WASHINGTON DC — In response to extremely offensive and racist remarks made by Iowa Congressman Steve King, Presente.org, CREDO, DRM Action Coalition, United Farm Workers and other organizations have organized a campaign to remove King from the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
Among the more offensive of a number of recent anti-Latino statements made by King is this one:
"For every one who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert…”
King has been roundly condemned by many officials in Washington, including Rep. Eric Cantor and Speaker John Boehner. The groups organizing the campaign want more than words.
“While we appreciate Boehner condemning King’s remarks, words are not enough,” said Gabriela Garcia, Campaign Director at Presente.org. “If Speaker Boehner really wants to show that the GOP is committed to Latino voters, he has to do more than slap Rep. King on the wrist. He must remove King from the subcommittee.”
"If it wasn’t clear before, it should be now. Rep. Steve King, one of the most openly racist members of Congress, should not be allowed to sit on the House immigration subcommittee," said Becky Bond, Political Director for CREDO.
“This is not the first time that King has attacked us. Not only with words, but with actions. He tried to take DACA from us and got full support from the GOP leadership. Here is another opportunity for Boehner and Cantor to show us with actions that the party is not following the steps of racist King,” said Erika Andiola, Co-Founder of DRM Action Coalition.
"It’s disappointing to see that a congressman with the power to make decisions that impact our immigration laws and the daily lives of an entire nation, harbors these sentiments and prejudice against a significant segment of our society. Our nation will be better served by removing Rep. King from the immigration subcommittee," said Maria Machuca, UFW Spokesperson.
For his part, King has shown no remorse for his statements, which were also condemned by Latino and other leaders as factually untrue and offensive. In fact, King has been doing the rounds in the media defending his offensive statements.
In response, over 40,000 people have joined petitions so far calling for his removal from the position.