Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the newly elected top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, laid into White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller Thursday over his support for President Trump’s robust immigration crackdown.
“Stephen Miller is doing what he loves to do, which is be essentially the biggest piece of s‑‑‑ in this country,” Garcia said in an appearance on the “Pod Save America” podcast.
“Stephen Miller should be ashamed for the way he’s acting. I can’t even believe he’s from our state, which actually makes me more, uh, more, more sick,” he told host Jon Favreau, who worked in the Obama administration.
The California lawmaker went further, warning the American dream is being “ripped away” from immigrants through continued raids and deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as large-scale arrests and subsequent protests.
In response to the initiative, hundreds in California, Texas, New York and beyond have taken to the streets to demonstrate against Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Garcia encouraged individuals to attend the nonviolent demonstrations while lawmakers continue to fight what he called injustices in court.
“We’ve got to continue winning in the courts, and that’s going to continue,” the lawmaker said. “And the other piece of it, people’s reaction, the protesting, the anger, the rising up against these actions also is having an effect. And you’re seeing that, I mean, what’s happening in LA, which was widely, as you know, mostly peaceful.”
The president and White House have contended that the demonstrations, primarily those in Los Angeles earlier this month, could put ICE agents in danger. In response, the president authorized the deployment of National Guard soldiers and Marines to California to quell the unrest.
“Yes, there were some incidents of violence we denounced as we get that, but widely peaceful,” Garcia continued on the podcast. “The protests are energizing the population and the public to stand up against us, and we are seeing the impact it’s having on the Republicans electorally.”
He added, “I mean, Trump’s immigration numbers have never been as low as they are right now because they’re seeing what he wants to do implemented across the country.”
The administration has also touted record low border encounters in recent weeks, citing border security policies implemented when Trump returned to the Oval Office.
“In the last 24 hours the Border Patrol encountered a total of 95 illegal aliens across the entire southern border. That is the lowest number EVER recorded,” border czar Tom Homan wrote in a statement on social platform X.
“To continue this great work and make it more permanent, we need the Big Beautiful Bill passed so we can finish the job, to include the biggest deportation operation the American people voted for,” he added, citing the massive reconciliation package currently making its way through the Senate.
Republicans have just a week to get the tax and spending bill to Trump’s desk before a self-imposed July 4 deadline — but that timeline has faced some road bumps due to internal divisions over cuts and the Senate parliamentarian’s latest decisions.
