Upcoming GOP House Hearings Will Lead to Dangerous Conspiracies Prevailing

Over the next few weeks, House Republicans on the judiciary and oversight committees will launch a new flurry of aggression within their political theater to show just how intense their fanatical and anti-immigrant attacks are. While some see these hearings as mere game for the cameras, the reality is that they should be taken much more seriously. Racist rhetoric and conspiracy theories are not only “sound bites” used by media outlets like Fox News because they have contributed to loss of life, but also incredibly increase the risk of future violence.

Although these hearings were touted as a way for Congress to ensure “border security,” the reality is that they will not address immigration issues, but instead provide a forum for House Republicans to expose their demagogy. The urgency of reforming our anachronistic immigration system is becoming more evident every day, but serious talk of solutions will not be heard from members of the Republican Party. Instead, we will see these hearings being used as a platform for hate speech and racist conspiracy theories, as well as false claims of a literal “invasion” of the southern border, as said Rep. Lauren Bobert (R-CO) advancing this hearing. This rhetoric should not be interpreted as mere exaggeration. The language of the so-called “invasion” of migrants is inextricably linked to the anti-Semitic and white nationalist theory of the Great Replacement.

Anyone covering these hearings needs to understand the origins of this rhetoric and language, and how they were used by white nationalists in Charlottesville in 2017 who chanted “You won’t replace us” and “Jews won’t replace us.” Preventing a “Hispanic invasion” was allegedly the motive behind the shooter who killed 23 people at a Walmart store in El Paso in 2019, according to a text he wrote himself. The specific language of “invasion” and “replacement” was copied by a white nationalist terrorist who killed 10 people in Buffalo, New York last May. This should be in the context of any newspaper report on the GOP hearings and strategy.

Unlike congressional hearings, the political theater we’re about to see could fuel political violence and terrorism, which is one of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) biggest concerns. In November and December this year, DHS repeatedly warned of serious threats to critical infrastructure and immigrant communities from domestic terrorism influenced by anti-immigrant ideology.

If these hearings were intended to address immigration issues, then legislative proposals would be made to address the issue. Instead, the Republicans are sticking to the border wall and ending our safe haven system. As Rep. Tony Gonzalez (TX-23) of the Republican Caucus noted, “Trying to ban legitimate asylum applications: first, that’s un-Christian, and second, it’s very un-American to me.”

For the most part, Gonzalez’s colleagues don’t seem to care about inciting hatred and violence. Rather, many members of the Republican Assembly enthusiastically embrace it. Both the Judiciary Committee and the Oversight Committee are filled with some of the most fanatical bigots on Capitol Hill. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy turned over the microphones of these committees to Congressmen Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Bobert, Andy Biggs, and Paul Gosar, among others, who will use their position to promote and advance the conspiracies. borders, but this time aimed at a much wider audience.

How can we know? Because we follow what they say, tweet and announce. VOA studied GOP ads in the past election cycle and found more than 700 examples of dangerous “invasion” and “replacement” conspiracy language used in campaign messages by more than 80 Republican candidates.

These congressional hearings do not deal with government policy or decisions. They are meant to continue the wave of anti-immigrant hatred we saw during the midterms. In the coming weeks, we will witness its heating up, and it will only get worse from there. They perform for Fox News, fill out their fundraising ads, and mobilize their radical base, but these racist conspiracy theories and inhumane rhetoric have real-life consequences. Recent history has shown us how hate speech leads to political violence, and these hearings will add fuel to the fire.