DV Journal

Delaware Valley U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware) is one of the three House Democrats leading the defense of a Syrian immigrant facing deportation over leadership role in antisemitic protests at Columbia University, comparing his treatment to “McCarthyism.”

Mahmoud Khalil is a former Columbia student and current green card holder who’s been an outspoken participant in the anti-Israel campus protests, including illegal encampments and angry encounters that left some Jewish students afraid to attend class.

Khalil has been targeted for deportation by the Trump administration, and he’s currently in federal custody. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who’s overseeing the deportation effort, points to the green card holder’s public support for the terror group Hamas, including handing out pro-Hamas fliers and celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack that left more than 1,200 dead in Israel.

“When you apply for a student visa or any visa to enter the United States, we have a right to deny you for virtually any reason. But I think being a supporter of Hamas and coming into our universities and turning them upside down, being complicit in what are clearly crimes, vandalization, complicit in shutting down institutions,” Rubio said. “If you told us that’s what you intended to do when you came to America, we would have never let you in. And if you do it once you get in, we’re going to revoke it and kick you out.”

Progressives are outraged, calling Khalil’s detention an attack on free speech and a sign of encroaching fascism. Hundreds poured into Trump Tower in New York City Thursday to protest the Trump administration’s actions. Nearly 100 were arrested.

Scanlon has joined far-left Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in a letter to Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem supporting Khalil.

According to Jewish Insider, more than 100 Democrats have signed onto the letter, which “does not mention or acknowledge the specific nature of Khalil’s activities on Columbia’s campus, including his involvement with the anti-Israel encampment and the alleged distribution of pro-Hamas pamphlets at a protest he helped organize,” the outlet reports.

“We express our grave concern over the constitutionally dubious use of an obsolete Cold War era section of the Immigration and Nationality Act to have federal agents pick up a lawful permanent resident at his home, arrest him and detain him for exercising his First Amendment Rights,” the letter said.

The letter continues to say the Trump administration’s “maneuver evokes the Alien and Sedition Acts and McCarthyism.”

“Weaponizing the immigration system to crush and chill protected free speech puts our nation on the side of authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping,” the authors wrote.

Supporters of his deportation say Khalil’s problem isn’t his speech but rather his behavior. As City Journal reports:

“Videos appear to show Khalil standing with a bullhorn near the library’s entrance surrounded by keffiyeh-masked disruptors. The gathering featured propaganda bearing the label ‘Hamas Media Office,’ including a booklet celebrating the Oct. 7 massacre entitled, ‘Our Narrative . . . Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.'”

Rabbi Matt Abelson, a member of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia, said, “Under the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, Secretary of State Rubio can make the decision to detain Mahmoud Khalil. That’s not in dispute. The court will render a decision, and I trust that decision will be reasonable. That Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon would take the lead in circulating a letter condemning Khalil’s detention is consistent with the votes she has cast post 10/7, which have emboldened Hamas and its supporters on college campuses.”

Pro-Hamas demonstrations, encampments and marches occurred on many American campuses since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks on Israel that took the lives of 1,200 innocent Israelis. Another 200 were taken hostage.

Columbia was at the forefront of these demonstrations, with more than 100 people arrested. Locally, the University of Pennsylvania, Temple, Swarthmore, and Haverford have all weathered pro-Palestinian protests.

Protesters have threatened Jewish students and antisemitism is on the rise.

President Donald Trump promised to protect Jewish students’ civil rights and told some 60 colleges and universities, including Swarthmore, to protect their Jewish students or else.

The administration has canceled $400,000 in grants to Columbia.

Fellow Pennsylvania Democrat U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has a very different view than Scanlon.

Responding to congressional Democrats who posted “Free Mahmoud Khalil” on social media, Fetterman wrote, “Free all the hostages who have been tortured, starved, raped, beaten and STILL in tunnels in Gaza by Hamas since October 7th, 2023.”

Immigration lawyer and pundit Christine Flowers said, “The people who are attempting to make Mahmoud Khalil a victim of some fascist plot to deny an immigrant his First Amendment rights don’t understand the law and are ignorant of the facts. Khalil is not being targeted because of anything he said. If anything, his words are innocuous and more or less similar to the ridiculous rhetoric of the Pro-Palestinian agitators, who throw around the word genocide as some trendy hashtag on social media.

