Advertisement
Gen Z Congressman Maxwell Frost appeared to throw a bone to his GOP colleagues on the hot button issue of immigration, saying he agreed with their desire to rid illegal immigrants from the country. Then came the headfake. ‘To my Republican colleagues who say ‘I don’t want any undocumented people in this country,’ I actually agree with you,’ the 28-year-old Florida Democrat stated during a press conference. ‘So let’s document every single one of them, with a speedy path to citizenship.’
Frost made the comments at a press conference at his Orlando, Florida district office Wednesday to promote his new bill, the SUDEM Act, which stands for Stop Unlawful Detention and End Mistreatment. Frost hopes his longshot legislation will end what he describes as a ‘taxpayer-funded kidnapping operation.’ Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill, 31, was quick to clap back against Frost’s idea of documenting every illegal immigrant with a quippy social media post.
Writing on X Wednesday night, Gill responded, ‘Dems want mass amnesty for every single illegal alien Joe Biden brought into our country. Why?’ ‘So they can turn them into Democrat voters. And so they can rig congressional apportionment in their favor. We will never let that happen,’ Gill wrote.
Gill, like Frost, is a member of Gen Z, which makes them two of the youngest legislators in their respective caucuses. The exchange comes as ICE continues its raids in states and localities with Democratic Party leadership, Los Angeles in particular. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, signaled in an interview with The Daily podcast published Thursday that the long-term solution to America’s immigration problem is changing the law, hinting at openness to allowing some portion of the undocumented population to remain in the country.
“Congress needs to make some changes. If we need a workforce to do that type of work, then create a legal pathway where they don’t have to pay a smuggler,” Homan said. “I think the president understands there’s a broken system here. But it doesn’t mean we just ignore the law.’
Blue state population drain threatens Dem coalitionÂ
Any legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for millions who entered the country illegally would have massive political ramifications. Traditionally blue states – which have long been safer havens for undocumented migrants – are losing seats in Congress due to shrinking population, while others such as Gill’s home state of Texas are gaining them. Gill’s statement operates under the assumption that legalizing immigrants would provide new votes to Frost’s Democratic Party.
Estimates for Congressional apportionment after the next Census in 2030, provided by the American Redistricting Project , show Texas and Florida gaining four seats in Congress each. The blue states of California and New York are projected to lose three and two seats respectively. Even more impactful could be net population loses in the traditional presidential ‘blue wall’ states in the electoral college, which would lead to a loss of congressional seats and electoral college votes, in places like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Minnesota. The redder states of Idaho, Utah, and Arizona are all projected to gain a congressional seat after the 2030 Census, per ARP’s projections.
Frost’s Wednesday remarks follow a burst of anti-ICE protests in some of America’s largest cities this month, leading to violent clashes with police, property damage and arson. In response to the anti-ICE riots, President Trump mobilized first the California National Guard, then 700 Marines to Los Angeles to quell the protests. The Trump administration has denied that troops are engaging in law enforcement, saying that they were instead protecting federal buildings and personnel, per Reuters .
