, the Senate-approved mix of border security measures and a path to citizenship represents an encouraging step forward for immigration policy. Now it is up to the leadership in the House to reject the voices of extremism in their caucus and follow the Senate’s bipartisan path.

In the lower chamber, conservative leaders on the issue have long embraced extreme positions and attempted to score political points at the expense of immigrants. Some representatives are openly hostile to immigration reform and have demonstrated more interest in stoking divisions than moving the country forward.

And a history of support for harsh immigration policies is not the only cause for concern. Several key conservatives have also accepted campaign contributions from anti-immigrant donors, including some with connections to Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate groups.

It will require more than a change in tone from conservatives to hope for a viable bill in the House: It will also demand a change in style for Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who so far have proven incapable of bucking the most extreme members of the GOP caucus and their Tea Party base in favor of real compromise and progress.

If comprehensive immigration reform is going to succeed, the House of Representatives must decide which side they are on. Will they choose the bipartisan path the Senate followed or are they going to be beholden to anti-immigrant Tea Party extremists?

Highlights: Worst Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric

• Steve King on immigration: “We have a slow motion holocaust on our hands.”

• Ted Poe on border security: “…we can capture illegal grasshoppers from Brazil… how come we can’t capture the thousands of people that cross the border every day…?”

• Lamar Smith on the DREAM Act: “Simply put, the DREAM Act is a nightmare for the American people.”

• Bob Goodlatte on a path to citizenship: “People have a pathway to citizenship right now: It’s to abide by the immigration laws.”

• Moe Brooks on enforcement: “There is a surefire way to create jobs now for American citizens: evict all illegal aliens from America…”

• Dana Rohrabacher on the DREAM Act: “…voting to relegate the position of non-minority American citizens to behind those who are now in this country illegally.”

• Lou Barletta on undocumented immigrants: “They will become Democrats because of the social programs they’ll depend on.”

• Gary Miller press release on birthright citizenship: “Congressman Miller is the first sponsor of House legislation which would deny citizenship to anchor babies.”

Extreme Policies, Hostile Rhetoric, And Ties To Anti-Immigrant Funding

REP. STEVE KING (R-IA)

King is on the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security and a member of the Immigration Reform Caucus.

King Called For Delay Of Immigration Reform Because Of Boston Marathon Attack. According to the Washington Post, “Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is calling for comprehensive immigration reform to be put on hold in light of Monday’s bombing at the Boston Marathon, citing speculation (since deemed misplaced) that the attacker was a student from Saudi Arabia. ‘Some of the speculation that has come out is that yes, it was a foreign national and, speculating here, that it was potentially a person on a student visa,’ King told National Review. ‘If that’s the case, then we need to take a look at the big picture.’ He added that ‘we need to be ever vigilant,’ and that security should be the focus right now, not a path to legalization. ‘If we can’t background-check people that are coming from Saudi Arabia, how do we think we are going to background check the 11 to 20 million people that are here from who knows where?’” [Washington Post, 4/16/13]

• King: Gang Of Eight Immigration Bill Is “Aggressive And Outrageous Amnesty.” According to a press release on King’s House website, “Congressman Steve King released the following statement in response to the comprehensive immigration bill introduced by the Senate ‘Gang of Eight’ yesterday: ‘The Gang of Eight’s bill is aggressive and outrageous amnesty,’ said King. ‘It is instant legalization of all illegal immigrants in the United States, with very few exceptions. It contains only promises: the promise of a plan for border security, of a backup plan for the border security, and of workplace enforcement in the form of making E-Verify mandatory. What makes anyone think President Obama would enforce any future immigration laws when he has violated his own oath of office to take care that the laws be ‘faithfully executed’?’” [SteveKing.House.gov, accessed 5/8/13]

King Warned A Pathway To Citizenship Would Mean Legalizing “Undocumented Democrats.” According to Buzzfeed, “Rep. Steve King has no time for the talk of Republican evolution on immigration. The long-time opponent of comprehensive reform told a panel sponsored by Breitbart.com at CPAC Saturday that Republicans getting behind a pathway to citizenship — a component of reform supported by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and others — would essentially mean the GOP signed its own death warrant. ‘Even Republicans seem to think that these undocumented Democrats could be made [GOP] voters,’ King said, ‘and what happens is that two out every three that would be legalized [and] become Democrats. And it’s not 12 million. It’s more like 20 million.’” [Buzzfeed, 3/16/13]

When Constituent Whose Husband Was Deported Sought Assistance From King, He Told Her She Could Move To Mexico. According to the Center for Public Integrity, “Gonzalez, who is not Hispanic, met her undocumented husband, Jimi Gonzalez, a Mexican national, in 2004 and married him in 2006.  Jimi had arrived in Iowa in 1996, and found work in meatpacking and construction. The couple wanted to set things right, Bethany said. Jimi learned English and always paid taxes. Bethany had two very small sons, one a baby, from a previous marriage. Jimi stepped up and became the main father figure for her older son. An Iowa court, aware that Jimi was undocumented but married to Bethany, named Jimi the legal father of the youngest son. In 2007 the couple applied for Jimi’s legal permanent residency. And Jimi traveled, as required, to the U.S. consulate in Juarez, Mexico, for his final interview in 2008.  Jimi and Bethany were shocked when a U.S. consular officer told Jimi that because he had been deported once – and then re-entered the country in 2001 – there was no choice but to bar him from the United States for at least 10 years.  […] Bethany asked if King couldn’t sponsor a ‘private bill’ in Congress that might help bring Jimi back. On April 27, 2008, King sent her a letter denying her request. He told her he only pursues private bills if laws have not been broken and if ‘severe hardship is involved. In your case, United States law was broken and your family has the option of being reunited in Mexico.’” [Center for Public Integrity, 11/13/12]

King: “The Current Practice Of Extending U.S. Citizenship To Hundreds Of Thousands Of ‘Anchor Babies’ Must End.” According to the Huffington Post, “Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an outspoken hardliner on immigration, introduced a bill on Thursday that would ‘clarify those classes of individuals born in the United States who are nationals and citizens of the United States at birth.’ […] ‘We need a common sense solution to fix the flawed interpretation of the Constitution’s citizenship clause, and ‘The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2013’ does just that,’ he said in a statement on Friday. ‘The current practice of extending U.S. citizenship to hundreds of thousands of ‘anchor babies’ must end because it creates a magnet for illegal immigration into our country. Now is the time to ensure that the laws in this country do not encourage law breaking.’” [Huffington Post, 1/4/13]

King Introduced “English Language Unity Act.” According to U.S. News & World Report, “The House Judiciary Committee will take up a bill from King, entitled the ‘English Language Unity Act,’ which would declare English as the official language of the United States. […] The bill’s provisions are fairly vague and largely symbolic. But the legislation places an English language requirement on work places and requires official government functions to be carried out in English. King says the bill nullifies a Clinton-era executive order that requires federal agencies to provide interpreters for non-English speakers accessing social programs. ‘We will not be borrowing money from the Chinese to fund interpreters to speak Chinese for people lined up for welfare,’ King says. […] King’s bill also requires immigrants taking the naturalization test to ‘read and understand’ the English versions of the ‘Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the laws of the United States.’” [U.S. News & World Report, 8/2/12]

King Likened Visa Applicants To Dogs, Then Insisted “It Was A Compliment.” According to the Huffington Post, “Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) on Sunday stood by eyebrow-raising comments he made in May, insisting that he was praising immigrants when he compared selecting visa recipients to choosing a ‘good bird dog.’ ‘It was a compliment … They knew it was a compliment, they turned it into an insult because they’re professional hyperventilators,’ the immigration hardliner said in an interview on Des Moines NBC affiliate WHO-TV, posted by a site run by the campaign of his Democratic opponent, Christie Vilsack.” [Huffington Post, 10/21/12]

King Called Illegal Immigration “Slow Motion Holocaust” And Said It Has Killed More Americans Than September 11^th. According to The Forward, “The ADL has been highly critical of a May 27 speech delivered by Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, in which he argued that illegal immigrants have killed many more Americans since September 11, 2001, than were killed in the Al Qaeda attacks that day. King, who was speaking to a gathering of anti-immigration activists in Las Vegas, warned that ‘we have a slow motion holocaust on our hands.’…King, who has referred to Senator Joe McCarthy as a ‘great American hero,’ countered that he used the word ‘holocaust’ in a generic sense, meaning a great destruction, and that he was in no way referring to World War II.” [The Forward, 7/7/06]

King: “Santa Ana’s Army Was Only Half The Size Of A Nightly Number Of Illegals That Come Across Our Southern Border.” In a statement on the floor of the House of Representatives, King said, “In fact, just yesterday was the anniversary of the battle of the Alamo when Colonel Travis and those brave Texan Americans were slaughtered at the Alamo. Santa Ana’s Army was only half the size of a nightly number of illegals that come across our southern border.” [King Statement, House of Representatives, 3/7/07]

King Called Event Raising Awareness Of Immigrants’ Impact On American Society And Economy The “Bite The Hand That Feeds You Day.” According to the Des Moines Register, “As the battle over immigration continues in Congress, Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa has written a blistering broadside against the planned National Day Without Immigrants. King, of Kiron, is one of the leaders in the House of a caucus that backs tougher U.S.-Mexico border enforcement. He sent out a column to newspapers in his congressional district that dubs the May 1 event ‘Nothing Gringo Day’ and ‘Bite The Hand That Feeds You Day.’ In the column, he said the call for a ‘total boycott’ by ‘illegal invaders’ makes no sense. It is ‘biting the hand that feeds you,’ he said, because consumers and businesses provide the wages that support immigrants. King said the event is being planned by activists who ‘brought you thousands of Mexican-flags-flying marches down the streets of our cities.’ […] In Iowa, National Day Without Immigrants organizers say they plan to ask immigrants to stay away from work, school and stores to demonstrate the impact that immigrants have on society and the economy. Thousands of Iowans are expected to take part. Alex Orozco, one of the Iowans organizing the event in the state, said it’s an opportunity for those normally without input into the legislative process to be noticed.” [Des Moines Register, 4/27/06]

King Proposed Reducing Legal Immigration, Saying, “We Cannot Be The Safety Valve For Poverty In The World.” According to the Omaha World Herald, “The four rivals for the Republican nomination in Iowa’s 5th Congressional District proved Thursday that they are not cut from the same mainline conservative GOP dough. Candidates for the Republican nomination in western Iowa’s 5th Congressional District debated Thursday night in Council Bluffs. […] Discussing immigration, all rejected President Bush’s proposal of amnesty for some undocumented immigrants. But Redwine and King, both state senators, went further. […] King suggested returning to the more restrictive immigration laws of the early 1960s. ‘We cannot be the safety valve for poverty in the world,’ he said.” [Omaha World Herald via Nexis, 5/3/02]

King Voted Against the DREAM Act, Which Would Allow A Pathway To Citizenship For Many Undocumented Youth. On December 8, 2010, King voted against the DREAM Act. According to the Immigration Policy Center, “The DREAM Act …provides ‘conditional’ permanent residency to qualified unauthorized immigrants who enrolled in college or serve in the military. After meeting a set of requirements, including completion of at least two years of college or military service, the conditional status could be converted to full-fledged permanent resident status, which is a prerequisite for obtaining U.S. citizenship. The legislation currently before the Senate and the House would permit individuals up to age 35 to benefit from the DREAM Act, provided that they entered the United States before their 16th birthday and resided in the country for at least five years before the bill’s enactment. The two-year college or military requirement could be met in a variety of ways, including attending community or vocational school or service in the National Guard. Upon completion of the two-year requirement, applicants could seek to remove the condition and become permanent residents.” [H.R. 5281, Vote #625, 12/8/10; ImmigrationPolicy.org, 6/5/12]

King Opposed Bill That Would Allow Families Of Deceased War Heroes To Become Citizens. According to Congressional Quarterly, “Sensenbrenner worked with Democrats — including Jackson-Lee — to draft a bipartisan bill that would make non-citizen families of deceased war heroes eligible for citizenship. […] Steve King, R-Iowa, defied the chairman and sought to limit the bill’s benefits to family members ‘lawfully present’ in the United States.” [Congressional Quarterly, 5/7/03]

King: Citizens Amnestied Under 1986 Immigration Bill “Do Not Respect The Rule Of Law Like The Rest Of Americans.” In a statement on the floor of the House of Representatives, King said, “Not many will say it brought in somewhere around 3.1 million people who had, who became citizens through this amnesty that was passed in 1986. I met some of those people. I have looked them in the eye, and I can tell you, they do not respect the rule of law like the rest of the Americans do.” [King Statement, House of Representatives, 3/7/07]

King Equated Immigrants With Livestock And Proposed An Electrified Border Fence. According to The Hill, “In 2006, King went to the House Floor and built a model of a concrete border fence that he suggested should be electrified. ‘We could also electrify this wire with the kind of current that would not kill somebody, but it would simply be a discouragement for them to be fooling around with it. We do that with livestock all the time,’ King said at the time.” [The Hill, 1/7/11]

King Spoke At 21^st Century Paul Revere Ride Against Illegal Immigration. According to the Des Moines Register, “Members of the 21st Century Paul Revere Ride swarmed Des Moines on their summer-long tour through 48 states to spread to Americans a warning, one they say is reminiscent of Paul Revere’s famous phrase, ‘The British are coming!’ ‘The illegals – at 10,000 a night – are coming,’ said Howard Wooldridge, the ride coordinator. […] Congressman Steve King thought it was important enough to make an appearance, saying he supports the group’s efforts.” [Des Moines Register, 7/2/06]