“While none of us know all of the facts, suffice it to say that Khalil is receiving more due process than the victims of Oct. 7 received, and what he would receive in most Middle Eastern countries that have refused to condemn Hamas,” Flowers added.

The Delaware Valley’s Democratic congresswomen were divided on whether to censure U.S. Rep. Al Green, the angry, 77-year-old Texan who repeatedly violated House rules as he waved his cane and tried to shout down President Trump Tuesday night.

Green, who announced plans to file articles of impeachment just 15 days after Trump was sworn into his second term, wasn’t the only Democrat to engage in rude behavior during the presidential address. Many turned their backs on Trump as he entered the building and spent most of the speech scowling or waving signs of protest.

As a group, Democrats refused to stand and applaud for civilian special guests recognized by the president, even when a 13-year-old cancer survivor was given an honorary membership as a Secret Service agent. Some even made a display of storming out of the speech before it was over, including local Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon.

During the president’s address to a joint session of Congress, Green repeatedly broke decorum — and House rules — and was warned by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. The Texas Congressman refused to be seated and continued to shout and wave his cane. At that point, Johnson called for the sergeant at arms to escort Green from the chamber.

In a sign of how far over the line Green’s actions were, it took less than 48 hours for lawmakers to put forward, agree on and pass the censure resolution in a 224-198 vote. Every Republican, including Bucks County Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, voted in favor of censure. GOP members were joined by 10 Democrats, including Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who represents Chester and Berks Counties.

Scanlon and her fellow Delaware Valley progressive Rep. Madeleine Dean voted against censure.

Johnson called out the Democratic majority that voted against censure in a case that, most observers say, was a clear violation of House rules.

“198 Democrats just voted against censuring Rep. Al Green. Instead of supporting decorum, they defended his shameful and egregious behavior. What an embarrassment,” Johnson posted on social media,

If House Democrats were embarrassed by their support of Green and his antics, it didn’t show. A group of them stood and sang “We Shall Overcome” on the House floor Thursday during the censure process, ignoring the speaker’s gavel. Politico described it as “a wild scene.”

Even Houlahan, who voted for censure, took to social media to defend her actions to her Democratic constituents.

“Today’s vote to censure my fellow representative was not easy and has angered many of you,” Houlahan said, adding that she also “called Speaker Johnson out on his and his party’s hypocrisy and reminded him of the many instances in which Republicans have blatantly broken the rules of conduct without consequence.”

This isn’t the first time local Democrats voted against censure for what many considered egregious behavior. In 2023, progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) was censured for using offensive language about Israel, including promoting a chant that calls for the destruction of the Jewish state (“From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free.”)

Florida Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz pointed out that “This phrase means eradicating Israel and Jews. Period.” But Dean, Houlahan and Scanlon all voted against the Tlaib censure resolution.

Some Democrats, including Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, have been critical of the behavior of Green and other members of their party during Trump’s speech, saying it turns off voters.

Despite the political animosity on the House floor, there were green shoots of bipartisanship in Trump’s speech Tuesday night.

The president recognized his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, for her work on the Take It Down Act, a bill making it illegal to knowingly publish nonconsensual AI-generated pornography with someone’s image. Social media and websites must remove that content when a victim notifies them. On CNN Thursday, Dean said she’s sponsoring that bill and she had sent Mrs. Trump a letter thanking her for her support.

As for his behavior, Green says he has no regrets.

“I would do it again,” he told reporters after the censure vote.

Congress recently passed the Laken Riley Act with bipartisan support. Laken Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student murdered on Feb. 22, 2024, by an illegal alien at the University of Georgia. The murderer had been arrested previously on other charges. but had not been detained by local authorities for possible deportation by ICE.

The Laken Riley law would require that ICE be notified of those here illegally who were arrested for other crimes. It also requires those authorities to obey ICE detainers and keep them in jail.

It also would allow state attorneys general to sue the secretary of Homeland Security for injunctive relief if immigration actions such as parole, violation of detention requirements, or other policy failures harm that state or its citizens.

The bill was championed by Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman with 11 other Democratic senators also voting for it. Northeast Philadelphia Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle also voted for the bill.

However, the Philadelphia suburbs must not need the protection this bill affords, because Democratic Congresswomen Madeleine Dean, Mary Scanlon, and Chrissy Houlahan voted against it. Houlahan led the charge and wrote an op-ed for The Philadelphia Inquirer, claiming the bill was unconstitutional.

