LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Michigan Democrats are calling attention to remarks made by a Republican state representative and are pushing for his censure.
Lawmakers introduced a resolution urging Republican leaders to take action against Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford), following a speech he gave on the House floor.
Earlier this month, the Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation to ban sanctuary cities. The bill would withhold tax dollars from municipalities that do not comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts. During the vote, Schriver stood to express his support.
Democrats are now condemning his comments, which they say promote hateful and racist rhetoric. In his speech, Schriver quoted a former White House adviser and claimed immigrants undermine America’s national sovereignty.
“Sanctuary cities, they exist to protect criminals, illegal aliens. Just to paint a broad picture of what we’ve undergone over the past 60 or so years: In 1970, 4.7% of our country was foreign-born, in 2000, that number jumped to 11.1% foreign-born, and in 2030, that number is projected to be almost 20% foreign-born. Sanctuary cities are eroding the foundation of our nation. Senior advisor to President Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, Patrick Buchanan wrote in the introduction of his book The Death of the West in 2002: Mind you, the chasm in our country is not one of income, ideology, or faith, but of ethnicity and loyalty. Illegal aliens undermine our national sovereignty. The largest population transfer in history is coming from all the races in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and they are not acclimating. They are not melting and they are not reforming to the American way of life.”
House Democratic Leader Ranjeev Puri condemned the remarks and called on Republican leadership to respond.
“Rep Shriver also specifically singled out countries whose people are overwhelmingly black, brown, and non white, not once mentioning European nations or white immigrants. That’s not a coincidence. That’s racism, plain and simple. He didn’t just invoke racist tropes; he leaned into the dangerous, great replacement theory, suggesting that immigrants of color are here to erase American identity. That’s not policy. That’s paranoia, rooted in white supremacy.” Puri said. “What is equally troubling is the silence from Republican leadership and its members. Your silence tells every immigrant family, every child of immigrants, that they are not welcome. They’re not valued, and they are not equal. This is not an isolated incident. This is not a misstep. This is part of a disturbing pattern, and it demands real consequences.”
This isn’t the first time Democrats have raised concerns about Schriver’s rhetoric. During the last legislative term, he was removed from committees and stripped of funding and office staff after showing online support for the great replacement theory — an ideology associated with nationalist and white supremacist movements.
The resolution introduced calls for Schriver’s formal censure. Members of the House Republican caucus have so far declined to act, saying they are focused on “more important issues.”.
