In a bizarre twist, Democrat Matt Cartwright is attempting to paint himself as the pro-border security candidate in his race against Republican Jim Bognet for Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District, despite Cartwright’s pro-illegal immigration voting record.
Cartwright appears to be running away from his own party’s agenda in an attempt to sway independent and Republican voters in the final days leading up to the midterm elections.
The Democrat candidate has sent mailers to the homes of registered Republicans in Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District claiming that he supports securing the U.S. border.
Cartwright’s own voting record and previous comments, however, tell a different story.
During a September 2018 interview, Cartwright said he supports comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for up to 13 million illegal immigrants:
We have something like 11, 12, 13 million people living in the shadows in this country. My idea is let’s make taxpayers of those people. My idea is comprehensive immigration reform, a tough but fair path to citizenship, and let’s get pass this horrible bickering over immigration.
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According to VoteSmart.org, Cartwright does not support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship, and also voted in favor of the “American Dream and Promise Act of 2021.” Bloomberg reported of the legislation:
The House passed two bills Thursday to provide a path to legal status for millions of undocumented people living in the U.S. — part of Democrats’ scaled back plans for immigration reform as a surge of migrants at the southern border puts pressure on the Biden administration.
Moreover, the legislation would create a pathway to citizenship for more than two million illegal immigrants, CBS News reported.
Cartwright had also co-sponsored and voted for the “American Dream and Promise Act of 2019.”
On September 14, 2017, Cartwright voted against the “Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act,” a bill that authorizes deportation of any immigrant suspected of gang membership.
On July 23, 2015, Cartwright voted against the “Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act,” a bill that prohibits funding to state or local governments that restrict law enforcement from requesting an individual’s citizenship or immigration status.
Cartwright’s poor record on illegal immigration can be seen via a slew of other votes the Democrat representative has cast during his tenure in Congress.
Despite his voting record, which includes voting against deporting immigrants suspected of gang involvement, Cartwright is nonetheless depicting himself in mailers as the candidate seeking to secure the U.S. borders from criminals — a move that is sure to raise eyebrows for anyone familiar with his history as a representative.
Jim Bognet will face off against Cartwright in the November 8 midterm election for Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.