Houlahan even mentioned seeing “I’m Just a Bill” from watching Saturday “Schoolhouse Rock!” on Saturday mornings to bolster her duty to oppose the bill.

Could Houlahan’s position stem from the mushroom farms in her Chester County district rather than a children’s TV show? Those huge farms have been cited for hiring many workers who might be here illegally.

Houlahan uses the Democratic talking point that our immigration system is broken and what we need are laws like the Border Act of 2024. That law would essentially codify a surrender to former President Joe Biden’s open border policies, which set the stage for Laken Riley’s murder.

In denying that American citizens are being harmed by people who are here illegally, Houlahan attacks the cost of the law.

Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, was confronted last Sunday by ABC News reporter Martha Raddatz about the cost of deporting criminal illegal immigrants. Homan pushed back by asking how can we put a price tag on the lives of people like Laken Riley and hundreds of other Americans.

The inescapable fact is that Laken Riley would be alive today if the person who killed her had been held for deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ ICE].

Are the voters in the Delaware Valley supportive of opposition to commonsense laws like the Laken Riley Act? Or are these areas immune from all the problems caused by Biden’s open border failures? Hundreds of polls show illegal immigrant crime is right there with inflation as a problem that Americans are most concerned about. I don’t think so, and when the ICE officers target criminal illegal aliens in the Philadelphia area, it will be very interesting to see the reaction in the suburbs to how many murderers, rapists, and drug dealers ICE arrests and deports.

The ICE operation so far in cities like Chicago has underlined the human cost of so-called sanctuary city policies. Homan has pointed out that violent criminals have been living among us. And those wanted criminals will not be allowed to find sanctuary in churches and schools.

Fetterman, Boyle, and other Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act understand that significant numbers of Americans support the removal of criminal aliens. When will the Philadelphia suburbs support that commonsense reality?

Just days after the U.S. House passed the Laken Riley Act in response to the murder of a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student at the hands of a repeatedly-released illegal alien, Congress took up a bill specifically targeting illegals convicted of sex crimes.

Like the Laken Riley Act, a majority of Democrats opposed it, including local Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware). But 61 Democrats joined every Republican to pass the bill with a massive 274-145 majority. Among them was Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester).

The Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, which now goes to the Senate, orders the deportation of illegal aliens who commit sex offenses. It also mandates that illegal aliens convicted of sex offenses or domestic violence—or those who admit to such crimes—will be deemed inadmissible to the United States.

“No family should endure the heartbreak the families of Laken Riley, Mollie Tibbetts, Karina Vetrano, and Maddie Hines have experienced,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.). “Every woman and every girl deserves to feel safe in their own community. The radical left doesn’t agree with this.”

Dean, Houlahan, and Scanlon did not respond to DVJournal’s requests for comments.

Jessica M. Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, called out the Democrats who voted against this bill.

“It’s astounding that any member of Congress would vote against a bill to deport violent sex offenders and those who commit domestic violence. And it’s especially astounding that women in Congress would vote against it, when they typically champion any legislation, any federal funding, any new programs to combat violence against women.

“Sadly, we have more than enough Americans who threaten and attack women. There’s no reason to protect such criminals who are here illegally. Whatever their views on immigration, surely Americans can agree on this common-sense measure. Most would be shocked that it is not already the law.”

State Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) was also disappointed.

“Democrats in Congress have lost touch with common sense and what our families want. Measures to better protect women from sexual assault have strong support of all Americans, and those who voted against this bill voted against all of us.”

Alfeia “Alfe” Goodwin serves in the Army Reserves and spent a tour of duty in Iraq. She was a Philadelphia police officer. Now, she teaches special education students in the City of Chester. And she is the endorsed Republican candidate for Congress in the 5th District.

“Alfe will provide Delaware County with a commonsense voice in D.C., not the elitist persona we’ve been dealt,” said Delaware County GOP Chairman Frank Agovino. “Our current congresswoman places a woke platform ahead of support for law enforcement and kitchen table issues. Alfe is a mom, grandmother, former Philadelphia police officer, and a veteran. Alfe’s views are shaped by her real-life experiences in Philadelphia and Upper Darby neighborhoods. Alfe is a fighter. She is one of us.”

The DVJournal asked Goodwin, 53, why she wants to serve in Congress.

“I have spent the better part of my adult life in uniform and working as a public servant,” said Goodwin. “So, it was only fitting that I just go and take things up to the next level and continue my life’s mission, being a public servant. And working for the public for the best of the public interest.”

