Steve King: Criticizing me means defending drug smugglers

The Iowa Republican continues to stand by his comments that some DREAMers are drug smugglers

Published August 8, 2013 5:32PM (EDT)

Rep. Steve King has again defended his comments that some DREAMers are drug smugglers with "calves the size of cantaloupes," saying that what his critics are "really doing is defending drug smugglers."

"If I insulted anybody, it could have only been drug smugglers, just the drug smugglers, and I probably didn't do an adequate job of insulting drug smugglers, but the people who want to disparage what I said and what they're really doing is defending drug smugglers," King argued, KTIV News in Iowa reports.

King has been repeatedly slammed for -- and repeatedly defended -- comments about undocumented immigrants who were brought into the country as children. “For everyone who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert," he said recently.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Dream Act House Republicans Immigration Reform Iowa Steve King