Steve King: For Every Valedictorian DREAMer, There Are 100 Drug Smugglers
King said immigrants have "calves the size of cantaloupes" from hauling pot.
July 23, 2013— -- Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has rolled out a new argument against legalizing young undocumented immigrants: for each valedictorian out there, 100 more are smuggling drugs.
"It's true in some cases, but they aren't all valedictorians," King said last week in an interview with Newsmax. "They weren't all brought in by their parents.
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"For everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert," he added. "Those people would be legalized with the same act."
King is one of the biggest immigration hawks in the House and has frequently spoken out against legalizing young undocumented immigrants, known as DREAMers. He sponsored an amendment last month to defund President Obama's deportation relief program.
He's also no stranger to making inflammatory comments. Last year, he compared the process of selecting immigrants to picking a "good bird dog."
One Democratic congressman called out King for his drug-smuggling comment during a hearing on the status of young immigrants on Thursday.
"It is offensive, it demeans the dignity of this body and this country," Florida Rep. Joe Garcia said to King, who was sitting on the other side of the rostrum.