Asked if she thinks incumbent Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware) is doing a poor job, Goodwin said, “I think she is.”

“A vote for Mary is a vote for Joe Biden. She’s part of the machine. MGS is a rubber stamp for four more years of the Biden administration,” said Goodwin. Goodwin said she’s happy to debate Scanlon anytime.

Goodwin has been in the Army Reserves for 23 years.  She joined on Sept. 11, 2001, the day the U.S. was attacked by terrorists, bringing down the Twin Towers in New York and damaging the Pentagon. Some 3,000 people died that day, and more than 6,000 were injured.

Several family members served in the military, including her brother.

“I always heard about the Army growing up from my brother and uncles,” said Goodwin. She had contacted a recruiter on Sept. 10, 2001, and he was supposed to go to her house with the enlistment papers the next day, she said. He called first and asked if she still wanted to join, given the terrorist attack that would likely plunge the country into war, and she did.

“He was there at 2 p.m. and by 2:14 p.m. I signed,” said Goodwin.

She did her tour during Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and 2004. Her oldest brother, Sgt. First Class David DeVaughn Sr. , was  in Iraq at the same time.

She was away on active duty when she learned she’d be able to take the test to be a Philadelphia police officer. The city allowed her to delay it until she returned stateside. Goodwin went to the Police Academy and then patrolled North Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, and Chinatown before she retired in February.

“I absolutely loved South Philly,” said Goodwin. “You can get anything to eat and at any time. It has the absolute best food.”

After leaving the police force, he then decided to run for Congress and began knocking on doors and getting signatures.

“I love the community engagement,” the Upper Darby resident said about running for office. “Talking to people about their lives, about their opinions, what’s going on with them.”

Also in 2022, she ran for state representative for Upper Darby on the Libertarian ticket. These campaigns were “a crash course in the political realm,” she said. “It was a great experience.”

As a police officer, she learned to listen, observe, and then solve problems.

“You can actually get to the root of the problem,” said Goodwin. “You can change a person’s life for the better.”

She holds a Ph.D. in public policy and administration from Walden University and a certificate in strategic planning from Walden. Goodwin, a military chaplain, earned a master’s degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary, as well as studying at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Goodwin is working on a doctorate in special education from Liberty University.

Goodwin has three adult children and a 4-year-old granddaughter.

She also founded a nonprofit, Follow Your Bliss, that owns a tiny home in Chester, where she plans to house a homeless veteran once the electricity is connected. There are around 70 homeless veterans in Chester, she said.

Asked how she’s managed to achieve all this, she admitted, “I’m very much a workaholic. As soon as I get one thing done, then I see and feel another area that needs my attention. And I know I can’t solve every problem, but with the help and support. And I’ve received a lot of help. I truly feel we can make our communities in Delco, in this country, a better place to live.  We can.”

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(This column first appeared in Broad + Liberty.)

During the last month, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon has been busy representing Delaware County residents in Washington. Well, at least some of the residents. Others might feel even less represented than usual as Scanlon continues to lurch leftward, leaving the average Delco citizen behind.

Let’s look at a few of her well-thought-out and truly courageous votes.

First, a bill was put forward in the House called the Antisemitism Awareness Act.

The act was a response to the wave of virulent antisemitism that is sweeping college campuses. The authors believed that congressional action was needed to stop this hate on the campus and to keep it from spreading beyond the campus. Congresswoman Scanlon decided otherwise and joined 91 other members to vote against the bill. She was joined by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and the rest of the so-called “Squad” — essentially the far left of the Democrat Party.

This places Scanlon outside the mainstream, even among Pennsylvania delegates. Only Pittsburgh’s Summer Lee — another darling of the far-left — and Philadelphia’s Dwight Evans joined her. Other reliable Pennsylvania Democrats like Brendan Boyle and Madeleine Dean saw the wisdom of monitoring the hateful actions of these radical students and professional agitators. None of the Republicans from the state voted against the act, either. But Scanlon chose to join the radical fringe.

Second, a bill was introduced which would require the deportation of any — can I say this? — “illegal alien” who has assaulted a police officer. The bill passed, 265 to 148, with 54 Democrats joining 211 Republicans. Scanlon was, once again, not with the majority.

How can anyone conclude that someone who has entered the country illegally and assaulted a police officer, should not be deported? I presume she and the rest of the Squad had a Zoom call and came to the conclusion that illegal aliens trump police officers in their weird hierarchy.

