The immigrant bashing rhetoric from the nativist wing of the Republican Party was on full display this past weekend in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Showing no concerns about alienating the fastest growing voting demographic, the event showcased some of the worst of the worst, including Rep. Steve King and Tom Tancredo.
Rep. Steve King, who is the leading Republican voice in Congress on immigration matters, gave an address to the gathering. Of course, this included his usual rants on immigration:
“Anybody that brings up amnesty in this Congress, we need to just take the scarlet ‘A’ for amnesty and pin it on them,” said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who has been a big driver for tough immigration laws in Congress.
King told an audience at CPAC that there is some measure of hope: the new House majority and 87 Republican freshman that have come up largely through the Tea Party ranks should be expected to hold the line against“comprehensive reform,” especially amnesty. “I don’t think anything comes through this Congress that grants amnesty.”
Every time King opens his mouth, he sends a message to Latino voters: The GOP doesn’t want you. Ever. CPAC provided him with yet another platform to repeat that message.
As a bonus, King told Talking Points Memo that jihadists are coming into the U.S. through the border with Mexico:
“I know there is. I know from reports that we occasionally pick up ‘people of interest from nations of interest,'” King said, explaining that “people of interest from nations of interest” is a government euphemism for jihadists.
King continued: “I am concerned about it. They know around the globe that our southern border is porous. And the ‘people of interest from nations of interest’ will pay sometimes a nice check to be smuggled into the United States.”