U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva says fellow Congressman Paul Gosar is showing his true colors when he asked Capitol police to arrest any undocumented individual trying to attend tonight's State of the Union address.
Grijalva, who represents Congressional District 3, is one of several members of Congress who plan on bringing individuals covered by an Obama-era immigration policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals to the speech by President Trump. The president has ended the DACA program and given Congress until March to come up with a legislative fix.
Gosar, R-Prescott, could not be reached for comment but tweeted earlier today that he wanted capitol police to "consider checking identification of all attending the State of the Union address and arresting any illegal aliens in attendance."
“Unfortunately, Gosar’s comments are part of a pathetic pattern of right-wing stunts that have come to characterize his public career. Whether falsely linking DACA students to violent crime or branding Pope Francis as a ‘leftist politician’ for his stance on climate change, Gosar once again showed the true nature of his character with his latest extremist comments," Grijalva said.
“Perhaps when he takes a break from enabling the dangerous behavior of Donald Trump, he can educate himself on the DACA program, stop his baseless attacks on DACA recipients, and stop spreading false information that only deepens misunderstanding and sows fear," he added.
Grijalva is planning on bringing Arisaid Gonzalez Porras, a DACA recipient from Arizona, as his guest to the speech. She is a first-generation college student at Georgetown University and is an activist for the rights of undocumented immigrants.
“Dreamers like Arisaid are the reason that I’m fighting for permanent legislation that will protect dreamers,” said Grijalva. “As President Trump continues to play politics with their lives and use them as bargaining chips for a border wall, he must recognize that his policies have an impact on real people."
"Tonight, as the President gives his address, he will be forced to confront the faces of the dreamers whose lives he has upended," he said.
Rep. Martha McSally, R-CD2, is bringing Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels as her guest.
“Sheriff Dannels is a national voice for sheriffs throughout America,” said McSally. “He is a leader with first-hand experience and credibility on how to secure our border and support law enforcement."
Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-CD1, is bringing his wife.
