Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) made an appearance on MAGA-aligned Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s program to discuss his new plan to push for granting legal status to some illegal aliens, which resulted in the pair getting into some serious verbal fisticuffs live on-air. Lawler recently introduced the Dignity Act, a proposal that seeks to allow illegal immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for extended periods of time to live and work legally.
Ingraham wasted no time in pulverizing Lawler concerning the finer details mentioned in the bill, specifically calling out Lawler for his comment that illegal aliens needed to be “pulled out of the shadows,” as he attempted to explain his position. “Congressman, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but you’ve got to stop using the cliches,” Ingraham interjected during their conversation.
“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,” the host explained. “But this idea that they’re already given amnesty. They’re not already given amnesty. Why do you come on television and say that?”
According to a report from Mediaite, the two then started to talk over each other as Ingraham continued to press Lawler, asking him if he’d read his own bill. Ingraham then asked Lawler how the legislation would determine if an illegal alien had been residing in the U.S. long enough to qualify for legal status, requesting that he “answer a simple question” for the viewers of the show.
“I don’t want anyone getting a free pass,” Lawler responded. “It’s in the legislation. Have you read the legislation?” Ingraham fired back. “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,” he explained to the host.
That wasn’t good enough for Ingraham, who pushed back, asking, “How do you determine that?” Lawler emphasized again that those who entered the U.S. during Biden’s administration do not qualify for legal status according to the bill. “Congressman, all of this sounds great. Answer a simple question,” she pushed. “It’s very clear. You have to be in the country before 2020.”
Ingraham replied, “I’m a simple person.” Lawler tried to respond, “Yeah, you have to be in the country before 2020 so–” but Ingraham interjected, “How — alright. I’m a simple person. Please — alright. 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.”
"*" indicates required fields
“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,” the New York Republican answered. “But I just asked you a question. How do you determine it?” The congressman said, “You have to be able to meet the qualifications of the program.”
“What is the qualification?” The host asked the congressman. “And that means the Department of Homeland Security is going to determine, they are going to make the determination as they always have.” Lawler interjects before Ingraham can ask a follow-up question, stating that E-Verify is part of the bill. He then states that part of the legislation is holding businesses accountable for who they hire.
“If you are not verified, you wouldn’t be able to lawfully work, and we would hold those businesses accountable. 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,” Lawler continued. Ingraham replied that what Lawler just said is false.
“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 said.
The two continue to go back-and-forth, with Ingraham continuously calling Lawler’s points false. At one point during the conversation, Ingraham said, “I live on planet Earth.” As the segment drew to a close after a rough-and-tumble battle over the bill’s details, Lawler told the Fox News host he would be thrilled to work with her to improve the legislation.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video