We know that Steve King has lots to say when it comes to immigrants and immigration reform. Today, Democratic Reps. Joe Garcia (FL) and Jared Polis (CO) are inviting King and his cohorts to join them in a special orders session on immigration, where King can discuss his views as a “prominent and important leader on the issue” for his party.
Garcia and Polis sent invitation letters to eight of the House Republicans most opposed to immigration reform, including Reps. King (IA), Mo Brooks (AL), Steve Stockman (TX), John Fleming (LA), Lou Barletta (PA), Lamar Smith (TX), Louie Gohmert (TX), and Paul Gosar (R-AZ). A copy of the letter can be viewed here.
As Garcia and Polis wrote to the Republicans:
We know that in the past you have never shied away from airing your strongly held beliefs about our nation’s immigration system and the millions of Hispanic, Asian, and other undocumented immigrants who live in this country. While we certainly do not agree with your views, we appreciate your willingness — unlike many of your Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives — to directly engage in the important debate about the future of our nation’s immigration system.
As the two Democrats realize — and as we noted earlier today, Steve King has become the de facto leader of the House on immigration reform, a position ceded by Speaker Boehner and the rest of the House GOP leadership via their refusal to take action on the issue. The eight House Republicans who received letters are all ardent opponents of immigration reform, with many being very vocal about doing whatever they can to stop progress. Ironically, it is the presence of these House members–most specifically Steve King–who underscore why the GOP needs to pass immigration reform, considering that it is comments like this that are turning Latino voters away from Republicans and imperiling their electoral future as a party.
