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anthony d esposito
GOP Congressman Suggests 'Pinochet Air' Death Flights for Migrants
"We wonder why the right-wingers aren't freaking out about Trump's dictator talk but we shouldn't," said one local Democratic leader in Georgia.
Feb 02, 2024
A Republican congressman from Georgia on Thursday suggested a novel way to stem the influx of migrants at the southern border: throw them from helicopters into the sea.
Responding to a photo showing a migrant flipping off the camera following his release without bail from a New York City court, Rep. Mike Collins took to social media to reply to a post by Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.) advising the young man to "holla at the cartels and have them escort you back."
"Or we could buy him a ticket on Pinochet Air for a free helicopter ride back," Collins suggested. He was referring to former U.S.-backed Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, whose regime was known to "disappear" critics by throwing them from helicopters into the Pacific Ocean and other waterways while they were still alive in what became known as "death flights."
As Christopher Mathias—a senior HuffPost reporter who covers the far-right—noted, Collins "is parroting a meme that's been popular among white supremacists and neofascists like the Proud Boys."
After Collins' post was removed from X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the congressman appealed directly to owner Elon Musk, saying that "he's apparently got a few more folks to fire," a reference to the site's purge of content moderators following its purchase by the multibillionaire.
Collins' post was restored with a notice that although it "violated the X rules," the site determined that "it may be in the public's interest" for it to remain accessible.
On right-wing sites including Daily Caller, commenters overwhelmingly voiced support for Collins' suggestion—although one reader found helicopter flights to be a "waste of time," preferring to "just shoot them at the border."
Pete Fuller, the Democratic Party chair in Jackson County, Georgia—which is part of Collins' district—tied the congressman's remarks to those of former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for the November election.
"We wonder why the right-wingers aren't freaking out about Trump's dictator talk but we shouldn't," Fuller said. "The hard right would love Trump taking over dictatorial powers and to start disappearing the people that are inconvenient to them."
Trump infamously suggested shooting migrants and stocking the Rio Grande with alligators, a proposal that resurfaced this week when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) attempted to breathe life into her floundering reelection campaign by affirming she would co-sponsor legislation authorizing an alligator moat.
Collins is a more serious supporter of deadly obstacles in the Rio Grande. Responding to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming the Biden administration's order for federal border authorities to cut down razor wire installed by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the Georgia lawmaker said he will introduce the Restricting Administration Zealots from Obliging Raiders (RAZOR) Act. His bill would ban the federal government from removing or altering "any state-constructed barriers installed to mitigate illegal immigration."
The Supreme Court ruling followed a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit over Texas' razor wire-topped buoy barriers in the Rio Grande, in which numerous migrants have drowned while trying to cross into the United States. One migrant's body was found in the buoy barrier last year.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden has come under fire from migrant rights advocates for expressing his willingness to "shut down the border" in exchange for a deal with Republican lawmakers that would continue U.S. funding for Ukraine's defense against Russian invasion.
Critics have warned that such a bargain would cost migrants lives and result in the evisceration of rights and protections for legal asylum-seekers and other immigrants.
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Backed by MAGA Speaker, 'Serial Liar and Indicted Fraudster' George Santos Avoids Expulsion
"Unfortunately, the new speaker and House Republicans decided to put political expediency over common decency," said one critic.
Nov 01, 2023
Speaker Mike Johnson was among the 182 Republicans and 31 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives who on Wednesday night declined to expel Congressman George Santos over his litany of lies and alleged criminal behavior he has denied.
Ousting the scandal-plagued New York Republican required a two-thirds majority. In the end, only two dozen Republicans joined 155 Democrats who supported the resolution. The remaining 41 lawmakers from both parties either voted present or did not vote.
Sean Eldridge, president and founder of the progressive group Stand Up America, specifically placed blame on Johnson (R-La.), whose election as speaker last week was widely seen as a display of the far-right's hold on the Republican Party.
"As one of Mike Johnson's first acts as speaker, he's chosen to protect a serial liar and indicted fraudster," he said. "That speaks volumes about the respect he has for American voters and his willingness to stand up to corruption. Sadly, this is just the most recent example of Republicans defending lying, indicted politicians for perceived political gain."
"Voting to expel Santos is the bare minimum for any elected representative who believes in standing up to corruption," Eldridge added. "Unfortunately, the new speaker and House Republicans decided to put political expediency over common decency. The American people, and the constituents of New York's 3rd congressional district, deserve better."
During his first interview as speaker last week, when Fox News' Sean Hannity asked about the effort to expel Santos, Johnson signaled his opposition to ousting anyone charged but not yet convicted and noted the party's "razor-thin" House majority.
Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-leader of the Not Above the Law coalition, also called out all members who voted against the resolution, declaring Wednesday night that "George Santos should have been expelled."
"Politicians need to restore trust in our democracy, but the members who failed to act on one of the most thoroughly investigated and clear-cut cases of fraud by a House member are further eroding that trust," she said. "Santos' constituents deserve real representation, and Americans deserve to know that the people they elect to office are not above the law."
Santos has faced mounting pressure to resign throughout his legal troubles, including last month, when federal prosecutors filed new wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy charges against the first-term congressman.
Following those charges, five other Republican congressmen from New York—Reps. Anthony D'Esposito, Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, and Brandon Williams—introduced the resolution that failed on Wednesday.
"This issue is not a political one, but a moral one," the resolution's GOP co-sponsors argued in a letter to House colleagues that preceded the vote. "We should let the American people know if a candidate for Congress lies about everything about himself to get their votes, and then that false identity becomes known by his own admission or otherwise, that House members will expel the fraudster and give voters a timely opportunity to have proper representation."
During debate on Wednesday, Democratic New York Congressman Dan Goldman pointed out that the Republicans behind this resolution declined to support a similar expulsion measure he co-sponsored in May.
Goldman still spoke and voted in favor of the Republican resolution. Notably, it was Santos himself who gave the Democrat the opportunity to speak, after the co-sponsors reportedly declined his request.
Punchbowl News journalist Ben Jacobs said that "at this point, you have to assume that Santos sees attacks on his fellow New York Republicans as a net plus after they have been coming after him for almost a year."
NBC Newsreported that D'Esposito suggested to reporters he may force another vote on expelling Santos in the weeks ahead, after the House Ethics Committee releases findings of its investigation into the embattled congressman.
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