Beto O’Rourke Takes Heat for ‘Pandering’ to ‘Illegal Aliens’

Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas,) still a 2020 presidential hopeful at this point, took some sharp pushback for his immigration stances at a town hall in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday night from a proud American who called him out for “pandering” too much to “illegal aliens.”

As O’Rourke spoke to a group of people at a food court complex, the woman argued that what he’s doing and saying is a “slap in the face” to immigrants who actually put in the time and effort to become legal United States citizens.

“I notice that you pander a lot to the illegal aliens and [are] encouraging illegal immigration,” the woman said, as The Daily Caller and other outlets noted.

The crowd of liberals in attendance responded by booing the woman — but she continued sharing her heartfelt thoughts.

“We are a nation of laws, and I just think it’s a slap in the face to every legal immigrant who has waited and paid and played by the rules to immigrate to this country legally, and who have respected our country, our land, our citizens, our laws, and who have gone through the process to come here legally,” she said to O’Rourke.

“To just say, ‘Everybody is welcome here, you all get free stuff and just come on over the border,’ is, again, a slap in the face to every legal immigrant like my mother who has come here legally,” continued the woman, Jennifer Harrison from AZ Patriots, as several outlets pointed out.

O’Rourke responded to the comments with what can only be described as automatic and typical liberal talking points on immigration.

“Listen, on this much we can agree,” he began. “There should be a safe, legal, orderly, quick path to come here to join family, to work a job, to be able to go to school, to flee persecution or, in some countries … death,” he said. “And I want to work with you to make sure our immigration and asylum laws achieve that purpose.”

“But, what is a slap in the face to my conscience and the best traditions of this country,” he added, “is taking kids from their parents and putting them in cages.”

Not again with the “cages” response — a process and practice that was begun under former President Barack Obama, as most people know but which many on the Left try to ignore or dance around.

Related: Chuck Todd Tries to Blame Trump for Obama Border Policies

Many liberals long have tried to place blame for family separations at the border — including the temporary placement of underaged illegal immigrant children in detention areas while their parents’ claims or other adults’ claims are processed — on President Donald Trump.

But these practices started during the Obama years —  and the Trump administration actually has changed the process.

O’Rourke didn’t seem to care so much about these policies when Obama was in office and responsible for what was going on.

Related: Selena Gomez on Illegal Immigrant Crisis: ‘I Feel Afraid for My Country’

“If immigration is a problem, it is the best possible problem this country could have. I want those asylum seekers here in this country,” O’Rourke continued.

“I want us to live according to our conscience, to our laws, to our commitments and to the best, boldest, brightest future we could possibly have. Those immigrants pose no threat to you or me. Stop trafficking in these lies,” he added.

Of all the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls, O’Rourke is among the most radical when it comes to immigration, and it does not seem to be paying off for him.

The latest polls have O’Rourke in a three-way tie for sixth place in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination — making it clear that even liberals think he might be going too far left with his policies.

If O’Rourke is going to keep pushing his progressive policy ideas and moving even further Left, more Americans may be calling him out about those policies and ideas — just as this woman did.

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