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Laura Ingraham absolutely demolished open-borders RINO Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) as he tried to defend his disastrous “DIGNIDAD Act,” the latest Republican betrayal masquerading as “immigration reform.”
Lawler, the same RINO The Gateway Pundit exposed back in January for whining that President Trump’s deportation policies “aren’t working” and demanding mass amnesty for illegal aliens, got absolutely torched when Ingraham demanded he stop the tired clichés and actually explain the bill he’s pushing.
Lawler penned an op-ed in The New York Times earlier this year, stating:
“Along with building on Mr. Trump’s border policies, a realistic plan would provide a path to legal status — not citizenship — for long-term illegal immigrants without criminal records. This path would be rigorous and fair, and it would aim to keep families together. Fair means those who benefit would face mandatory work requirements, forgo public assistance and pay fines and any back taxes they might owe.
“Congress would have to change the legal immigration system, too. Lawmakers should create a system in which applicants’ merit matters more than it does now, better accounting for the country’s economic needs. I am the husband of a naturalized citizen. My wife came to the United States in pursuit of a better life. I will always fight to provide opportunity to others who have the potential and desire to contribute to America’s success.”
During the interview, Ingraham refused to let Lawler hide behind tired talking points and “clichés” often used by establishment Republicans attempting to justify soft-on-immigration policies.
“Congressman, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but you’ve got to stop using clichés,” Ingraham fired back early in the segment.
Lawler attempted to argue that illegal aliens are “living in the shadows,” but Ingraham immediately shut that down.
Ingraham: “I’ve been dealing with this for 25 years. I don’t know what shadows you’re looking at, but they’re not in the shadows. They’re working in restaurants—some are. Others are engaged in widespread fraud in California. But this idea that they’re already given amnesty—they’re not already given amnesty. Why do you come on television and say that? The president has been trying to remove people from this country. The only reason they’re not being removed is because we don’t have strong Democrats and Republicans to support it.”
As Lawler tried to defend the bill, claiming it includes guardrails like removing criminal aliens and requiring proof of continuous presence, Ingraham zeroed in on what many conservatives see as the fatal flaw: enforcement.
She posed a simple, devastating question:
Rep. Lawler:
Criminal aliens, 100%, should be removed from this country, period. And the bill provides for that. I don’t want anyone getting a waiver. I don’t want anyone getting a free pass.
Laura Ingraham:
It’s in the legislation? Have you read the legislation?
Rep. Lawler:
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. You don’t qualify under this legislation.
[..]
Rep. Lawler :
It’s very clear. You have to be in the country before 2020.
Laura Ingraham:
So anybody who came… please tell my audience, because they’re very smart: how does an immigration officer determine millions and millions of cases—determine continuous presence—and tell me the considerations they take into account to determine that?
Lawler struggled to provide a clear answer, repeatedly falling back on vague assurances that the Department of Homeland Security would “make the determination.”
That didn’t fly.
Laura Ingraham:
But I just asked you a question. How do you determine it?
Rep. Lawler:
You have to be able to meet the qualifications of the program.
Laura Ingraham:
What are the qualifications?
No clear answer came.
Lawler went on to claim that illegal immigrants would not qualify if they had committed crimes, would have to pay fines, back taxes, and meet strict employment requirements.
Ingraham wasn’t buying it.
“That’s false. False. False. False,” she shot back.
She then exposed what critics say are major loopholes in the legislation, pointing out that so-called “nonviolent crimes” may not disqualify applicants and that broad discretionary powers could allow immigration officers, especially under future Democrat administrations, to approve applicants anyway.
Laura Ingraham:
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 “Dignity Act,” because there are several crimes that are “nonviolent” that do not qualify for inadmissibility.
And on top of that, there are multiple instances, including family unity, public interest, and just discretion on the part of immigration officers. I can’t imagine Democrat immigration officers, under a Democrat president in the future, are going to hold this strict—“We’re not going to let any criminals in.” Gang member affiliation they’ve given wide latitude.”
WATCH:
As we reported in July 2025, RINO Salazar and her GOP collaborators (including Lawler) pushed this garbage as “not amnesty” while literally handing work visas to people who broke our laws and invaded our country.
And just yesterday, Rep. Brandon Gill was leading the charge to kill this foreign-language-titled amnesty scam, calling it exactly what it is, an insult to American voters.
The post MUST WATCH: Laura Ingraham ABSOLUTELY SHREDS GOP RINO Mike Lawler Over Disastrous Amnesty Bill — ‘Stop the CLICHES… Have You Even READ the Bill?’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.