Ted Poe: Congressman Compares Illegal Immigrants To Grasshoppers

In one of the latest instances of a legislator waxing poetic about the debate over illegal immigration, Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) took the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday and asked why the United States could prevent "illegal grasshoppers" from entering the country, but couldn't capture much bigger illegal immigrants before they crossed the border.

Here's what Poe said:

"Now it seems to me that if we are so advanced with technology and manpower and competence that we can capture illegal grasshoppers from Brazil, in the holds of ships that are in a little small place in Port Arthur, Texas on the Sabine River. Sabine River, madam speaker, is the river that separates Texas from Louisiana. If we're able to do that as a country, how come we can't capture the thousands of people that cross the border everyday on the southern border of the United States? You know they're a little bigger than grasshoppers and they should be able to be captured easier.

Poe floated an additional suggestion:

"And maybe we need to make the guy down there in southeast Texas that captured this grasshopper from Brazil, he oughta be in charge of Homeland Security. If he's able to do this with grasshoppers just think what he can do on the southern border of the United States."

WATCH:

Earlier this week, Pat Bertroche, an Iowa Republican congressional candidate also compared illegal immigrants to animals and suggested capturing them and embedding them with microchips.

"I think we should catch 'em, we should document 'em, make sure we know where they are and where they are going," Bertroche said. "I actually support microchipping them. I can microchip my dog so I can find it. Why can't I microchip an illegal?"

Comments

[Mike Burger]

04:56 PM on 05/02/2010

Office hunters like Poe and Bertroche are among an ever increasing class of disgusting, racist, greed driven pests that plague this country. I cannot think of anything vile enough to compare them to as it would be an insult to even the lowest of beings on this planet to be associated with such filth.

[saranaghati]

12:36 PM on 05/02/2010

Unbelievable-he actually had a poster? visual aides?? The only positive thing here is that all of the lunatics are coming out-where we can see them. We are truely in the process of a huge cultural change with the old culture against it and the new, and always unstopable, moving forward. How many countless times in history? It is shocking to see the radical side of the old. It is so much worse than I thought. And it is so futile for them. As there own scripture says-"the moving finger write and having writ moves on..."

[supertim]

12:19 PM on 05/02/2010

this guy was a former judge in texas, i wonder why people still think this law is going to be struck down once it enters the appelate phase in the legal system, considering bigoted justices like this ole redneck making the decision as to whether a law is constitutional or not

[glowellx]

11:53 AM on 05/02/2010

I think we are starting to see the beging of the breaking up of the united states. The conservative party with the push to have individual states to decide what laws are approriate for them. This will only create confusion. One state aganst another. For instance you can see this in the gun control issue. The immigration issue is another.The tax issue is another. This is a nation of immigrants of all colors, what's happining is people of color are being singled out, but what about the white illegal immigrants, how do you single them out? We need to tighten our borders, but every administration has ignored this problem for one reason or another. Now is the time to act to tighten our borders instead of singling out one group.

[Martin Hennessee]

11:42 AM on 05/02/2010

Yeah, it's an idiotic remark, and nearly guaranteed to be taken amiss, but I really don't think he was COMPARING illegal immigrants to grasshoppers. This is more of a "we can put a man on the moon, but we can't do X" kind of thing.

[Scent]

11:26 AM on 05/02/2010

A corrupt, traitorous parasite calling his victims parasites. - That's politics for you.

[randyjet]

10:17 AM on 05/02/2010

Poe's presentation was a spoof about the fact that the Homeland Security cannot catch bigger things. I have to laugh at it since it was funny. If they can catch a grass hopper, why not illegals?

Too bad most of the posters here don't have the wit or intellect to understand.

[Elishia Windfohr]

09:15 AM on 05/02/2010

The NY Daily News (an Obama friendly newspaper), Editorial today on Obama's lack of leadership on immigration:
"After sandbagging Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with that lack-of-appetite remark, he recovered by wanly hailing their plan as "a very important step."

That's not good enough. Obama campaigned on immigration reform, and now he must make it happen. Health care reform passed when he got off the dime, and it looks like he'll get financial reform through Congress too. He must show the same leadership on immigration."

[hooktender]

09:31 AM on 05/02/2010

Hellooo, Elishia, Obama is a politician.

[supertim]

12:20 PM on 05/02/2010

maybe he doesnt want to offend the "rednecks for obama" political bloc

[tanx8]

06:10 AM on 05/02/2010

Now correct me if i'm wrong but isn't modern day America founded on unwanted immigration. The Native Americans didn't happily invite the European Settlors the last time I read history.

Obviously I read the wrong chapter.

[randyjet]

10:13 AM on 05/02/2010

The Native American had their own unique way of dealing with those they considered ILLEGAL immigrants. THEY KILLED THEM! Think we should follow their lead?

The ONLY illegal immigrants who came to this continent were the SPANISH who came as a military force who stole,raped, and killed the natives. The US settlers bought the land that they were on, brought their FAMILIES, and got along with their new neighbors too. You don't bring your family to a war folks. You need to read and comprehend history, not the screwy version you think you know.

[AGarcia]

10:27 AM on 05/02/2010

Native Americans also saved pilgrims... Thanksgiving right? Then pilgrims gave them diseased blankets...

[FACTISFACT]

04:25 AM on 05/02/2010

Boasting of power is not good nor comparing GOD'S best creation with animals as GOD banished even the angle, The legislator are but human should select words commensurate to the position GOD has given to them what would be the difference between a irrational being and the person who compares animals and insects.

It Disgusting to even think these ignorant with the mean low taste calling themselves to be public leaders and be members of congressional representatives of the lone super power, opined the Intelligentsia.

[henrypapillon]

01:26 AM on 05/02/2010

What's he gonna do? Maybe spray them wit Raid Yardfogger?

[NomadicView]

09:18 AM on 05/02/2010

Don't get me started on insect-people, please, Mr. Poe. When I look at the Republican infestation in Washington, it's straight from the pages of Kafka.

[madame48]

10:56 PM on 05/01/2010

what kind of moron votes for this gasbag?

[henrypapillon]

01:26 AM on 05/02/2010

Southern Republican.

[FoonTheElder]

10:36 PM on 05/01/2010

That's funny...I would compare Congressmen to hordes of locusts when the big corporations are handing out money. They seem to multiply instantly and grab anything in sight.

[Brooke Steele]

10:30 PM on 05/01/2010

So, did we kill the insects or send them back to Brazil? I'm willing to bet that we were not against gassing the containers to kill the insects. I's also bet that if we threatened death for any illegal immigrants we found, then we might just start making America a less attractive option. I'm not advocating that, but apparently that is what this dude wants.

I just think that the humans will try harder than insects since they have a tremendous incentive to do so.

[ramsha]

08:53 PM on 05/01/2010

Most of the descendents of the European’s, and so called white people in this country should realize that their fore fathers were illegal immigrants in this country. There were no papers or visas required. All they had to do was board the ship sailing to America.

[NicNicola]

10:52 PM on 05/01/2010

Love this comment...