Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham has repeatedly attacked and mocked the undocumented immigrants known as the “Dream 9,” who in July staged a protest at the U.S.-Mexico border to highlight what they feel are unjust immigration laws. Ingraham has accused the activists of not respecting the laws of the United States, saying that “when you come into our home and make it your home, then you've got to follow the rules.”
But far from respecting her nation's laws, Ingraham has hypocritically advocated for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, even going so far as to seemingly agree that shutting down the government over the law wouldn't be the end of world.
Discussing the Dream 9 movement in an interview with undocumented activist Cesar Vargas on Fox News, Ingraham criticized the activists for “flout[ing] the law” and mocked their protest as a “stunt” that was “disrespecting our laws.” When Vargas explained that the activists are trying to show that their home's immigration laws are “outdated” and that the immigration system is “broken,” Ingraham attacked them as opportunists intent on taking advantage of the Obama administration's deferred action program.
She also told Vargas that if the Dream 9 really consider the United States their home, then they should “respect” their home's law, adding: “When I go into someone else's home, I try to follow their rules. So when you come into our home and make it your home, then you've got to follow the rules.”
But contrary to Ingraham's accusations, the Dream 9 have broken no immigration laws with their protest. As she herself admitted, all were brought into the country as children. They did not willingly come into the country illegally.
As the Los Angeles Times further explained, the Dream 9 are a group of undocumented immigrants who “staged an unconventional and risky protest last month at the U.S.-Mexico border to spotlight the thousands of people deported under the Obama administration.”
The article continued:
When the so-called Dream 9 -- named for the Dream Act, which would provide them a path to legalization -- attempted to reenter the U.S. at the Nogales, Ariz., port of entry, they were arrested. They have been in federal custody ever since.
On Tuesday, immigration asylum officers found that all nine had credible fear of persecution or torture in their birth country and could therefore not be immediately removed, said Margo Cowan, the group's attorney.
Their cases now go to an immigration judge, who will decide whether to grant asylum.
As the article noted, they presented themselves at a border crossing legally -- they did not try to sneak illegally into the country. Moreover, they were immediately put in detention, which an LA Times editorial called a “huge risk,” and are going through legal channels -- petitioning for asylum -- to remain in the country legally.
All were released from detention on August 7 pending their hearings.
However, Ingraham continued her attacks on her radio show on August 9, claiming the Dream 9 activists are “purposely trying to flout our law” and have “no respect for our law whatsoever.”
In another segment attacking the activists on August 6, she called for them to be deported over their “little game at the border” and mocked their petitions for asylum for claiming they have credible fear of persecution.
But while Ingraham repeatedly criticizes the Dream 9 for supposedly not respecting U.S. immigration law, she has repeatedly agitated for repealing the ACA -- which President Obama signed into law on March 23, 2010:
- On her August 2 radio show, Ingraham hosted Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to outline his plan to defund the ACA and agreed that it should be repealed.
- During an interview with Newt Gingrich on August 1, Ingraham agreed that the law is a “nightmare” and a “disaster” and advocated for Republicans to put in place a “full delay” of the health care law until a Republican president and Congress can be elected to repeal it altogether.
- On July 31, Ingraham seemed to endorse Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) idea to shut down the government over the ACA, saying, “On the principle, of course, you and I agree on this. I mean, I want this thing gone. This is ridiculous.” Cruz later claimed that “the world didn't end” when the government shut down in the 1990s. Ingraham didn't disagree, adding that “they threatened that the sky was going to fall” following the sequester, but “none of that happened.”
- Hosting Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) on July 24, Ingraham endorsed Republicans' plan to repeal the law, saying, “Defund it. Kill it. Get rid of it. We don't want it.”
- During an August 2010 Fox News segment, she demanded that Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) pledge to bring a bill to the House floor to repeal the law if the Republicans gained the majority in the House in the 2010 midterm elections.