King deserves criticism he's receiving

By Sioux City Journal

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U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, deserves the widespread criticism, some of it from House leaders within his own party, he's getting for saying many young illegal immigrants are drug runners.

In a recent interview with Newsmax, King said this of young illegal immigrants: "For every one who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there that -- they weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."

The comments became a national story when Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., read and responded to them during a House Judiciary Committee subcommittee hearing convened to examine the issue of legalization for undocumented children, commonly referred to as DREAMers, on Tuesday. He called King's comments "beneath the dignity of this body and this country."

In a written statement on Tuesday and in his weekly news conference on Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined the chorus of criticism by taking the unusual step of publicly rebuking a House member. He described King's comments as "hateful," "ignorant" and "deeply offensive."

Not only were his words insensitive and inflammatory, but by using this kind of rhetoric King runs the risk of marginalizing what we believe is his largely informed voice about illegal immigration and border security issues. Whatever reasonable points he wishes to make within this important national dialogue, including concerns about illegal drugs entering the U.S. from Mexico, are lost.

By making comments so controversial he incurs the wrath of even fellow Republicans, King also runs the risk of minimizing his overall effectiveness in the House. Loss of respect or influence in Congress harms constituents back home.

So far, King is undeterred by all of the criticism. Moving forward, we urge our congressman to embrace a different, more-productive strategy on matters related to illegal immigration than provoking outrage.