37 House Democrats Join GOP in Xenophobic Messaging Bill

In the lead-up to Thursday’s State of the Union address, House Republicans continued their campaign to stir up fear and hatred of immigrants for believed political gain.

This time, it was with a bill that would mandate that any undocumented immigrant accused of theft be put into federal detention. As Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY-12) remarked in pointed comments on the House floor: “Let’s think about that. Someone who is arrested but who is never even charged is now going to be subject to mandatory immigration detention.”

The bill was passed less than a week after it was introduced, with none of the routine Congressional process.

That combination of harsh treatment without due process, abandonment of Congressional process, and generally repugnant xenophobia should have been a deal-breaker for Democrats.

Nonetheless, the bill passed 251 to 170, with 37 Democrats joining Republicans in voting for it.