Ties To Extremist Anti-Immigrant Funding

King Received $1,000 From Board Members Of The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. King received $1,000 from Terry Considine on May 13, 2002. Considine sits on the board of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 5/8/13; BradleyFdn.org, accessed 5/8/13]

• The Lynde And Harry Bradley Foundation Has Given At Least $220,000 To The Anti-Immigrant Center For Immigration Studies. The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation contributed $220,000 to the Center for Immigration Studies. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Center for Immigration Studies is “at the nexus of the American nativist movement” and “part of a network of restrictionist organizations conceived and created by John Tanton, the ‘puppeteer’ of the nativist movement and a man with deep racist roots.” [Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation IRS Forms 990, 2003-201; SPLCenter.org, February 2009]

King Received $500 From A Trustee Of The William H. Donner Foundation. King received $500 from Curtin Windsor, Jr. on October 10, 2012. Windsor is a trustee at the William H. Donner Foundation. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 5/8/13; Donner.org, accessed 5/8/13]

• William H. Donner Foundation Has Given At Least $175,000 To Anti-Immigrant Groups. The William H. Donner Foundation contributed $140,000 to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) from 2006-2011. The foundation also contributed $35,000 to FAIR in 2003. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Federation for American Immigration Reform and the Center for Immigration Studies are “at the nexus of the American nativist movement” and “part of a network of restrictionist organizations conceived and created by John Tanton, the ‘puppeteer’ of the nativist movement and a man with deep racist roots.” SPLC also designates FAIR an anti-immigrant hate group. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/3/13; Donner Foundation IRS Forms 990, 2003-2011; SPLCenter.org, February 2009; SPLCenter.org, Summer 2002]

English Language PAC Gave $7,500 To King. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the English Language PAC made two donations to King: $2,500 in 2002 and $5,000 in 2004. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 5/8/13]

• English Language PAC “Supports Declaring English The Official Language Of The United States.” According to its website, the group’s positions include “Support for declaring English the official language of the United States and of various states,” “Support for teaching children English as quickly as possible, without attempting to maintain other languages and cultural interests,” and “Oppose federal mandates to provide multilingual voting materials.” [English Language Political Action Committee, accessed 5/8/13]

The U.S. Immigration Reform PAC Gave $8,187 To King. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the U.S. Immigration Reform PAC has made five donations to King: $2,500 in 2002, $1,000 in 2004, $2,000 in 2006, $1,000 in 2008, and $1,687 in 2012. [OpenSecrets.org, accessed 5/8/13]

• The U.S. Immigration Reform PAC Advocates Lower Legal Immigration And Is Run By The Wife Of John Tanton, “The Racist Architect Of The Modern Anti-Immigrant Movement.” According to the U.S. Immigration Reform PAC’s website, “The US Immigration Reform Political Action Committee (USIRPAC) … is the oldest continually active political committee in the nation fighting to secure our nation’s borders and reduce immigration to the traditional levels our nation can absorb. USIRPAC President Mary Lou Tanton is the wife of Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) founder and FAIR board member John Tanton.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “John Tanton is the racist architect of the modern anti-immigrant movement. … Tanton has white nationalist beliefs and has written that to maintain American culture, ‘a European-American majority’ is required.” [USImmigrationReformPAC.org, accessed 5/8/13; SPLCenter.org, accessed 3/7/12]

MinutemanPAC Gave $1,700 To King. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Minuteman PAC has twice donated to King’s campaign: $1000 in 2006 and $700 in 2012. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 5/8/13]

• MinutemanPAC Likens Illegal Immigration To “Colonization And Balkanization.” According to its website, Minuteman PAC “is a citizens’ political action committee created to serve as a potent political arm of the Minuteman Movement, the grassroots initiative that seeks to secure America’s sovereign territory against incursion, invasion, and terrorism.” [MinutemanPAC.com, accessed 5/8/13]

Minuteman Civil Defense Corps Gave $100 To King. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps donated $100 to Steve King in 2008. [OpenSecrets.org, accessed 5/8/13]

• The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps Was A Vigilante Border Patrol Group. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps is “a nationwide, anti-immigration vigilante organization with armed ‘citizen border patrols.’” According to the Arizona Star Daily, the group disbanded in 2010 after “[t]he group’s president, Carmen Mercer, of Tombstone … and the board’s two other directors voted to end the group’s five-year run because they were worried her recent ‘call to action’ would attract the wrong people to the border.” Mercer reportedly “decided the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps couldn’t shoulder the responsibility and liability of what could occur.” [Southern Poverty Law Center, Winter 2005; Arizona Daily Star, 3/4/10]

Team America PAC Gave $1,000 To King According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Team America PAC donated $1,000 to King’s campaign in 2012. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 5/8/13]

• Tancredo-Founded Team America PAC: “Illegal Immigration Is The Most Critical Issue Facing Our Nation Today.” According to its website, Team AmericaPAC was “founded by Congressman Tom Tancredo, to make this issue a significant part of the national political debate and to identify, recruit, and help elect to public office individuals who are committed to enforcing our laws and securing our borders.” [Team America PAC, accessed 5/8/13]

REP. TED POE (R-TX)

Rep. Poe is the chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus.

Poe Favors “Documentation” And “Legal Status” But Not Citizenship. According to Poe in a Politico column, “A good starting point for a legislative package is the so-called Texas Solution. Although I don’t agree with all points on the list, it’s a start. And, importantly, it includes a verifiable, temporary guest worker program. In addition, we should start a documentation process that includes a photograph, biometric data like a fingerprint and other identifying information. Documentation does not mean citizenship and all of the rights that the term bestows. It means a type of legal status, either temporary or permanent, for some that are here, and it also means a pathway home for those who are here to commit crimes.” [Politico, 12/16/12]

Poe: “Amnesty Is Not An Option.” According to Poe in a Politico column, “Those given legal status would contribute to the U.S., primarily by paying taxes, for the benefits that they enjoy by being in the U.S. Amnesty is not an option. Those who receive documentation eventually may apply for citizenship, and those who have served in our military should be placed ahead of the line. One thing that has been absent from the latest talk on immigration is that not all of the undocumented seek citizenship; what they want is legal status. They want to be able to live here and work here without the fear of not knowing what tomorrow brings. They need some certainty in a process (which Washington has never been good at providing).” [Politico, 12/16/12]

Poe Cosponsored Bill To Eliminate Birthright Citizenship. In the 112^th Congress, Poe cosponsored the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011, which was introduced by Rep. Steve King (R-IA). According to Politico, “King’s measure would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act, ending automatic citizenship for anyone born in the country. Instead, the measure requires that only the children of citizens, legal immigrants permanently living in the country or immigrants in the military, be granted citizenship.” [Thomas.LOC.gov, accessed 4/9/13; Politico, 1/5/11]

