Thursday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) told Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen that Jesus Christ would have “perished” if President Donald Trump’s border policies had been in place when the Holy Family had to flee King Herod’s order to execute male children two years old and under.

Discussing separating children from their families, Gutierrez said, “It is repugnant to me and astonishing to me that during Christmas…a time in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ—a Jesus Christ who had to flee for his life with Mary and Joseph. Thank God there wasn’t a wall that stopped him from seeking refuge in Egypt. Thank God that wall wasn’t there. And thank God there wasn’t an administration like this or he would have too perished on the 28th, on the Day of Innocence when Herod ordered the murder of every child under two years of age.”

He added, “Shame on everybody that separates children and allows them to stay at the other side of the border fearing death, fearing hunger, fearing sickness! Shame on us for wearing our badge of Christianity during Christmas and allow the secretary to come here and lie!”

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