Fox News host Laura Ingraham, a diehard conservative and Trump supporter, got into a verbal brawl with Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) in an exchange concerning his push to grant legal status to some illegal aliens. Lawler appeared on The Ingraham Angle to chat about the Dignity Act, which is a piece of legislation that he has proposed that would allow illegal immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for extended periods of time to stay and work legally.
Ingraham dropped the hammer on Lawler repeatedly in the exchange concerning specific details of the bill, calling out Lawler’s comment that illegal aliens need to be pulled “out of the shadows.” Ingraham interrupted the New York Republican, saying, “Congressman, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but you’ve got to stop using the cliches. This ‘in the shadows’ line, I have been dealing with this for 25 years.”
“I don’t know what shadows you are looking at, but they are not in the shadows. They’re working in restaurants, some are. Others are engaged in widespread fraud in California. But this idea that they’re already given amnesty. They’re not already given amnesty. Why do you come on television and say that?” Ingraham continued.
According to a report from Mediaite, the two continued to talk over each other as Ingraham continued to apply pressure to the congressman, asking him if he even bothered to read his own legislation. Ingraham pressed Lawler on how the new bill determined if an illegal alien had been living in the U.S. long enough to qualify for the benefits it offers.
“I don’t want anyone getting a free pass here,” Lawler responded. However, that answer wasn’t satisfactory for the veteran Fox News host. ” It’s in the legislation. Have you read the legislation?” Lawler responded by explaining, “If you have committed a crime– yes, I have, Laura. If you have committed a crime, you should be removed from the country, period.”
“Number two, what we are trying to do is say if you have been in the country for more than five years, in other words, if you came here during Joe Biden’s administration, you don’t qualify,” Lawler continued. “How do you determine that?” Ingraham pressed. “You don’t qualify under this legislation,” the New York Republican said.
“Congressman, all of this sounds great. Answer a simple question,” she responded. “It’s very clear. You have to be in the country before 2020,” Lawler replied. “How– alright. I’m a simple person. Please– all right. Please tell my audience because they are very smart, how does an immigration officer determine– millions and millions– determine continuous presence and tell me the considerations they take into account to determine that.”
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“Well, look, if they cannot prove that, if they cannot prove continuous presence, they wouldn’t qualify for this. You have to be able to show, to meet the qualifications,” Lawler said in response to Ingraham’s comment. She asked again how one qualifies for the program. “You have to be able to meet the qualifications of the program.”
Ingraham then asks Lawler to explain the qualifications. “And that means the Department of Homeland Security is going to determine, they are going to make determinations as they always have,” he said. Lawler then said that qualifications are based on current structure and guidelines that are in place. “Laura, can I make a few points? Because this actually matters. EVerify is part of the deal,” the congressman said.
“And it’s part of the bill. And we want to verify that every single person who would be employed in this country is here legally. If you are not verified, you wouldn’t be able to lawfully work, and we would hold those businesses accountable,” he continued. “The bottom line of the Dignity Act is very straightforward. You have to be in the country for more than five years. You cannot have committed a crime. You cannot collect government benefits.”
Ingraham then said that what Lawler just stated was false. The two go back and forth over whether the explanation was true, with the congressman stating that you have to pay back taxes and must be employed. Here’s the truth. Congressman, you know how much I like you. But you can’t come on this show and say to my audience that you can’t have committed a crime to be eligible under the, quote, Dignity Act because there are several crimes that are, quote, nonviolent, that do not qualify for admissibility and on top of that, there are multiple instances, including family unity, public interest, and just discretion on the part of immigration officers,” Ingraham concluded.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video