Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) torched Democrats during a recent House Homeland Security Committee hearing, accusing them of having an anti-deportation stance and arguing that all they care about is power.
The hearing focused on the conduct of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Border Patrol (CBP) under President Donald Trump.
Rep. Crane noted that "history and context are very important here," adding that "it is not lost on most of the American public that my Democrat colleagues actually caused this entire crisis with their open border policies."
He pointed out that Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden deported millions of illegal aliens, yet none of this sparked any rioting in defense of the deportees. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott suggested this was due to rhetoric and misleading narratives about the impact of border security.
Rep. Crane commented on sanctuary cities, suggesting that they are not properly understood by the public, and asking Scott and ICE official Todd Lyons if they would prefer sending their officers to jails where criminal illegal aliens can be picked up and processed for deportation.
"Is it safer for your agents and also the illegal alien criminal if your officers are able to go into a jail instead of having to go out and find them on the street?" the Arizona congressman asked. Both officials said yes.
Crane further chastised Democrats for not rioting in support of the numerous victims of illegal alien crime, such as Laken Riley, which Scott suggested is the work of foreign adversaries, possibly circulating misinformation.
The Arizona congressman concluded by noting that the SAVE Act, which restricts voting to American citizens and requires photo ID to vote, will not be supported by Democrats.
"If the American people do not understand what this whole thing is about, it is about one word, it always has been, and that is power," Crane concluded. "They want power, and they need these illegals to vote in our elections. That is why they do not care about the fraud either, because they need those votes as well."
