Washington, DC – A telling exchange on Fox News last night between Tucker Carlson and Stephen Miller encapsulated their noxious anti-immigrant worldview, their obsession with dangerous conspiracy theories and “invasion” language, and their ongoing fictions about the border and the Biden administration’s record, all of which are being echoed by Republican elected officials and candidates. Fresh off his latest round of defense of Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Tucker Carlson hosted Stephen Miller and engaged in the following exchange (excerpted below):
Tucker Carlson: “This does seem like it’s accelerating, the invasion of the United States from the South.”
Stephen Miller: “Well last year was the largest year for illegal immigration in American history and certainly in world history … we’re looking at many millions of unlawful foreign nationals seeking to enter this country … to completely change our country. And I think if the American civilization falls because we had no border, history will record with the greatest astonishment that we barely even spoke of it.”
First, reminders that the stated “facts” are wildly off-base. While we do not celebrate or support the Biden administration’s deterrence focus at the border, the right wing framing of Biden’s supposed “open borders” is filled with falsehoods. The reality under Biden is that almost 80% of those encountered by authorities at the border have been immediately removed, put in detention, or in the case of children, put in a government run or contracted shelter. For the 20% “released,” almost all show up in court. And the immediate expulsion of many migrants means that the overall data of total encounters includes many individuals who are multi-counted, as CBP data show. Meanwhile, despite the apocalyptic rhetoric from Miller, immigration is, in fact, way down, with net immigration to the U.S. just 25% of what it was five years ago.
But this is of course not a conversation dictated by facts or logic. Instead, it’s an ugly and visceral cultural and political obsession of Miller and Carlson. And they’re not alone – the focus on “invasion” and the ugly open borders assertions have moved from the fringes of the anti-immigrant movement to the heart of the Republican Party and its leaders and candidates. For example:
- At his rally in Florence, SC last weekend, Donald Trump, as part of an anti-immigrant rant, warned that because of migration “we are losing our country, no different than if we lost it in a war.” He continued “Biden has spent months and months [sic] how to stop an invasion of a foreign country, I believe the American people deserve a president who will stop the invasion into our country.”
- NRSC chairman Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) warned of a “dangerous invasion at the border, drugs, and criminals marching in every day” at the annual CPAC conference (see here for more from CPAC).
- After members attended a white nationalist conference House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he would return committee assignments to Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) if he becomes House Speaker.
- Third-ranking House Republican Elise Stefanik (R-NY), embraced the replacement theory in her Facebook ads last year leading CNN to run with a headline that read “Fringe conspiracy theory has now become mainstream.”
- America’s Voice research found that every Republican running in the Arizona Senate primary has pushed the racist lie of a migrant “invasion.”
According to America’s Voice Political Director Zachary Mueller,
Tucker Carlson’s embrace of Putin and acceptance of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reveals a disturbing sympathy for authoritarianism and against inclusive democracy. His ugly anti-immigrant obsessions and his reliance on dangerous ‘invasion’ rhetoric is part of the same worldview. Carlson, Stephen Miller, and too many other Republicans would rather focus on a fictitious ‘invasion’ by people seeking safety at our southern border than in decrying the actual invasion that is underway in Europe. These Republicans are using their platforms to amplify the same ‘replacement theory’ lies as the white nationalists who carried tiki-torches in Charlottesville. Their vision is ugly, dangerous, and at odds with our best national traditions of America as a beacon of democracy for millions from around the world.
Check out ongoing examples of Republicans’ anti-immigrant ads at the America’s Voice GOP Ad Tracker: http://gopadtracker.com/
