releases: http://gohmert.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398675
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://gohmert.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398675 | DHS: Jesus, Mary and Joseph could have earned asylum in U.S. | 2018-12-20 | 2018 | 2018-12 | Republican | House | TX | Louie Gohmert | G000552 | gohmert.house.gov | legacy | Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen assured members of Congress Thursday that Jesus, Mary and Joseph would have qualified for asylum in the U.S. as they fled King Herod. That turned out to be a point of contention as Ms. Nielsen testified to the House Judiciary Committee, fielding angry questions and denunciations from Democrats who say the Trump administration has been cruel to migrants. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat, was the most pointed, saying a Trump administration transported back to biblical times would have left Jesus to his death. A Jesus Christ who had to flee for his life, with Mary and Joseph, Mr. Gutierrez said. Thank God there wasn't a wall that stopped him from seeking refuge in Egypt. Thank God that wall wasn't there, and thank God there wasn't an administration like this or too would have perished on the 28th, the day of innocents, when Herod ordered the murder of every child under two years of age. The Feast of the Holy Innocents, celebrated on Dec. 28, commemorates the events recorded in the Book of Matthew describing in which Herod the Great, fearing the prophesy of the rise of a King of the Jews, has children executed. Joseph, warned in a dream, had fled with his family to Egypt. Rep. Louie Gohmert, Texas Republican, was indignant at that Mr. Gutierrez's denunciation, saying it was part of an overall campaign of slander against Ms. Nielsen and other administration officials. Mr. Gohmert asked Ms. Nielsen to alleviate Mr. Gutierrez's worries over the Holy Family, saying Herod's persecution of children seemed like a reason for asylum. Wouldn't they be eligible for asylum in the United States? he wondered. Yes, Ms. Nielsen assured him. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |