Rep. Lamar Smith, Republican of Texas, said today that the “extreme fringe of the Democratic Party” is supporting an executive action providing deportation relief to some undocumented immigrants because it “wants to treat those from other countries better than we treat our own American citizens” and ultimately is “banking” on the votes of new immigrants.

“It’s amazing that an American president, a United States president, would put the interest of those who don’t live in the country or are in the country illegally ahead of the interest of American citizens,” Smith told Newsmax host J.D. Hayworth.

When Hayworth asked Smith about far-right columnist Selwyn Duke’s argument that deportation relief would amount to a “get-out-the-vote drive” for Democrats, Smith agreed, saying “demographics” indicate that immigrants covered under the proposed executive action — which does not include a path to citizenship or voting rights — will give 80 percent of their votes to Democrats.

“I wish that weren’t the case, but those are the demographics and the president and the Democratic Party are banking on them, and that’s why I say they’re putting the interest of other individuals ahead of the interests of U.S. citizens,” he said.