Third, the House passed a resolution that condemns calls to defund the police. It did not have the force of law, but is a good way for members to let the country know where they stand on the issue. Scanlon and the rest of the Squad voted against it.

Sixty-one of the most progressive members of congress are still holding out hope of defunding the police. Scanlon, who lives in a tony and safe area of the county, thinks those who don’t should fend for themselves. She is not new to this cause — here is a photo of her marching in a parade calling for the defunding of the police.

Scanlon won’t fight campus radicalism and antisemitism, won’t vote to deport illegal aliens who commit violent crimes, and won’t show even a minimal amount of support for funding the police. Does that sound like representing Delaware County to you?

Montgomery County Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean joined some of the loudest anti-Israel voices in Congress in a public letter urging President Joe Biden to cut off U.S. military support to Israel in the midst of a war with the terror group Hamas.

The April 5 letter was signed by 40 Democrats, including prominent pro-Palestine progressives like Reps. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

The letter, also signed by former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), mentions the accidental Israeli strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.

“If this strike is found to have violated U.S. or international law, we urge you to continue withholding these transfers until those responsible are held accountable. We also urge you to withhold these transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers, and if it fails to facilitate – or arbitrarily denies or restricts – the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the letter states.

It’s not the first controversial Democratic letter targeting Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) drew heat in November when she signed a controversial letter calling for a ceasefire and condemning Israel’s military and accusing it of “grave violations against children.” The letter was penned by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), among other Democrats, and did not call for the release of Israeli hostages, who include women, children, the elderly, and Americans. After hearing from constituents with a hostage family member, Scanlon then condemned Hamas and called for the hostages’ release.

Calling for an end of military aid to Israel, one of America’s closest allies is the latest sign that the Democratic Party is abandoning its longtime history of supporting the Jewish nation.

The day before the letter was signed, Biden announced Israel must submit “without delay” to an “immediate ceasefire” with Hamas, even as the terror group holds more than 100 hostages and continues to attack Israel. And, Biden’s Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, Israel is at risk of becoming indistinguishable from Hamas if it continues to fight in Gaza.

It’s language American presidential administrations of the past would never have used. But many Democrats agree, including here in Pennsylvania.

While Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) did not sign the April 5 letter, she’s called for a ceasefire in the war between Hamas terrorists and Israel, changing her initial support for the Jewish nation.

“I’ve long been calling for a negotiated, mutual ceasefire. But the urgency of getting the remaining hostages home, and getting aid to Palestinian civilians, makes it essential that a halt to this war happen now,” Wild posted on X.

Another Delaware Valley Democrat, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, issued a press release saying she supports “Israel’s right to protect its citizens and sovereignty against the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.” However, since the airstrike that killed the aid workers, she said she was “outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of more than 30,000 people in Israel and Gaza since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 and was shocked to read about the Israeli airstrike in Gaza that claimed the lives of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those who were killed in this senseless act of violence; indeed, my heart remains with each and every family and loved one who has been affected since Oct. 7.” She demanded that Israel “can and must do better.” But one Pennsylvania Democrat who continues to call out Hamas’ terrorism and defend Israel is Sen. John Fetterman (D).

“In this war against Hamas—no conditions for Israel,” Fetterman posted on X. And instead of blaming Israel for civilian deaths, Fetterman pointed out it is Hamas that launched the war and used innocents as human shields.

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking… it’s a war, and it’s absolutely terrible,” Fetterman said. “What is going on? Hamas is hiding behind civilians. Israel has the right to defend themselves and destroy Hamas.”

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On Thursday, the U.S. House passed the Laken Riley Act, a bill named for a young Georgia student who was killed while jogging on campus, allegedly by an illegal immigrant.

The bipartisan bill passed 251-170, with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks/Montgomery) voting for it and all three Delaware Valley Democratic congresswomen –Mary Gay Scanlon, Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan—voting against it. All the no votes came from Democrats; 37 other Democrats voted for the measure.

“Congress must do everything it can to prevent another parent from losing his or her child,” Fitzpatrick told DVJournal. “Laken Riley’s death never would have occurred if our borders were properly secured and immigration laws enforced. I will continue to work in a bipartisan way to find a solution to protect our borders.”

Scanlon, Dean, and Houlahan did not respond to requests for comment.

The bill would require that any illegal immigrant who committed burglary, larceny, shoplifting, or theft be detained.

