Iowa 2nd District Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is running for a third term, facing Democrat Sarah Corkery.
WVIK News is including our entire conversation with Congresswoman Hinson for voters.
The transcript is edited for clarity.
WVIK News: I don't want to take up too much of your time, so I will kind of quickly go through this list, these list of questions. My first one is, I know a big issue of yours and for a lot of voters is the border. There is an immense backlog of asylum seekers, for some having to wait seven years waiting for a hearing. What can Congress do to help with the immigrants who are trying to achieve asylum currently?
Congresswoman Hinson: Yeah, well, I think the first case is going back through and making sure that the people who are actually claiming asylum need to have it. There have been many of these illegal immigrants that have, I think, used a weaponized asylum system under the Biden administration. We've got 10 million illegal immigrants who have made their way in. The right amount of illegal immigration is zero. And so this policy that they have completely, again, I think weaponized, has overwhelmed the system. And I think that's atrocious and unfortunate and unsustainable. Biden and Harris opened our border. They put a welcome sign on it for all these illegal immigrants to surge our border and come into our communities illegally. So when we talk about Remain in Mexico policy and how that works, I would love to see us focus on getting out the dangerous illegal immigrants first. We have hundreds of thousands with criminal backgrounds. And I think we should go back to a Remain in Mexico policy. So let's make sure some of these people who are in our communities, if we can actually track them down, go and wait out until they're asylum claim can be heard. So that way, they can wait out in their home country.
WVIK News: I know for some people who are trying to seek asylum. They may not have the ability to wait in their country up to seven years currently. So you're mentioning the Remain in Mexico policy. What other federal policies can be done? Because I know a lot of the people who are seeking asylum did so before even Trump was president.
Rep. Hinson: But the point is, they came in through our southern border. And so when you look at how they came in, they came in through Mexico. So, they need to wait in Mexico, and...
WVIK News: Even if they're not citizens of Mexico?
Rep. Hinson: May I answer the question? They had a chance to actually seek asylum in Mexico, and they chose not to do that. And so, I think the most important thing in this conversation is we need to engage with our Mexican counterparts. The ambassador, I had a chance to actually have dinner with him, and these people are coming up through Mexico, right? So, that's where the problem lies, and that's the solution here, is actually focusing on deterring these crossings at our southern border. And the best way to do that is to, again, let them know we mean business, and this is going to be our policy going forward. Look, again, as I said, we've got an administration that has been so anti-legal immigration pathways, and they've incentivized illegal immigration. Kamala Harris said she doesn't think crossing the border illegally should be a crime, and that's all you need to know. So, when you look at the approach that they've taken, it's, again, to allow anyone in claiming asylum, which we know the cartels have been coaching people on. And that's frankly wrong, and it's a runaround around our process here in this country.
WVIK News: Okay. I'd like to mention the U.S. Sentencing Commission reporting in their 2023 data that over 65,000 drug trafficking convictions in 2023, 86% of those were American citizens. What federal programs and or new policies would you support to help address Americans profiting off of the fentanyl crisis?
Rep. Hinson: Yeah. Well, first of all, we need to actually prosecute and follow up on all of these cases. I think what we've seen in this country is people who are very frustrated, cops on the streets every single day busting these dealers, who are just, again, extensions of the cartels, and then not seeing them actually face real prison time will be held accountable. So, I think making sure we're following through with the process. I think that the penalties associated with this crime is critically important. I actually, my guest at the State of the Union Address this year was the police chief from Mason City, and he was telling me that they are dealing with not only... They used to be dealing with ounce-related crimes in terms of drugs, and now they're dealing with pound-related crimes. So, this is where we are. We need to make sure that our prosecutors are actually prosecuting and that we're holding these people accountable. Plus, that's a pretty good deterrent. If people know that they're actually going to face the music... People are less likely to perpetrate these crimes.
WVIK News: I want to move on to the issue of abortion. You mentioned you support abortion in cases of incest, rape, or the life of the mother, which can occur after 21 weeks of pregnancy. What policies and programs do you support that would help women who may have chosen an abortion, but now need to raise a child for 18 years?
Rep. Hinson: Well, first and foremost, we need to make sure that adoption is accessible and easier for women and for families. So, my Providing for Life package is what I would point you to as a whole series of bills that I think are designed to care for families, engage fathers in the process, and again, make sure that people get the resources they need. Many times, students may find themselves pregnant on a campus. We want to make sure that they understand what resources are available to them so that they don't have to choose abortion. We want to make sure that they know they can continue to pursue that degree. And get that education and have those accommodations on a college campus. My bill would also establish a new website, Life.gov, to put those resources that are available out there. And then, I think it's really, really important that we engage with our community support programs. We've got pregnancy support centers that are helping every single day to help women who are in that position make sure that they can have a baby and have the health care that they need. I think the other place here where we need to support families. For that full-fledged support program, I think it's really important that we engage with the community support centers that are helping every single day to make sure that they can have And I think that the next step here, from time to time, all the way up to age 18, is to expand the refundable child tax credit. My bill, again, helps to support new parents by expanding that child tax credit. The last thing is we need child support reform as well. I think that when we look at some of the folks who have walked away from their obligation here, we need to mandate cooperation with child support for SNAP recipients so that people who should be helping support in this case are actually doing so.
WVIK News: Thank you very much, Congresswoman Ashley Henson. My next question is, do you support raising the federal minimum wage, which is currently shared with Iowa at $7.25, to aid Americans struggling to pay their bills and afford groceries?
Rep. Hinson: Well, unfortunately, why they're having a struggle to pay more for their groceries is a direct result of Biden and Harris administration policies.
WVIK News: I'm sorry, I don't want to interrupt it's a yes or no would you support raising the federal minimum wage and if not is there other policies that you could help with Americans facing these issues?
Rep. Hinson: Well, this will be our last topic of conversation, but I will say this, that when it comes to the minimum wage, I don't see a single business in the district actually paying minimum wage. Every hiring now says starting at $15 an hour. The private sector should be determining the minimum wage and what's being paid here. And I think we're certainly looking at that play out in our labor market right now.
WVIK News: Okay. And you said you have no time for any other questions?
Rep. Hinson: I think it's very clear that you can go look at my debate last night if you need any actual clips of my perspective on a lot of these issues. And I think that's where we should end this interview.
Staffer: We're going to have to run. Thank you so much for the time.
WVIK News: Okay. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Hinson.
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