House GOP Candidate Pressed On Relative Being Deported By the Trump Administration

Former Maine Governor Paul LePage (R), now seeking a seat in Congress, was pressed on Tuesday about the status of his son’s father-in-law, who is facing deportation under President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies.

At a Tuesday event, LePage was asked about his son’s father-in-law and said there has not been progress, but pushed the press to respect it as a “personal matter.”

“And the point of that issue, the whole issue is if you cross into the United States illegally and unlawfully, you need to be held accountable,” LePage said.

The event was then quickly wrapped up.

LePage, a longtime ally of Trump, claimed recently that his relative is being wrongly targeted by the federal government.

“My son’s wife’s dad is here legally,” the former governor said.

He took issue with the reason the relative is facing deportation.

“But he’s being deported because he came from a country that’s not liked by certain people in Washington. That’s not right,” the Republican candidate said.

LePage said his son’s father-in-law has authorization to work in the United States and should be allowed to stay.

LePage has shared very little information about his relative or their country of origin, but he’s been firm in his support for ICE, even after federal immigration agents in July fatally shot 25-year-old Colombian immigrant Joan Sebastian Guerrero during a traffic stop in Biddeford.

ICE also fatally shot American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents during deportation operations in Minneapolis this year.

LePage said he supported ICE, but added he may not completely endorse the blanket strategy.

“Now, would I go after everybody that’s here, that have work permits and have been here for decades? Probably not. I’d probably go for people in the gangs and the criminals,” he said.

Watch above CSPAN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!