The murder of the 22-year-old nursing student, allegedly by an illegal immigrant, on the University of Georgia campus shocked the country.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan who came to the U.S. illegally, was charged with her murder.

Congressman Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) posted on social media, “Laken Riley was murdered in cold blood by Jose Ibarra – an illegal alien who had committed previous crimes in NY. This NEVER should have happened & today, we voted to to ensure ALL criminal illegals like Ibarra will be arrested & detained. 170 Democrats STILL voted against this.”

Along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) taking the immigrants charged with crimes into custody, the act allows state attorneys general to litigate against Homeland Security to enforce the removal requirements in the act.

The resolution was introduced by Georgia Rep. Mike Collins (R).

“While we can’t bring Laken back, we must now turn our focus to doing everything we can to prevent this from happening to another American,” Collins said in a statement. Collins had invited Riley’s parents to come to the State of the Union with him, but they declined.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on social media, “170 House Democrats just voted against the Laken Riley Act, refusing to require the detention and deportation of illegal immigrants who have been caught committing a crime. Sadly, if these Democrats have their way, there will be more victims like Laken Riley.”

Also, on social media, Johnson said, “The Laken Riley Act is so important because we’ve got to ensure that this can’t happen again. Republicans will not stand for the release of dangerous criminals into our communities, and that’s exactly what the Biden administration has done. Laken is just one of the tragic examples of innocent American citizens who have lost their lives and been brutally and violently attacked by illegal criminals who are roaming our streets because they’ve allowed them in.

Republicans have called on President Joe Biden to mention Riley in his State of the Union speech.

He did mention her, briefly, in his remarks.

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Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) joined a delegation of Republicans led by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to Eagle Pass, Texas, this week to call for an end to the border chaos and to decry President Joe Biden’s immigration record.

The lawmakers came to see the humanitarian and national security crises at the southern border, where migrant numbers reached more than 300,000 in December — the highest single-month number ever recorded. More than eight million migrants have entered the U.S. illegally under Biden’s watch. The trip included intelligence briefings related to trends in border security, according to Fitzpatrick’s office.

“The migrant crisis at the southern border is real and presents a grave national security threat to our nation,” said Fitzpatrick. “Our brave Border Patrol men and women are overwhelmed by a migrant surge that is a direct result of misguided policies from this administration. Over the past three years, we have witnessed the public health, humanitarian, and national security consequences that the porous southern border has created for our nation, and this Congress must come together and find real solutions to this crisis.”

The House Homeland Security Committee is also poised to begin hearings next week on whether to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border.

The Biden administration threw out former President Donald Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy for asylum seekers, which had required them to stay in that country until their case was adjudicated. Another factor was Biden’s ending of Title 42, a Trump administration policy that allowed immigrants to be sent back due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Berks/Montgomery), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester/Berks), and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Philadelphia/Delaware) did not reply when asked whether they support the Biden administration’s border policies or defend its results.

The flow of millions of illegal immigrants across the border has garnered national attention, largely through the efforts of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who has sent busloads of migrants to Democrat-run “sanctuary” cities, including Philadelphia.  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican running for president, has also flown some undocumented immigrants out of Florida, notably to Martha’s Vineyard.

Johnson wrote on X (formerly Twitter) about the trip, “Yesterday, more than 60 House Republicans were in South Texas speaking with local landowners and law enforcement. We were shown firsthand how the president’s reckless open-border policies are devastating communities across the state.

“The Biden administration’s decision to sue the state of Texas for trying to secure its border is shameful. The first responsibility of leaders is to protect their citizens, and @GovAbbott has shown leadership where President Biden has been an abject failure. The Biden administration is showing once again it is obviously their deliberate strategy to keep the border open and continue the chaos and humanitarian crisis their policies have created.”

On X, Fitzpatrick added, “The Senate must take up the Secure the Border Act, which has already passed the House, and the administration must restore the Remain in Mexico policy and enforce 8 U.S.C 1325 and 1326. We are, and always have been, a nation of legal immigration. We must not be a nation of lawlessness.”

While Democrats in the Delaware Valley delegation declined to comment about the border today, they have spoken out in the past.

Scanlon’s website notes that as an attorney, she “worked for many years representing immigrants and asylum seekers. In Congress, Rep. Scanlon is committed to repairing our complex and broken immigration system through common-sense policy measures. She has cosponsored legislation to end inhumane family separation practices and will fight to protect Dreamers and TPS holders.”

