Rep. Scholten Responds to House Republicans Using Women’s Safety to Push Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (MI-03) broke with many members of her party to vote for H.R. 7909, the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act. 

Rep. Scholten released the following statement explaining her vote to West Michiganders:

“Republicans brought H.R. 7909 to the Floor knowing it would unnecessarily challenge members– like myself – who are fierce advocates both for women’s safety and humane, commonsense approaches to the crisis at the border. This bill does not go nearly far enough to address either issue.

“I voted yes on this bill – though it is largely redundant – because I support ANY effort to keep women safe from violence. But, what we really need to move the needle on protecting women are gun safety laws to keep firearms out of abusers’ hands, funding for programs to support survivors, and full funding for VAWA reauthorization. We also need Republicans to stop using the crisis at the border as political fodder and bring the bipartisan border bill for a vote so we can have the 22,000 agents we need to protect the border. 

“My yes vote in no way condones the inflammatory, anti-immigrant rhetoric used by my Republican colleagues, especially as of late, and it does not signal that I think this bill is a true solution to either of these life-threatening issues. My vote merely signals that I agree that anyone who has committed gender-based violence should be held accountable.”

Rep. Scholten is a former immigration attorney and social worker. She is an original co-sponsor of the bipartisan Dignity Act which would address border security and infrastructure challenges, tackle critical workforce development issues, create legal status for undocumented immigrants already living in the United States with the possibility of earning citizenship, establish new pathways for asylum seekers, and create new legal pathways for economic migrants and unaccompanied minors. As a member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce, she is committed to ending gender-based and domestic violence.