Pennsylvania’s Democratic Sen. Bob Casey slammed Republicans for not supporting a controversial Senate immigration invoice earlier this month prompting criticisms from Republicans, who say he pushed sure immigration fixes throughout election years and voted in opposition to them in off years – a characterization Casey’s workplace disputes.
“Now that Bob Casey is in the race of his life, he’s hoping Pennsylvanians will forget he opposed building a border wall and even supported mass amnesty and taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants,” Phillip Letsou, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, advised Fox Information Digital
“Casey will say anything for power, even if that means lying to Pennsylvanians.”
“Today we had the opportunity to pass the strongest border security bill in decades, and Senate Republicans walked away,” Casey stated in a press release final week, accusing Republicans of taking part in politics on the failed Senate immigration invoice.
“After insisting that border security was such an emergency that it needed to be addressed immediately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are now brazenly admitting that this issue can wait until after the November elections. Everyone knows the reason for this insult to the American people is that Senate Republicans are genuflecting to their presidential candidate because he’d rather campaign on this crisis than fix it.”
Since taking workplace in 2006, Casey has voted a number of instances in opposition to border safety measures throughout years he was not working for re-election whereas calling for stronger border safety in years when his identify was on the poll.
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Sen Bob Casey (Getty Photographs)
This yr, Casey has supported drug detection on the border and introduced legislation in January “aimed at fortifying security along the southwest border.” Nevertheless, Casey voted twice in opposition to drug detection on the border in 2021 and 2022. Each years, Casey was not working for re-election.
Former Pennsylvania Senate candidate, Sean Parnell, who’s supporting David McCormick’s marketing campaign, took to X, previously referred to as Twitter, to say Casey “voted against an amendment in 2021 to prevent illegals who have been charged with a crime from being granted amnesty.”
When Casey was working for Senate in 2006, he campaigned in opposition to amnesty, saying it was a “big lie” for his Republican opponent Sen. Rick Santorum to say he helps it.
“Bob Casey opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants,” a Casey campaign ad stated in 2006.
Casey pledged to “stand up” for American employees by opposing amnesty and criticized Santorum for not being sturdy sufficient on immigration.
Years later, when he was not working for Senate in 2007 and 2013, Casey supported laws that included a pathway to citizenship, which his critics known as a de facto amnesty.
Casey voted for a motion in 2007 to invoke cloture, which limits debate, on the 2007 immigration reform invoice that included a pathway to citizenship and voted a number of instances in June of that yr to advance immigration reform.
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. (AP )
A month earlier, in Could 2007, Casey voted against an modification that will have eliminated a pathway to citizenship from the immigration reform act.
When the immigration compromise failed in Congress, Casey stated in a press release that Congress had “buried its head in the sand.”
Six years later, when a complete immigration reform invoice was on the desk in 2013 and Casey was not up for re-election, the Pennsylvania Democrat voted for the bundle that included an incremental path to citizenship.
Casey defended that vote by pointing to its many sturdy safety measures, together with growing the variety of border patrol brokers.
The Casey marketing campaign advised Fox Information Digital this week that the senator “supports pairing pathways to citizenship measures with border security.”
Casey supported a fence on the southern border when he ran for Senate in 2006, saying that it was obligatory at “strategic” factors. Securing the border was one thing he talked about a number of instances, together with in Could 2006, when he stated, “Congress must enforce existing laws and secure the borders before putting illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.”
Two years later, when Casey was not up for re-election, Casey opposed a border fence when he voted in March 2008 in opposition to an modification that will have added a border fence and deployed 6,400 Nationwide Guardsman to the border.
In July 2009, Casey was not up for re-election and voted against an modification that will have required a border fence to be put up earlier than the top of 2010.
Casey voted two extra instances, in 2010 and 2013, whereas not up for re-election, in opposition to amendments that will have required the completion of a border fence.
Casey supported penalties for firms that employed unlawful immigrants whereas working for Senate in 2006, supporting the Complete Immigration Reform Act that yr whereas touting the way in which the laws would crack down in opposition to hiring unlawful immigrants.
Casey stated that although the invoice wasn’t good, he supported a proposal within the invoice that would have doubled fines for employers that rent unlawful immigrants, add immigration hiring inspectors and implement an digital verification system.
An aerial view reveals an immigrant group on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, Feb. 1, 2024. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu by way of Getty Photographs)
Casey even criticized Santorum for not doing sufficient to punish firms that employed illegal immigrants and stated he “talks a good game about [border security]” however “voted against it seven times.”
A number of instances on the marketing campaign path, Casey known as for stricter punishments in opposition to firms that rent unlawful immigrants and argued Santorum was gentle on that difficulty.
“I support tough penalties for corporations that hire illegal immigrants. My opponent voted against tougher penalties for those corporations,” Casey said on the time.
Throughout a 2006 debate with Santorum, Casey slammed the Republican for voting “against holding employers accountable” with an employer verification system.
Three years later, when Casey was not on the poll in 2009, he voted to kill amendments that will have strengthened e-verify screening.
Casey backed a motion by fellow Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer to desk a Republican modification in 2009 that will have compelled federal companies to make sure that authorities contractors test the citizenship standing of staff.
Additionally in 2009, Casey voted “Yea” on a vote to table an amendment that will have prolonged e-verify.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick witnessed photograph proof of Hamas’ assaults. (Dave McCormick Marketing campaign/Fox Information Digital)
In 2006, Casey was working for Senate, and he vocally opposed the concept of federal advantages for unlawful immigrants.
“I don’t, and no one does,” Casey stated in regards to the “assertion” from Santorum that he supported Social Safety advantages for unlawful immigrants.
Over the subsequent decade, Casey voted for federal advantages to go to unlawful immigrants a number of instances in years that he was not working for re-election, together with voting against an modification requiring people to signal sworn statements affirming their citizenship earlier than receiving Obamacare well being care advantages.
Casey was not working for Congress in 2015 when he voted against cloture on a invoice that will prohibit federal advantages for unlawful immigrants and ended up voting in opposition to cloture a complete of 4 instances on Homeland Safety funding that will have prevented federal advantages to unlawful immigrants.
“Bob Casey’s complicit in this crisis,” Casey’s Republican challenger, David McCormick, advised Fox Information Digital. “He’s had 18 years in the Senate to take decisive action and help secure the border.”
Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick on Sept. 30, 2023, in Harrisburg, Pa. McCormick is joined on stage by state GOP auditor common Timothy DeFoor (left) and treasurer Stacy Garrity (heart). (Dave McCormick marketing campaign )
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“Instead, he’s spent his time enabling weak policies that have made Pennsylvanians less safe and hurt our economy. Our commonwealth deserves a leader who will make shutting down the border to illegal immigration his top priority.”
In an announcement to Fox Information Digital, Maddy McDaniel, communications director for Bob Casey for Senate, stated, “Casey has a long record of working to strengthen border security and passing bipartisan legislation to combat fentanyl smuggling across the border.
“David McCormick refused to assist a bipartisan invoice that was known as the ‘toughest border and immigration law in modern history,’ was supported by border patrol and would have cracked down on fentanyl trafficking – that’s why Pennsylvanians know McCormick can’t be trusted.”
The campaign pointed to several examples of Casey “working throughout the aisle to strengthen border safety” together with the INTERDICT Act and STOP Act in 2017 that offered funding for drug screening and monitoring fentanyl shipments from China by way of the postal service.
The marketing campaign additionally identified that earlier votes Casey took on immigration have been additionally supported by some Republicans.
