Washington, DC – This week, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will appear before Congress for a series of hearings where Republicans will be more performative than productive. Facing the House and Senate subcommittees on Homeland Security Appropriations and a Senate Judiciary oversight hearing, Mayorkas will undoubtedly be accosted by Republican committee members looking to get a soundbite on Fox News and rile up the base. There will be little substance from Republicans, but they will be previewing their arguments, including white nationalist conspiracy theories, as they continue to test the waters for a partisan sham impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas.
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“Republicans have been remarkably consistent in choosing political theater and mind-numbing stunts over actual governance and getting results. Spreading misinformation about immigration and engaging in sham proceedings for the impeachment of a Cabinet Secretary is what the modern Republican Party considers a priority when the number one threat to American security is right wing extremism. Remember, this is the political party that predicted a landslide electoral victory in the 2022 midterms only to fail miserably because of how out of step their message is from what Americans care about.”
Here are the fake arguments you will hear from the GOP today:
- “Open borders”: There is only one party that is loudly proclaiming the “open borders” narrative and it’s the GOP. Despite what Republicans say the border is, in fact, not open. Read America’s Voice’s new memo detailing how Republicans and right wing media allies have been leading drivers of the lie that the border is “open.”
As America’s Voice recently assessed, “On Immigration and Border, GOP Wants ‘Operational Chaos’ Not ‘Operational Control’”:
“Republicans are again whipping up manufactured anti-immigrant outrage to fuel their sham effort to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and lie about the Biden administration’s border record and vision. In this case, see GOP and right wing media’s burgeoning effort to highlight a disconnect between recent assessments of Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz and DHS Secretary Mayorkas regarding “operational control” of the border.
Yet the faux controversy and larger context underscore a related larger point – that Republicans want to maintain ‘operational chaos’ at the border and are using these perpetual nativist outrages to justify their continued opposition to an immigration overhaul and to policies that would actually alleviate pressures and arrivals at the border.
- Fentanyl and immigration: Republicans are expected to once again try to pin the fentanyl crisis on immigrants, despite clear evidence to the contrary. For a more complete understanding on why the GOP’s fentanyl argument is inaccurate, read the America’s Voice blog, Debunking the GOP’s Fentanyl Narrative – A Short Resource Guide.
- Spreading white nationalist/conspiracy theories: Continuing a pattern that began in January, Republicans are amplifying white nationalist theories – specifically, the vile great replacement theory. As has been demonstrably proven, this ideology has served as the basis for some of the most horrific acts of violence in the past few years. The GOP consistently echoes these dangerous narratives as we pointed out in “GOP Field Hearing at Border Follows Right Wing Media Freak Out of Immigration Lies and Dangerous Conspiracies.”
“House Republicans are holding another in their weekly drumbeat of congressional hearings about immigration and the border – their seventh official Republican Committee hearing on the subject in the first seven weeks of the GOP’s majority. Like the first six, today’s field hearing in McAllen, TX is heavy on anti-immigrant political theater, falsehoods and fear mongering – including the elevation of dangerous white nationalist conspiracies – and light on real solutions.”
Despite having countless chances to do so, Republicans have not condemned such rhetoric even as Donald Trump stokes the flames of anti-immigrant attacks in the lead up to the 2024 election. One lone exception is Rep. Tony Gonzales, who called out fellow Republicans for their relentless and politicized anti-immigrant approach. Speaking with The Washington Examiner, he said:
“‘There’s a reason why we haven’t gotten significant border security done and why we haven’t seen significant immigration reform done. It is in the interest of many politicians to have this crisis continue to flare up.’”
