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Rep. Steve King insists immigration bill benefits drug smugglers

Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa insisted Sunday on Meet the Press that his remarks about drug smugglers outnumbering immigrant valedictorians by a 100-to-one

Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa insisted Sunday on Meet the Press that his remarks about drug smugglers outnumbering immigrant valedictorians by a 100-to-one ratio was not inaccurate and that the plight of DREAMers "tugs at his heart strings.""The people who are advocating for this, don't understand the full scope," King said of the immigration bill, which would grant a shorter path to citizenship to young adults who were brought into the country by their parents when they were underage, and exempt them from fines imposed on other undocumented immigrants."My heart goes out to valedictorians who were brought here illegally by their parents," King said.King argued that when he said, "For every one who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert," he wasn't implying that all DREAMers are drug smugglers—only that many of them are and the bill would not differentiate between the two groups.Host David Gregory pointed out that there were no numbers to support King's claim.Republican strategist Ana Navarro responded to the congressman's defense, saying that his comments strengthened the resolve of legislators working to pass immigration reform."I think he's [King] a mediocre congressman who's got no legislative record and the only time he makes national press is when he comes out and says something offensive about the undocumented or Hispanics," Navarro said. "And, frankly, I think he's being helpful to the immigration debate because it is emboldening other Republicans to speak strongly against him."Watch below.

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