Home Republicans are utilizing a deadly truck crash in Florida to smear Democrats’ immigration coverage all through the Southeast.
That features assaults on Democrats within the area, comparable to U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, in addition to focused incumbents in states like North Carolina. The Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) final week despatched out electronic mail blasts drawing consideration to the insurance policies that tied members of Congress to the St. Lucie County car crash involving undocumented immigrant Harjinder Singh, who authorities mentioned made an unlawful U-turn, inflicting the deadly collision.
One electronic mail blasted U.S. Rep. Darren Soto and bore the topic line: “Three Floridians are useless. Soto’s radical agenda accountable.”
“Darren Soto’s radical, open-borders agenda prioritizes felony unlawful immigrants over his personal constituents,” mentioned NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole.” So long as Soto stays in Congress, Floridians’ security is in jeopardy.”
Soto, who represents the closely Hispanic Florida’s ninth Congressional District, is likely one of the Florida Congressmen targeted this cycle by the NRCC. It’s a well-known spot for the Kissimmee Democrat, who was the one Floridian within the NRCC’s sights final yr.
However his marketing campaign dismissed the latest electronic mail assaults as a distraction from President Donald Trump’s insurance policies and their impression on Central Florida. These embrace some particularly salient ones for Hispanic communities just like the cancellation of momentary protected standing for Cubans, Haitians and Venezuelans.
As for the crash in St. Lucie County, he mentioned it was a complicated situation to make that about immigration, particularly when Soto lengthy fought for extra assets for Florida legislation enforcement.
“Rep. Soto condemns all crime no matter whether or not it’s dedicated by an immigrant or not and opposes Trump’s efforts to defund COPS grants that assist fund native police,” Soto mentioned. “Throughout his years of service in Congress, Rep. Soto has secured many of those grants to help our native legislation enforcement companies and enhance public security.”
Moskowitz declines to talk to the assertions.
Home Democrats, for his or her half, characterised the assaults on members of Congress as deceptive at finest. They mentioned Republicans have tried to make use of the South Florida tragedy in elements of the nation far faraway from the Sunshine State.
“The NRCC simply sends these items out across the county. They blamed the Florida crash on Rep. Frank Moran in Indiana. They’ve blamed everyone underneath the solar,” a Democratic operative mentioned.
“And the laws they cite has nothing to do with that man or his capability to get that driver’s license he bought in California. However it’s their complete M.O. on a regular basis to have interaction in tradition warfare battles and switch some issues into one thing they aren’t.”
The NRCC isn’t the one group, after all, drawing consideration to the crash involving Singh to attract consideration to the unlawful immigration agenda.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Miami Republican and former U.S. Senator, paused all visas for industrial truck drivers. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins flew to California to extradite Singh after he left the state for the one which issued his license. Gov. Ron DeSantis railed that Singh “ought to have by no means been within the nation within the first place.” On the identical time, President Donald Trump’s Homeland Safety Division issued a statement blasting California Gov. Gavin Newsom for “taking part in video games with the protection of the American public.”
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a Stuart Republican who represents the district the place the crash occurred, informed Fox News the accident confirmed why Trump’s mass deportation agenda can not merely concentrate on “violent criminals.”
“This is only one instance of claiming this is the reason it issues should you’re right here illegally, you’re going again to your nation of origin — whether or not you’re driving a truck or anything,” Mast mentioned.
However Democrats dismissed the assault on particular candidates and expressed doubt that voters will react any otherwise.
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