That’s Charlie Spiering’s quotation of what he said today in reaction to the new House border crisis bill. I haven’t seen video yet but HuffPo quotes him substantially the same way:

Rep. Gutierrez went there: “It is almost as though they despise and hate all of our children.” — Elise Foley (@elisefoley) August 1, 2014

This is the same guy with whom Paul Ryan’s been working on comprehensive immigration reform for years, and of whom Ryan said last year, “He’s not trying to play politics, he is sincere in trying to find common ground to solve the immigration problem and I very much appreciate that.” Common ground, evidently, encompasses, “you hate our children.” In reality, there’s no one in the House who’s consistently more willing to demagogue Republicans as anti-Latino for resisting a massive amnesty sellout (so far) than Gutierrez. And yet, he’s forever being placed by Democrats at the center of immigration negotiations. He was a member of the House’s doomed version of the “Gang of Eight” and he’s invariably included when the White House huddles with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on immigration. The next time you hear a liberal lament Steve King’s influence over the Republican caucus, remind them that the fate of immigration policy in America seems to revolve around this sleazy A-hole, by the consent of their own leadership — and the GOP’s. Right, Paul?

And no, the curious use of “our” in the quote isn’t an accident or Freudian slip. Gutierrez has been candid about where his allegiances lie:

“He’s as close as the Latino community has to a Martin Luther King figure,” says Frank Sharry, founder of the pro-immigrant group America’s Voice. Yet Gutierrez’s tactics are controversial. While many admire his tenacity and credit him with keeping immigration reform alive, others, including members of the Obama administration, believe his confrontational style can be counterproductive. He sees things more simply. “I have only one loyalty,” he says, “and that’s to the immigrant community.”

If I were Boehner, I’d pass whatever they’re going to pass today and then walk away until Gutierrez apologizes. Part of the reason demagoguery from liberal attack dogs in Congress is so nasty on this issue is because they pay no price for it. On the contrary, they have every incentive to ramp it up: The more they accuse Republicans of racism, the more GOP leaders seem to tremble and start murmuring about comprehensive immigration reform again. Boehner’s repudiated King before, publicly and privately. Let’s hear Pelosi or Reid or Obama open their mouths for once if Gutierrez won’t do it himself.

And by the way, it’s time for Republicans who speak Spanish to start paying attention to this jackhole’s press conferences. Here’s an interesting tidbit I hadn’t heard before courtesy of WaPo reporter Ed O’Keefe:

At presser held by Congressional Hispanic Caucus, @RepGutierrez (D-Ill.) being sharper rhetorically in Spanish than when speaking English. — Ed O'Keefe (@edatpost) August 1, 2014

Gutierrez and others more sharply criticizing GOP when speaking Spanish — attempt to stoke anti-GOP feelings among Spanish-language viewers — Ed O'Keefe (@edatpost) August 1, 2014

One of the reasons even the Senate’s Gang of Eight bill demands that illegals learn English before being legalized is to encourage assimilation. If huge swaths of the population speak different languages, balkanization is inevitable. Assuming O’Keefe is right, Gutierrez is exploiting the language barrier for political ends, encouraging balkanization by presenting two different versions of political reality depending on which language one speaks. Again, this is one of the most influential people in America when it comes to immigration policy. Pull the plug, Boehner.