She also visited the border in 2019 and “will continue working to ensure that Customs and Border Patrol and the Coast Guard have the resources they need to protect our borders and legal ports of entry while addressing the humanitarian crisis at our border.”

“Our failure to address this humanitarian crisis with diplomacy, foreign aid, and humane border policies has created a challenge for law enforcement officers. They need resources to address the facts, not a crisis dreamed up by those sowing racist division for political gain,” Scanlon said at the time.

On her campaign website, Dean said she “supports a strong legal immigration system and humane treatment for anyone seeking citizenship.” She supports “a path to citizenship for [illegal immigrants] who want to be part of our country, reinstating DACA to allow the Dreamers to be able to stay in our country without fear.” She promised to fight against “inhumane border policies” and “end the cruel practice of family separation and placing those seeking legal asylum in inhumane living conditions at the border or elsewhere in our country.”

Houlahan is “cosponsor and vote for the Dream and Promise Act. This legislation aims to secure permanent residency for immigrants protected under the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) program, Temporary Protected Status, and Deferred Enforced humanitarian programs.”

Houlahan also cosponsored bills to help legal immigrants: H.R. 3648, the Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act, and H.R. 3897, the H-2B Returning Worker Exception Act of 2021.

“What is happening at our southern border should alarm all of us,” Houlahan said of the legislation. “When I visited the border in 2019, what was clear was that our facilities lacked, and have been lacking for years, the attention and resources they need. That needs to change, which is why I joined my colleagues across the aisle to vote for a 2022 spending bill providing additional funding for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to better manage immigration across our southern border.”

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When the U.S. House of Representatives voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) “for promoting false narratives regarding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the State of Israel,” 22 Democrats crossed party lines to pass the resolution.

None of those Democrats were from Pennsylvania.

All three local Democrats, Reps. Madeleine Dean, Mary Gay Scanlon, and Chrissy Houlahan voted against the censure resolution, which passed the House in a 234-188 vote. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) supported the resolution.

In particular, members of Congress were outraged by Tlaib’s use of the antisemitic phrase ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ a call to destroy the Jewish nation of Israel. More than 70 House Democrats took the unusual step of releasing a statement condemning the language as “a rallying cry for the destruction of the state of Israel.”

“We reject the use of the phrase “from the river to the sea”— a phrase used by many, including Hamas, as a rallying cry for the destruction of the State of Israel and genocide of the Jewish people. We all feel deep anguish for the human suffering caused by the war in Gaza. Hamas started this war with a barbaric terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and neither the Palestinian nor Israeli people can have peace as long as Hamas still rules over Gaza and threatens Israel,” the statement read in part.

Tlaib has made no secret of her animosity toward Israel. The only Palestinian-American currently serving in Congress, Tlaib claims, “‘From the river to the sea’ is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.”

Supporters of Israel note that it is a common chant of terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and is usually accompanied by maps with Israel wiped out and replaced by a nation called “Palestine.”

“This phrase means eradicating Israel and Jews. Period. Dressing it up in a new PR ploy won’t change that,” says Florida Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. 

Houlahan said in a statement that, while she “wish[ed] Rep. Tlaib hadn’t defended this particular charged phrase,” she accused Republicans of also making offensive statements and argued that censoring members of Congress over “essential freedoms, including speech and expression,” is a mistake.

“As a veteran who has sworn the oath to defend the constitution many times, I support those freedoms, even if I vehemently disagree with what’s being said.”

As for the Democratic letter regarding the phrase, a spokesperson for Houlahan told DVJournal, “There was particular phrasing” in the statement with which she disagreed.

Dean issued a statement saying, “As a longtime supporter of a two-state solution — as someone who works in the pursuit of liberation for Palestinians and long-term peace for both Israelis and Palestinians — I do not believe the phrase ‘from the river to the sea’ has a place in our discourse.” And, she added, she believes the phrase “has been co-opted by terrorist groups like Hamas to mean complete and total destruction of the Jewish state.”

But she also refused to sign the Democratic letter of condemnation or vote for censure.

“That’s not to say some of these censures aren’t warranted — but this is not the best use of our limited time,” Dean said via social media.

Scanlon did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The only Pennsylvania Democrat who didn’t vote against the resolution was embattled Rep. Susan Wild (D-Allentown).

She voted “present.”