Iowa Radio Host: ‘Illegals’ Should Become ‘Property Of The State’ (AUDIO)

Marchers chant at the locked gates of the National Cattle Congress meat packing plant grounds Sunday, May 18, 2008, after their march from Queen of Peace Catholic Church, in Postville, Iowa. Lawyers for immigrant wor... Marchers chant at the locked gates of the National Cattle Congress meat packing plant grounds Sunday, May 18, 2008, after their march from Queen of Peace Catholic Church, in Postville, Iowa. Lawyers for immigrant workers arrested in a raid at the meat packing plant in Postville say they've reached an agreement with federal authorities that will keep the workers in Iowa, The Des Moines Register reported Saturday. (AP Photo/Waterloo Courier, Rick Chase) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Iowa conservative radio host Jan Mickelson told listeners recently his idea to remove undocumented immigrants from Iowa — give them a deadline to leave and make them “property of the state” if they don’t.

Mickelson opened the Monday segment, which was flagged by Media Matters, by saying he had been asked by an “immigration open borders activist” how he would get all “the illegals” in Iowa to leave.

“‘Well how you going to do it, Mickelson?,'” the radio show host said. “‘You think you’re so smart. How would you get thousands of illegals to leave Iowa?'”

He said he would “just put up some signs” that would give undocumented immigrants a deadline — perhaps “30 to 60” days — to leave. If they didn’t, he said, they’d become “property of the state” and be placed in “compelled labor.”

From the show:

Anyone who is in the state of Iowa that who is not here legally and who cannot demonstrate their legal status to the satisfaction of the local and state authorities here in the State of Iowa, become property of the State of Iowa. So if you are here without our permission, and we have given you two months to leave, and you’re still here, and we find that you’re still here after we we’ve given you the deadline to leave, then you become property of the State of Iowa. And we have a job for you. And we start using compelled labor, the people who are here illegally would therefore be owned by the state and become an asset of the state rather than a liability and we start inventing jobs for them to do.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has proposed constructing a wall between the United States and Mexico to curb illegal immigration — with Mexico officials footing the bill.

But Mickelson said on his show that, under his plan, the “illegal Mexicans” and the “illegal aliens” will build it.

“We’re going to invite the illegal Mexicans and illegal aliens to build it. If you have come across the border illegally, again give them another 60-day guideline, you need to go home and leave this jurisdiction, and if you don’t you become property of the United States, and guess what? You will be building a wall,” he said. “We will compel your labor. You would belong to these United States. You show up without an invitation, you get to be an asset. You get to be a construction worker. Cool!”

A caller phoned to the program and said that Mickelson’s plan sounded like slavery. To which Mickelson responded, “What’s wrong with slavery?”

Listen to the full show:

h/t: Media Matters

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. He said he would “just put up some signs” that would give undocumented
    immigrants a deadline — perhaps “30 to 60” days — to leave. If they
    didn’t, he said, they’d become “property of the state” and be placed in
    “compelled labor.”

    Sorry Mr Radio host…slavery was made ILLEGAL by means of the 13th amendment to the Constitution.
    We fought a world war over attitudes like this guys. How soon we forget.

  2. He said he would “just put up some signs” that would give undocumented immigrants a deadline — perhaps “30 to 60” days — to leave. If they didn’t, he said, they’d become “property of the state” and be placed in "compelled labor."


    Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

    and no…the 10th amendment couldn’t be used to reinstitute slavery once again. Though at one point, chain gangs were illegal at some point…nah.

  3. Great idea! Then Iowans, or the people of whatever state, will have to foot the bill for feeding, housing, and taking care of these folks and these folks can take jobs from other Americans… oh wait, isn’t that exactly why they want these people to leave?

  4. Avatar for apt604 apt604 says:

    Yeah, because illegal immigrants don’t already work…??

  5. It likes no one cares anymore. The next relevant sound will be a call to bring back the chain gang.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

42 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for austin_dave Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for nowarino Avatar for radicalcentrist Avatar for imkmu3 Avatar for humpback Avatar for thunderhawk Avatar for thepsyker Avatar for inlabsitrust Avatar for inversion Avatar for mantan Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for arc_of_the_universe Avatar for ottnott Avatar for tao Avatar for exspectator Avatar for dickweed Avatar for azjude Avatar for darrtown Avatar for jonney_5 Avatar for professorpoopypants Avatar for dwolf

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: