Congressional Progressives Throw a Tantrum

Written by David E. Smith

The day after Donald J. Trump took the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States, left-wing federal lawmakers gathered for a press conference to decry the new direction of the nation. According to their own website, the “Congressional Progressive Caucus is comprised of nearly 100 progressive members from the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate…” and exist to “fight economic and social inequality, and advance civil liberties.”

Most of us recognize them as the radical Marxist left-wing of the Democratic Party.

Illinois members of this Woke Caucus include Danny Davis, Jonathan Jackson, Delia Ramirez, Chuy Garcia and Jan Schakowsky. The latter two participated in the press conference. That makes five Chicago area Congressmen out of 17 members of the Illinois Congressional delegation part of this cabal.

They gathered together to complain about the new administration’s executive orders and legislative agenda for the 117th Congress. You can watch the entire 30 minutes for yourself, here:

Following the opening remarks of Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Deputy Chair Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Illinois U.S. Representative Chuy Garcia (D-Chicago) came to the lectern to deliver his hysterical response to President Trump’s inauguration speech, which is posted in full at the end of this article.

We are not surprised that Congressman Garcia immediately labeled President Trump’s agenda as “hateful and xenophobic.” This is part of the Democratic playbook to stoke fear in the immigrant community and to characterize Trump as a dictator. Garcia and other progressives are quick to demonize US citizens while encouraging millions of foreign nationals to cross the border.

Like the President, I am married to an immigrant. No one who is xenophobic would choose to marry a foreign-born person. Conservatives can both embrace and welcome legal immigration, while at the same time uphold immigration laws that require strict standards and a robust vetting process. In fact, these standards demonstrate love and respect for our neighbors.

Congressman Garcia, along with the members of this Progressive Caucus and their allies in the media, want the public to think that high standards for legal immigration are racist. They want to frighten people into believing that federal ICE agents are intentionally going to split families apart and take children away from parents. Garcia goes as far as to claim that Trump is on a “quest to invalidate immigrants and dehumanize us.” This extreme rhetoric is nothing short of hyperbole. Would you believe that not one media outlet asked for clarification or evidence to back up this extreme partisan claim?

Garcia also claimed that:

Trump wants to completely dismantle the right to seek asylum by reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy. This deterrent policy is inhumane, ineffective, and places people in grave harm.

Did the press challenge him on these points? The Remain in Mexico policy simply requires non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their U.S. immigration court hearings are processed. For those immigrants who are seeking asylum, they must demonstrate that they have a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

What they will not tell you is that millions of the immigrants flooding into our nation during the open border years of the Biden Administration were economic refugees. They are not “asylum seekers” fleeing persecution in their home countries. They were running away from their home countries due to social and economic hardships.

In 2022, roughly 10.6 million immigrants living in the U.S. were born in Mexico, making up 23 percent of all U.S. immigrants. Mexico is a democratic republic with regular elections.  It is considered to be a “partly free nation,” and has a large population living in poverty. The long border with the U.S. makes it geographically easier for migration compared to countries further away.

Many Mexican immigrants are simply seeking better economic opportunities, higher wages, and improved living standards in the U.S. Who can blame them? Yet that doesn’t mean that they should flaunt our immigration laws. According to a report issued by the Bipartisan Policy Center, there is a backlog of about 7.6 million individuals waiting for legal entry to the United States. In other words, there are millions of others waiting in line (so-to-speak).

Regarding Garcia’s claim that the Remain in Mexico policy is “inhumane” and “places people in grave harm,” he failed to mention the hazardous, often deadly journey that migrants face coming up to the border and the dangers of dealing with cartel members. How many deaths, rapes, robberies and other abuses have been documented? Who is to blame for creating this situation?

And regarding the violent cartels, why does Garcia object to categorizing them as terrorists? Why does he consider this “vilification of immigrants, and in particular Mexicans” when we have indisputable evidence of how ruthlessly they operate?

Congressman Garcia closes his remarks by accusing Trump of stoking fear and chaos. Yet, over the past few years of the Biden Administration, we have seen chaos across the nation as a result of open borders. We have seen homelessness and crime dramatically increase. The open borders have only incentivized human smuggling and trafficking, leading to dangerous situations for immigrants, especially children. The bogus fear Garcia accuses President Trump of stoking is a legitimate fear brought upon the American people by illegal criminals who rape and kill our citizens as a result of the Democrats’ open border policy.

And what about the 300,000 unaccompanied minors—illegal immigrants—who are missing?! Is Congressman Garcia as animated about the plight of these children? President Trump is extremely concerned and has made finding them a top priority.

Full text of U.S. Representative Jesús “Chuy” García’s remarks:

After the inauguration speech, we stand together united as progressives against Trump’s hateful and xenophobic agenda that preys on hardworking people. The impact of the executive orders issued yesterday by Trump and his regime is personal to me. I am an immigrant who represents a district with many immigrants. One of every three people is foreign born, and they’ve come from Mexico, Central & South America, Italy, Poland, Ireland, Germany, Haiti, China among others. And in Illinois, two out of every seven US citizen children have an immigrant parent. These are hardworking, mixed status families that deserve to stay together.

Instead, Donald Trump is abusing the power by trying to take away birthright citizenship. This is blatantly unconstitutional, evident by actions taken now by 22 attorneys general in cities across the country. Simply put, it’s un-American to attempt to invalidate our immigrant contributions and histories. But let me be clear, immigrants make America great, and immigrants help keep America’s economy moving.

As progressives, we are here to say that we will not let him take away this fundamental right. And on his quest to invalidate immigrants and humanize us, Trump has also suspended refugee resettlement, a program that’s existed since the 1980s, offering a lifeline to refugees in the most dire conditions. And as if it weren’t enough, Trump wants to completely dismantle the right to seek asylum by reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy. This deterrent policy is inhumane, ineffective, and places people in grave harm.

And under the guise of public safety, he intends to stop cartels by categorizing them as terrorists. This vilification of immigrants, and in particular Mexicans, will lead us down a dangerous path, one that creates even more harm and jeopardizes our national security. From preying on victims of extortion to opening the door to military interventions in Mexico, we must understand the serious implications of declaring cartels as terrorist organizations. Let’s set the record straight. If Trump really wants to address cartel violence, then he must address the fact that 70% of weapons used by the cartels are coming from the US. And while we’re fact checking, let’s debunk the myth that immigrants are criminals. Immigrants are actually 60% less likely to be incarcerated and 37% less to commit crimes.

We stand here today calling on Trump to bring real solutions, not propaganda, to stoke fear and chaos disguised as policies. We will not be silenced. We will not be afraid. We will defend our diverse immigrant communities and reaffirm that the more you try to bury us, the stronger that we will grow back.