Poe Insisted “The DREAM Act Is Not Going Anywhere,” Called It “A Way To Pander To The Hispanic Community.” According to Newsmax, “President Obama on Tuesday gave a speech in Texas, arguing for tighter border control and pushing the DREAM Act to offer a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal aliens. Asked why Obama would focus on the Act even though it has little or no chance of passing in Congress, Poe responds: ‘It’s the political season, and the commander-in-chief has now become the campaigner-in-chief. He’s running for office again, and this is a way to pander to the Hispanic community, hoping that they will vote for him next year when he runs for president again…I think that’s totally a political decision. The DREAM Act is not going anywhere. It’s been rejected by Congress and will continue to be rejected by Congress.’” Poe voted against the DREAM Act in 2010. [Newsmax, 5/15/11; H.R. 5281, Vote# 625, 12/8/10]

Poe Cited FAIR To Decry Economic Cost Of “Illegals” And “American-Born Children Of People Living Here Illegally.”  According to Poe in a Newsmax column, “Not only are we not recirculating billions of U.S. dollars earned in our country back into our own economy, we are also dolling out taxpayer-funded social services to millions who don’t contribute to the system. The open-borders crowd continues to insist that those working here illegally contribute more to our economy than the benefits they illegally receive, but $22 billion dollars taken out of our economy says otherwise. It’s not just the money being sent home, it’s also the costs incurred here. The Federation for American Immigration Reform has estimated that the total cost of education for illegals is $52 billion a year. The report says Texas is saddled with $16.4 billion of that amount. However, it is important to point out that this cost includes American-born children of people living here illegally. It is argued that we can’t count these children because under current policy, they are considered U.S. citizens, even though their parents are not and even though many of their mothers illegally came to the U.S. for the sole purpose of having a child. While I am not so sure the correct interpretation of the 14th Amendment makes these children automatic citizens, the Supreme Court has not issued a ruling on the issue of birthright citizenship.” [Newsmax, 12/2/10]

• SPLC: FAIR Is An Anti-Immigrant Hate Group. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) an anti-immigration hate group. [SPLCenter.org, Summer 2002]

Poe Claimed Executive Action Protecting Many Undocumented Youth Showed That Obama Was Ruling Like An “Emperor.” According to a floor speech by Poe, In his latest Friday afternoon surprise, the President issued a decree unilaterally discarding the immigration law of the land–a law passed by Congress and signed by a previous President. The President disagrees with the law; and since he had to have his way, in spite of the Constitution, he improperly ordered his way to be the law of the land. The President’s temporary amnesty plan applies to those who are under 30 years of age. […]It is true, through no fault of their own, that young undocumented individuals are here as a result of decades of a failed broken immigration system, but the President has no interest in fixing what is broken. He is more concerned with picking up a few votes to further his reelection. The law gets in the way, so his policies look like they come from an emperor instead of a President.” [Poe Floor Speech, 6/19/12]

Poe Compared Undocumented Immigrants To “Illegal Grasshoppers” In Floor Speech. According to the Huffington Post, “In one of the latest instances of a legislator waxing poetic about the debate over illegal immigration, Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) took the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday and asked why the United States could prevent ‘illegal grasshoppers’ from entering the country, but couldn’t capture much bigger illegal immigrants before they crossed the border. Here’s what Poe said: ‘Now it seems to me that if we are so advanced with technology and manpower and competence that we can capture illegal grasshoppers from Brazil, in the holds of ships that are in a little small place in Port Arthur, Texas on the Sabine River. Sabine River, madam speaker, is the river that separates Texas from Louisiana. If we’re able to do that as a country, how come we can’t capture the thousands of people that cross the border every day on the southern border of the United States? You know they’re a little bigger than grasshoppers and they should be able to be captured easier.’ Poe floated an additional suggestion: ‘And maybe we need to make the guy down there in southeast Texas that captured this grasshopper from Brazil, he oughta be in charge of Homeland Security. If he’s able to do this with grasshoppers just think what he can do on the southern border of the United States.’” [Huffington Post, 6/30/10]

Poe Is One Of The Most Frequent Users Of The Term “Illegal Immigrant.” According to the Houston Chronicle’s Texas on the Potomac blog, “Two Texas congressmen are among lawmakers who most often use the term ‘illegal immigrant’ to describe people living in the U.S. without proper legal documentation. Rep. Ted Poe and Rep. Lamar Smith have used the term frequently over the last five years, according to the Sunlight Foundation’s Capitol Words research tool. The term has gotten a lot of attention this past week, following the Associated Press’ decision to no longer use of the word ‘illegal’ as an adjective to describe a person. […] Poe, a Republican from Humble, was the seventh top user of the term.” [Houston Chronicle’s Texas on the Potomac Blog, 4/5/13]

Poe Has Earned An “A+” Rating From The Nativist Group NumbersUSA. NumbersUSA’s website gives Rep. Ted Poe a rating of “A” for the years 2009-2013. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, NumbersUSA is “at the nexus of the American nativist movement” and “part of a network of restrictionist organizations conceived and created by John Tanton, the ‘puppeteer’ of the nativist movement and a man with deep racist roots.” [NumbersUSA.com, accessed 4/9/13; NumbersUSA.com, accessed 4/9/13; SPLCenter.org, February 2009]

REP. LAMAR SMITH (R-TX)

Smith is a member of the Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration and an executive member of the Immigration Reform Caucus.

Smith: Democrats Want Legalization For Immigrants Because It “Inevitably Would Give Them Millions Of Votes.” According to an op-ed written by Rep. Smith, “Immigration is the field Democrats want to lure Republicans to play on. Why? Because Democrats know they’ll win. Democrats have done the math and realize that legalization inevitably would give them millions of votes, meaning more victories in congressional and presidential elections.” [Smith Op-Ed, Politico, 2/13/13]

Smith: Senate Proposal “Compounds The Problem By Encouraging More Illegal Immigration.” According to The Hill, “An influential House Republican on Monday panned the bipartisan immigration deal emerging from the Senate as providing ‘amnesty’ to illegal immigrants. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said the immigration-reform principles floated by a bipartisan group of senators would reward lawbreakers, increase unemployment and push enormous new costs onto U.S. taxpayers. ‘When you legalize those who are in the country illegally, it costs taxpayers millions of dollars, costs American workers thousands of jobs and encourages more illegal immigration,’ Smith said in a brief statement. ‘By granting amnesty, the Senate proposal actually compounds the problem by encouraging more illegal immigration.’ […] Smith, the former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who now sits on the panel’s Immigration subcommittee, did not spare his Republican colleagues in attacking the Senate blueprint. ‘No one should be surprised that individuals who have supported amnesty in the past still support amnesty,’ he said.” [The Hill, 1/28/13]

