Although Michigan Democrat U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten told WZZM on Tuesday that her “heart breaks” over the murder of a Grand Rapids woman last weekend by an illegal immigrant, she has a lengthy record that shows her support for open borders and immigrants entering the country illegally.

On Tuesday, Scholten stated, “My heart breaks for Ruby Garcia and her family as they grapple with this unspeakable tragedy. The individual who committed this heinous crime should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I’m continuing to push for bipartisan immigration reform that both secures our border and makes sure that individuals who come to our country are fully vetted to keep our communities safe.”

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However, Scholten has repeatedly undermined efforts to prosecute illegal immigrants as an attorney for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. Additionally, her career as a representative in the U.S. Congress is rife with efforts to thwart the massive influx of illegal immigrants into the U.S.

In 2011, for example, Scholten co-authored an article arguing that “current Eighth Amendment jurisprudence can support the conclusion that deportation for certain crimes constitutes impermissibly cruel and unusual punishment.”

Although she and her co-author state the principle of proportionality “directly considering the severity of the offense” should be applied in criminal cases involving illegal immigrants found guilty in U.S. courts, she attempted to overturn a deportation order for a registered sex offender in 2015. In that 2015 case, Scholten represented a 22-year old Iraqi immigrant woman charged with molesting a 14-year-old girl.

Scholten has also been an outspoken proponent of sanctuary designations in Michigan municipalities and counties.

Aren’t Republicans supposed to be in favor of LESS Government? Why pass these redundant rules preventing localities from exercising their right to say—we won’t do ICE’s job for it. We need our local resources to stay local, not prop up an already bloated federal agency. https://t.co/4WNIOHeykx

— Hillary Scholten (@HillaryScholten) April 4, 2019

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In a 2018 MLive article, Scholten advocated for ending ICE’s contract with Kent County jails.

“We are calling on the county today to stop the voluntary practice of working with (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement),” she said. “We’re not asking that the county stand in the way of ICE doing its job, simply that (the county) not stand up and offer our county resources to help ICE in this way.”

Quoted in a 2019 Detroit Free Press article, Scholten decried Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “fear-mongering tactics” and attempting “to bully our local officials into a kind of compliance that is simply not required under the law.”

Communities of color are understandably terrified by WH threats of imminent mass immigration raids. This unaccountable agency sweeps up unintended targets, and their prison conditions are abysmal. Prep yourself for an ICE encounter with this guide by @NILC. #nohatenofear https://t.co/xZFWjUd6M2

— Hillary Scholten (@HillaryScholten) June 22, 2019

She also shared a how-to-guide on how to avoid being detained by ICE, the federal agency responsible for stopping illegal immigration, human trafficking, and drug smuggling at our borders.

As a legislator in Washington, Scholten in May of last year voted against a House Resolution that would make assaulting a first-responder by any non-U.S. national a deportable offense. That same month, she voted against a House Resolution that imposed limits on asylum eligibility while also requiring employers to use an electronic system to verify the employment eligibility of new employees.

In July of last year, she voted against a House Resolution prohibiting the use of public school buildings to house non-U.S. nationals. Similarly, last October, Scholten voted against a House Resolution prohibiting housing of non-U.S. nationals on federally administered land.

In January 2024, Scholten voted against U.S. House Resolution 957 that specifically denounced “the Biden administration’s open-borders policies, condemning the national security and public safety crisis along the southwest border, and urging President Biden to end his administration’s open-borders policies.”