'Way Out of Line: Iowa Voters Rethink Support for Steve King [View all]
ORANGE CITY, Iowa A year ago, Evan Wielenga, 40, believed as does his congressman, Steve King that undocumented immigrants should all be deported. They broke the law to enter the country. They spoke little English. They strained schools and public services.
But as talk of a border wall and a Muslim ban overtook the presidential campaign, Mr. Wielenga, the agronomy manager of a farmers co-op here in northwestern Iowa, had a change of heart.
He heard dairy farmers say they couldnt get their cows milked without immigrants. You can put an ad in the paper and you wont get two white guys to apply, said Mr. Wielenga, who grew up on a dairy farm himself.
He heard of the ruinous damage an immigration raid had done to families. Some of these kids were born in the U.S., he said. These families had lived here 10 years, and all of a sudden, Dads gone, Moms gone. When you think of it from that perspective, whats the lesser of two evils?
Mr. King, a Republican who has displayed a Confederate battle flag on his desk in Washington, shows no sign of budging in his views. His latest anti-immigrant tirade We cant restore our civilization with somebody elses babies, he said once again drew wide condemnation and critical attention to Iowas Fourth Congressional District, whose voters overwhelmingly re-elected him to an eighth term in November.
Sioux County, Mr. Wielengas home, provided the largest margin in the 39-county district, Iowas most conservative. And there is no shortage of voters who echo Mr. Kings contention that culture and demographics are our destiny, as he said earlier this month to cheers from white supremacists.
But in conversations over four days with residents who voted for Mr. King, a new chorus of earnest naysayers could also be heard in many corners of the district. Some said the congressmans latest provocation uttered in support of a far-right Dutch politician was finally more than they could brook. Several said they were rethinking their support.
Ive always voted for him, but I think this was way out of line, said Bill Kooi, a retired farmer, sipping coffee at a Hardees in Orange City, as the friends who shared his table to a man, older white conservatives all nodded.'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/us/steve-king-iowa-immigration.html?