Smith Called The DREAM Act “A Nightmare For The American People.” According to an op-ed written by Rep. Smith in Politico, “Unlike adults who may have knowingly violated our immigration laws, children brought into our country at a young age should not be blamed for their parents’ actions. A new visa, not conducive to fraud or chain migration, should be created for them.” In an earlier op-ed published by The Hill, however, Smith wrote, “The DREAM Act subsidizes education for illegal immigrants, grants them mass amnesty, encourages more illegal immigration and inevitably takes jobs from American workers. Simply put, the DREAM Act is a nightmare for the American people.” [Smith Op-Ed, Politico, 2/13/13; Smith Op-Ed, The Hill, 12/6/10]

Smith: “Congress Can And Should End Birth Citizenship.” According to a letter to the editor from Smith published in the Washington Times, “Congress can and should end birth citizenship. […] It is unfair to grant automatic citizenship to children of illegal immigrants because it undermines the intention of the 14th Amendment, encourages illegal immigration and costs taxpayers. Passing a law to eliminate birth citizenship is constitutional and would help deter illegal immigration.” [Smith Letter to the Editor via Washington Times, 4/14/11]

Smith Has Cosponsored Bills Ending Birthright Citizenship. According to the Library of Congress, Smith cosponsored H.R. 1868, the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009, and H.R., 1940, the 2007 version of the law. [Library of Congress, accessed 4/9/13; Library of Congress, accessed 4/9/13]

Rep. Smith Introduced Bill To Prevent Obama Administration – But Not Future Administrations – From Using Discretion To Prevent Deportation In Special Cases. According to the Texas Tribune, “Smith, R-San Antonio, this month introduced the Hinder the Administration’s Legalization Temptation (HALT) Act, which would prevent the administration from, among other things, canceling the removal of illegal immigrants, granting protective status to any immigrant and granting parole or issuing deferred action (except in narrow circumstances). It is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La. The legislation was filed as a direct response to a directive issued by Customs and Immigration Enforcement Director John Morton, who advised agency offices throughout the country last month to use prosecutorial discretion when deciding which immigrants to refer for deportation proceedings. Morton said the discretion would allow the agency to concentrate its limited resources on finding and deporting dangerous criminal immigrants that pose the greatest risk to the country.” According to the Center for American Progress, “The bill only suspends these statutory provisions and DHS’s discretionary authority until the next president is inaugurated. In other words, this bill seeks to undermine President Obama’s power and not the power of the presidency itself.” [Texas Tribune, 7/21/11; Center for American Progress, 7/25/11]

Smith Sought To Derail 2007 Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill With A More Stringent Competing Bill. According to the Chicago Tribune, “In an attempt to derail the compromise immigration bill working its way through the Senate, a group of House Republicans unveiled an alternative measure Tuesday that takes a harder line against immigration. It would block illegal immigrants from becoming citizens while directing the Bush administration to enforce current laws. Called the Secure Borders FIRST Act, the new bill focuses on improving security at the border, stiffening sanctions for employers who hire illegal immigrants and establishing a market-based temporary guest worker program, which would allow immigrants into the country on 10-month renewable visas. It also would increase penalties for gang membership and identity theft, and establish English as the official language of the United States. It is a direct response to the Senate bill, which mandates stepped-up border security but also puts the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. on a pathway to citizenship. Members of the Congressional Immigration Caucus, an anti-immigration consortium in the House, made no effort to disguise their hope that the measure, which is to be officially introduced this week, will impede passage of the Senate bill.” In a column on his House website, Rep. Smith takes credit for introducing the Secure Borders FIRST Act. [Chicago Tribune, 6/20/07; LamarSmith.House.gov, 7/20/07]

Smith Introduced A Bill To End The Diversity Visa Lottery. According to the Huffington Post, “The STEM Jobs Act, proposed by House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), is focused on the relatively uncontroversial idea that more highly-skilled immigrants should be allowed to come to, or stay in, the U.S. It would add 55,000 visas for masters and doctoral degree holders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. At the same time, though, it would eliminate all 55,000 diversity visas — often called the green card lottery — that go toward would-be immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. […] Diversity visas have long been a target of Republicans, although a relatively small number are distributed and a huge backlog already exists.” [Huffington Post, 11/28/12]

Smith Voted For A Bill Requiring Hospitals To Collect Information On Patients’ Immigration Status And Report Undocumented Patients To DHS. According to the National Immigration Law Center, “The Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendments of 2004, HR 3722, would have denied hospitals and other health care providers reimbursement for uncompensated emergency care to undocumented noncitizens under section 1011 unless they reported those noncitizens to the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS).  Providers would have been required to collect information, including a sworn statement about the noncitizen’s employer and a biometric identifier (e.g., a fingerprint), and transmit the information to the DHS in digital form.  As a practical matter, this requirement would have obliged providers to verify the immigration status of all uninsured patients presenting health care emergencies.” Rep. Smith was one of 88 House members to vote in favor of the Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendments. [National Immigration Law Center, 6/18/04; H.R. 3722, Vote #182, 5/18/04]

Smith Is One Of The Most Frequent Users Of The Term “Illegal Immigrant.” According to the Houston Chronicle’s Texas on the Potomac blog, “Two Texas congressmen are among lawmakers who most often use the term ‘illegal immigrant’ to describe people living in the U.S. without proper legal documentation. Rep. Ted Poe and Rep. Lamar Smith have used the term frequently over the last five years, according to the Sunlight Foundation’s Capitol Words research tool. The term has gotten a lot of attention this past week, following the Associated Press’ decision to no longer use of the word ‘illegal’ as an adjective to describe a person. […] A Smith staffer told U.S. News and World Report that Smith, a San Antonio Republican, will continue to use the phrase and hopes the AP continues to quote people who also use the term. […] Smith, a San Antonio Republican, used the term ‘illegally immigrant’ more than any other lawmaker except Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.” [Houston Chronicle’s Texas on the Potomac Blog, 4/5/13]

Smith Has Earned An “A+” Rating From The Nativist Group NumbersUSA. NumbersUSA’s website gives Rep. Lamar Smith a career-long rating of “A+”, indicating that he “[v]irtually always supports lower immigration and lower U.S. population growth.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, NumbersUSA is “at the nexus of the American nativist movement” and “part of a network of restrictionist organizations conceived and created by John Tanton, the ‘puppeteer’ of the nativist movement and a man with deep racist roots.” [NumbersUSA.com, accessed 4/9/13; NumbersUSA.com, accessed 4/9/13; SPLCenter.org, February 2009]

Ties To Extremist Anti-Immigrant Funding 

The U.S. Immigration Reform PAC Gave $2,000 To Smith And His PAC. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the U.S. Immigration Reform PAC donated $1,000 Lamar Smith’s campaign in 2000 and donated another $500 in 2002. In 2012, it donated $500 to Smith’s political action committee, Longhorn PAC. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/11/13]

• The U.S. Immigration Reform PAC Advocates Lower Legal Immigration And Is Run By The Wife Of John Tanton, “The Racist Architect Of The Modern Anti-Immigrant Movement.” According to the U.S. Immigration Reform PAC’s website, “The US Immigration Reform Political Action Committee (USIRPAC) … is the oldest continually active political committee in the nation fighting to secure our nation’s borders and reduce immigration to the traditional levels our nation can absorb. USIRPAC President Mary Lou Tanton is the wife of Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) founder and FAIR board member John Tanton.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “John Tanton is the racist architect of the modern anti-immigrant movement. … Tanton has white nationalist beliefs and has written that to maintain American culture, ‘a European-American majority’ is required.” [USImmigrationReformPAC.org, accessed 4/3/13; SPLCenter.org, accessed 3/7/12]

English Language PAC Gave $500 To Smith. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the English Language PAC donated $500 to Lamar Smith in 1998. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/11/13]

• English Language PAC “Supports Declaring English The Office Language Of The United States.” According to its website, the group’s positions include “Support for declaring English the official language of the United States and of various states,” “Support for teaching children English as quickly as possible, without attempting to maintain other languages and cultural interests,” and “Oppose federal mandates to provide multilingual voting materials.” [English Language Political Action Committee, accessed 4/11/13]

REP. BOB GOODLATTE (R-VA)

Rep. Goodlatte is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

“Hard-Line” Goodlatte Received “A+” Grade From NumbersUSA. According to Fox News Latino, “When it comes to immigration, Rep. Bob Goodlatte is firmly entrenched in the hard-line faction of the Republican Party. Indeed, the Virginia congressman got an unusual ‘A+’ from the immigration-control advocacy group, NumbersUSA, for his uncompromising strict views on how to handle illegal immigration.” [Fox News Latino, 12/6/12]

Goodlatte: “We Must Crack Down On Illegal Immigration” And “We Must Not Grant Amnesty.” According to the “Immigration Reform” page on Goodlatte’s congressional website, “It is estimated that there are over 10 million illegal aliens currently living in our country.  Illegal immigration costs our taxpayers billions of dollars every year, while taking jobs from law-abiding citizens and legal residents.  We must crack down on illegal immigration and enforce our current immigration laws.  In addition, we must not grant amnesty to individuals who have broken our laws.” [Goodlatte.House.gov, accessed 4/10/13]

Goodlatte: “People Have A Path To Citizenship Now: It’s To Abide By The Immigration Laws.” According to Talking Points Memo, “Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), chair of the Judiciary Committee that will mark up any House legislation on the issue, told NPR this week that he will not support a bill that eventually grants citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in America. ‘People have a pathway to citizenship right now: It’s to abide by the immigration laws, and if they have a family relationship, if they have a job skill that allows them to do that, they can obtain citizenship,’ Goodlatte said. ‘But simply someone who broke the law, came here, [to] say, ‘I’ll give you citizenship now,’ that I don’t think is going to happen.’” [Talking Points Memo, 2/21/13]

Goodlatte Warned That “Unfair” DREAM Act “Could Mean Mass Amnesty.” According to The Hill, “Goodlatte opposes efforts to create guest-worker programs, or grant amnesty to illegal aliens. He spoke out against the DREAM Act when the House voted on the measure in December of 2010, calling it ‘unfair’ and ‘ripe for fraud.’ Goodlatte said that ‘the DREAM Act could mean mass amnesty for 2.1 million illegal immigrants…same thing occurred after the 1986 amnesty bill, the Immigration and Control Act, was enacted. Everyone said that was going to end illegal immigration. It opened the doors to more. This is going to do exactly the same thing.’” [The Hill, 11/11/12]

Goodlatte Submitted Amicus Brief Defending Arizona Immigration Law. According to the Daily Beast, “Virginia’s Bob Goodlatte, wrote an amicus brief in support of Arizona’s controversial immigration law.” According to the “Immigration Reform” page on Goodlatte’s congressional website, “I strongly support efforts by states, like Arizona, to protect their citizens by enacting laws to help locate and detain illegal aliens.  In fact, I have submitted legal briefs in the U.S. v. Arizona immigration case arguing that Arizona and other states have the right to enforce immigration laws.” [The Daily Beast, 11/12/12; Goodlatte.House.gov, accessed 4/10/13]

Goodlatte Cosponsored Bill To Eliminate Birthright Citizenship. In the 112^th Congress, Goodlatte cosponsored the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011, which was introduced by Rep. Steve King (R-IA). According to Politico, “King’s measure would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act, ending automatic citizenship for anyone born in the country. Instead, the measure requires that only the children of citizens, legal immigrants permanently living in the country or immigrants in the military, be granted citizenship.” [Thomas.LOC.gov, accessed 4/9/13; Politico, 1/5/11]

Goodlatte Criticized Administration Policy Protecting Many Undocumented Youth From Deportation. According to The Roanoke Times, “Earlier today, President Obama announced his administration would stop deporting illegal immigrants who came to this country as children. In response, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke County, has issued the following statement: “Today’s politically motivated announcement from the Obama Administration that it is going to immediately stop deporting illegal immigrants who came to this country and instead grant them work permits is an outrageous abuse of power by the Executive Branch. With this announcement President Obama has completely bypassed the Congress, which is charged with writing our immigration laws, in order to grant possible amnesty to many illegal immigrants. This policy shift is in direct conflict with the law of our land. Not only do I believe President Obama lacks the authority to make such a change to our immigration laws but I find it particularly egregious that he would want to hand out work permits to nearly 1 million illegal immigrants when many Americans are struggling to find work themselves.” [The Roanoke Times, 6/15/12]

Ties To Extremist Anti-Immigrant Funding

English Language PAC Gave $500 To Goodlatte. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the English Language PAC donated $500 to Bob Goodlatte in 1998. [OpenSecrets.org, accessed 4/11/13]

• English Language PAC “Supports Declaring English The Office Language Of The United States.” According to its website, the group’s positions include “Support for declaring English the official language of the United States and of various states,” “Support for teaching children English as quickly as possible, without attempting to maintain other languages and cultural interests,” and “Oppose federal mandates to provide multilingual voting materials.” [English Language Political Action Committee, accessed 4/11/13]

REP. TREY GOWDY (R-SC)

Gowdy chairs the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration.

Gowdy Cosponsored A Bill Reversing Delayed Deportation For DREAMers. According to USA Today, “Gowdy opposed the Obama administration’s decision to grant deferred deportations to some young illegal immigrants. He co-sponsored a law titled the ‘Prohibiting Back-door Amnesty Act’ aimed at reversing that decision.” [USA Today, 12/18/12]

Gowdy Cosponsored A Bill To Prevent The Federal Government From Suing Arizona Over Its Immigration Law. According to USA Today, “And he co-sponsored a bill that would have stopped the Department of Justice from suing states such as Arizona, Alabama and South Carolina that passed tough illegal immigration laws.” [USA Today, 12/18/12]

Gowdy Cosponsored A Bill To End The Diversity Visa Lottery. According to the Library of Congress, Gowdy cosponsored H.R. 6429, the STEM Jobs Act of 2012. According to the Huffington Post, “The STEM Jobs Act, proposed by House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), is focused on the relatively uncontroversial idea that more highly-skilled immigrants should be allowed to come to, or stay in, the U.S. It would add 55,000 visas for masters and doctoral degree holders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. At the same time, though, it would eliminate all 55,000 diversity visas — often called the green card lottery — that go toward would-be immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. […] Diversity visas have long been a target of Republicans, although a relatively small number are distributed and a huge backlog already exists.” [Library of Congress, accessed 4/9/13]

Gowdy Has Earned An “A-” Rating From The Nativist Group NumbersUSA. NumbersUSA’s website gives Rep. Trey Gowdy a career-long rating of “A-.”According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “Three Washington, D.C.-based immigration-restriction organizations stand at the nexus of the American nativist movement: the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), and NumbersUSA. […] FAIR, CIS and NumbersUSA are all part of a network of restrictionist organizations conceived and created by John Tanton, the ‘puppeteer’ of the nativist movement and a man with deep racist roots.” [NumbersUSA.com, accessed 4/9/13; SPLCenter.org, February 2009]

OTHER KEY CONSERVATIVES: QUICK HITS

Lou Barletta: GOP Can Never Win Over Latinos Because Undocumented Immigrants Depend On Social Programs. According to the Huffington Post, “[Pennsylvania Rep. Lou] Barletta went on to say that the GOP should have no interest in providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, claiming that most are uneducated, government-dependent individuals who wouldn’t support the party. ‘I hope politics is not at the root of why we’re rushing to pass a bill. Anyone who believes that they’re going to win over the Latino vote is grossly mistaken,’ Barletta said, according to the Morning Call. ‘The majority that are here illegally are low-skilled or may not even have a high school diploma. The Republican Party is not going to compete over who can give more social programs out. They will become Democrats because of the social programs they’ll depend on.’” [Huffington Post, 1/29/13]

Barletta: “Once I Saw Illegal Aliens Getting More Rights Than The Average Citizen, That’s When I Started My Crusade.” According to National Review, “When he was a mayor, he introduced an ordinance to prevent the city from working with businesses that hired undocumented workers. Immigrant groups promptly sued the city, and the ordinance was later ruled unconstitutional. But the support his effort gained him among conservatives helped Barletta win a House seat. ‘Once I saw illegal aliens getting more rights than the average citizen, that’s when I started my crusade,’ he says.” [National Review, 4/15/13]

• Barletta Has Received $28,350 From Anti-Immigrant Political Action Committees, People Associated With Anti-Immigrant Groups, And People Whose Foundations Have Funded Such Groups. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Barletta has received $5,600 from individuals associated with the Federation for American Immigration Reform. He has also gotten $5,600 from Richard Melon Scaife, $2,000 from James C. Roddey, and $700 from John F. Rohe. Scaife, Roddey, and Rohe are all affiliated with foundations that have funded anti-immigrant groups. Barletta has also received $250 from Americans for Legal Immigration, $6,000 from US Immigration Reform PAC, $200 from the Minuteman PAC, $500 from the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, and $7,500 from Team America PAC. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/11/13]

Jeff Duncan Compared Undocumented Immigrants To Vagrants, Animals. According to the Greenville News, “U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District was speaking at Furman University last night when he appeared to compare illegal immigrants to vagrants and animals. ‘It’s kind of like having a house — and you’re not homeowners, a lot of folks in this room, but your Mom and Dads are — taking the door off the hinges and allowing any kind of vagrant, or animal, or just somebody that’s hungry, or somebody that wants to do your dishes for you, to come in. And you can’t say, ‘No you can’t come in.’ And you can’t say, ‘No you can’t stay all night.’ Or ‘No you can’t have this benefit of using my deodorant.’ All those things. We’re giving those benefits away, which we earn as citizens of this nation, of being legalized citizens.’” [GreenvilleOnline.com, 11/1/11]

• Duncan Received $1,000 From Board Member Of Foundation That Has Given To Anti-Immigrant Groups. Duncan received a contribution of $1,000 from Joseph W. Donner on May 10, 2010. Donner sits on the board of the William H. Donner Foundation, which contributed $140,000 to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) from 2006-2011. The foundation also contributed $35,000 to FAIR in 2003. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/3/13; Donner Foundation IRS Forms 990, 2003-2011; Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/3/13; Donner Foundation IRS Forms 990, 2003-2011]

Mo Brooks: “There Is A Surefire Way To Create Jobs Now For American Citizens: Evict All Illegal Aliens From America.” According to a floor speech by Rep. Moe Brooks (R-AL): “There is a surefire way to create jobs now for American citizens: evict all illegal aliens from America and immediately open up millions of jobs for American citizens. That also forces blue-collar wages up, helping American families afford and pursue the American dream. Unfortunately, the White House chases a different dream – a nightmare that pits unemployed Americans against illegal aliens in a competition for scarce jobs. The DREAM Act gives amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, thereby legitimizing illegal conduct and depriving American citizens of job opportunities. Mr. Speaker, Congress and the White House must create jobs now for American citizens. We must fight for American citizens, not illegal aliens.” [Brooks Floor Speech, 9/8/11]

Dana Rohrabacher Called The DREAM Act “The Affirmative Action Amnesty Act” And Complained That It’s Unfair To “Non-Minority” Americans. According to a floor speech by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), I rise in opposition to the Affirmative Action Amnesty Act, or otherwise known as the DREAM Act, which we are now debating. Mr. Speaker, if an illegal immigrant, if this act passes, if an illegal immigrant happens to be of a racial or ethnic minority, which the vast majority of illegal immigrants are, that individual, as soon as legal status is granted, will be entitled to all the education, employment, job training, government contract, and other minority preferences that are written into our federal and state laws. As a result, the DREAM Act would not only put illegal immigrants on par with American citizens, but would in many cases put them ahead of most American citizens and legal immigrants. So those voting for this so-called DREAM Act are voting to relegate the position of non-minority American citizens to behind those who are now in this country illegally. [Rohrabacher Floor Speech, 12/8/10]

• Rohrabacher Has Received $3,000 From Anti-Immigrant Political Action Committees Since 1998. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Rohrabacher has gotten three donations from the US Immigration Reform PAC: $1,000 in 2000, $500 in 2002, and $1000 in 2004. In 1998, he received a $500 contribution from the English Language PAC. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/11/13]

