Rep. Rashida Tlaib penned a 2006 guest column in the Nation of Islam’s official newspaper run by notorious anti-Semitic preacher Louis Farrakhan.

Ms. Tlaib’s piece titled, “Bills must stop deportations for minor offenses,” which was unearthed Monday by conservative blogger Jeryl Bier, criticized the American government’s “security-only approach” to immigration and called on Congress members to address “the lack of due process safeguards and the lack of protections for families and their rights.”

“Lost in the often-vitriolic national quarrel over immigration reform is any examination of proposed measures that would result in excessive punishment, such as detention and deportation, for the most minor offenses,” the Michigan Democrat wrote. “Concern for ‘national security’ has introduced unprecedented insecurity to living in the United States as a legal permanent resident.”

“It is so clear that the conservatives in Congress will only settle for a bill that allows the unequal treatment of immigrants, allow them to be shoved around the system with no way to plead their case for relief,” she continued. “Many civil and human rights advocates are calling this cruel and unusual punishment. As we enter another stage in the immigration debate, it is important that Congress leaders address the lack of due process safeguards and the lack of protections for families and their rights.”

Ms. Tlaib wrote the piece while she was working for the non-profit Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, or ACCESS. She has not written for The Final Call since, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Ms. Tlaib’s association with Mr. Farrakhan comes amid mounting scrutiny of freshmen Democrats and other prominent liberals who have been accused of anti-Semitism, including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Ms. Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim congresswomen and the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress, is one of the few members of Congress who openly supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. She came under fire in January after she attended a private dinner with pro-Hezbollah activist Abbas Hamideh, who has declared that Israel has no right to exist.

A spokesperson for Ms. Tlaib told Business Insider’s Joe Perticone that the column was not an endorsement of Mr. Farrakhan or his views.

“The piece was from 2006 and was not an endorsement of Farrakhan or anyone for that matter,” the spokesperson said. “The Congresswoman has not had any direct contact with Farrakhan and condemns his anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ views.”

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