Louie Gohmert Hyped Elaborate Conspiracy By Terrorists To Illegally Cross The Border And Have Babies In The United States. According to a floor speech by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), “We owe it to Arizona and the people of the United States to enforce the borders. There are people coming into the country who want to destroy our way of life. I talked to a retired FBI agent who said that one of the things they were looking at were terrorist cells overseas who had figured out how to game our system. And it appeared they would have young women, who became pregnant, would get them into the United States to have a baby. They wouldn’t even have to pay anything for the baby. And then they would turn back where they could be raised and coddled as future terrorists.  And then one day, twenty…thirty years down the road, they can be sent in to help destroy our way of life. Because they figured out how stupid we are being in this country to allow our enemies to game our system, hurt our economy, get setup in a position to destroy our way of life, and we won’t do anything about it – we’ll even sue a state that tries to do anything about it.” [Gohmert Floor Speech, 6/24/10]

• Gohmert Has Received $200 From Minuteman PAC. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Minuteman PAC donated $200 to Gohmert in 2010. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/11/13; MinutemenPAC.com, accessed 4/11/13]

Duncan Hunter Wants To Deport Undocumented Immigrants’ Children Who Are Natural Born Citizens. According to the Associated Press, “Rep. Duncan Hunter said he would support deporting U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, adding that ‘it takes more than walking across the border to be an American citizen.’ The San Diego-area Republican congressman spoke Saturday at a video recorded tea party rally in Ramona. Hunter was asked by someone in the crowd if he backed deporting natural-born American citizens who are the children of illegal immigrants. ‘I would have to, yes,’ Hunter said. Hunter said in the video that some of his critics believe his stance is mean-spirited. ‘And we’re not being mean. We’re just saying it takes more than walking across the border to become an American citizen,’ he said. ‘It’s what’s in our souls.’ The 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizenship to all persons born in the United States.” [Associated Press, 6/29/10]

• Hunter Has Received $11,200 From Anti-Immigrant Political Action Committees. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Hunter has received two contributions from the Minuteman PAC: a contribution of $10,000 in 2008 and a contribution of $200 in 2012. He’s also received $1,000 from Team America PAC, a political action committee started by former congressman Tom Tancredo. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/11/13]

Mike Coffman: “The Dream Act Will Be A Nightmare For The American People” And Is Part Of “A Radical Liberal Social Agenda.” According to a now-deleted press release from Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), “The Dream Act will be a nightmare for the American people.  No doubt, we need immigration reform but the Dream Act is written far too broadly and it will only encourage more illegal immigration, promote chain migration, and will be a magnet for fraud.” According to a separate press release on the inclusion of the DREAM Act in a 2010 defense authorization bill, “Iraq War veteran and House Armed Services Committee Member Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) released the following statement today in response to the announcement that Senator Harry Reid will add the DREAM Act, an act that gives amnesty to certain illegal immigrants in the United States, to the bill that will fund the Department of Defense throughout the next year: ‘Defense Authorization bills should not be hijacked and used to advance a radical liberal social agenda.’” [Coffman Press Release via Archive.org, 12/8/10; Coffman Press Release via Archive.org, 9/15/10]

• Coffman Has Received $6,700 From Anti-Immigrant Political Action Committees And Individuals Tied To Foundations That Have Funded Anti-Immigrant Groups. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Coffman received $200 from the Minuteman PAC and $500 from the US Immigration Reform PAC, both in 2012. He’s also received three donations from Terry Considine, a board member of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation: a $1,000 donation on April 20, 2009 and two $2,500 donations on January 19, 2012. The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation has contributed $220,000 to the Center for Immigration Studies. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/11/13; Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation IRS Forms 990, 2003-2011]

Gary Miller Boasted About Being “The First Sponsor Of House Legislation Which Would Deny Citizenship To Anchor Babies.” According to a press release from Rep. Gary Miller’s (R-CA) office, “The author of the Arizona immigration law, State Senator Russell Pearce, will soon introduce legislation in the Arizona State Senate to deny citizenship to anchor babies.  Birthright citizenship is yet another loophole in our laws that encourages and facilitates illegal immigration.   In fact, approximately 200,000 to 300,000 babies are born to illegal immigrants each year.  By granting children of illegal immigrants citizenship, the child can eventually anchor an entire family in the United States, even though they gained access to our nation illegally.  In addition, the child – and potentially their family – will have access to a wide array of taxpayer-funded benefits, including access to a U.S. education and recently enacted government-run health care.  It is unfair to grant birthright citizenship to children of illegal immigrants because it undermines the intention of the 14th Amendment and rewards those that have recklessly broken our nation’s immigration laws.  Congressman Miller is the first sponsor of House legislation which would deny citizenship to anchor babies and spoke to Senator Pearce this week about efforts to end this practice. Congressman Miller commends Senator Pearce for his efforts to close this loophole at the state level and looks forward to working with him on this issue.” [GaryMiller.House.gov, 6/18/10]

Steve Southerland Campaigned On Support For Border Fence And English As Official Language, Opposition To “Amnesty.” According to Rep. Steve Southerland’s (R-FL) campaign website from 2010, “I would and do support completing the fence along our southern border that has already been started. We should also consider the use of technology to assist in securing and monitoring our borders where physical fences are not feasible. Protection of its citizens is THE primary role of the federal government and in this area – I believe it has abdicated its responsibility. Next, is a common language. America has always been an English speaking nation and I believe it should always remain so. With that end in mind, we should adopt ‘English’ as the official language of the United States and require each new citizen to be fairly proficient in its use. This will make their new life as an American much easier as well as our society better able to serve them through government departments and the market when interaction is needed. Just in America’s public education system alone there are millions and millions of dollars spent each and every year because of the many different languages our teachers and administrators must accommodate. This divides our nation and eliminates our efficiencies thus making us weak when we do not need to be. Finally, on the issue of amnesty for those in our country illegally. Let me be clear that I oppose amnesty and do not believe that any guest worker program be an automatic path to citizenship or provide access to our social programs. America is a nation of laws and those laws must be followed in order to sustain a free and safe society.” [Southerland Campaign Website via Archive.org, captured 10/28/10]

Joe Heck On Ending Birthright Citizenship: “If You’re Going To Be Considered A Citizen, You Should Be Born To At Least One Parent That’s A U.S. Citizen.” According to Rep. Joe Heck’s (R-NV) comments at a town hall meeting, “I believe there’s a bill by Steve King out of Iowa that would end birthright citizenship. You know, I think that – my personal opinion is that if you’re going to be a citizen, if you’re going to be considered a citizen, you should be born to at least one parent that’s a U.S. citizen. I do believe that that’s the way it should be. We are the only industrialized nation that still grants birthright citizenship, and I think that while I have not signed on as a cosponsor of that bill, I think that it’s something that warrants discussion.” According to PolitiFact, Heck’s claim that America is “the only industrialized nation that still grants birthright citizenship” is false. [Heck Remarks via YouTube, 2/23/12; PolitiFact Texas, 8/9/10]