Exclusive—Rep. Lisa McClain: Common Sense Isn’t Extreme: How Washington Liberals Failed Women

A young woman goes for a run. A child walks to a store. A mother heads to work. They should come home.

Too often, they do not.

Of course, when the person who perpetrated the violence is in our country illegally – every American should be asking one question: Why did we let this happen?

Look at the facts. In just one year (FY2025), hundreds of illegal aliens were convicted of assault, domestic violence, and weapons trafficking. More than 1,700 drove drunk. Every week featured a headline about a sexual assault or murder committed by an illegal immigrant. This includes dozens of illegals who were arrested by law enforcement in my home state of Michigan. Every single one of those crimes was preventable.

And these aren’t just statistics. They’re lives.

Camillia Williams, a mother of five, should be alive. She isn’t.

Twelve-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray should be alive. She isn’t.

Laken Riley should be alive. She isn’t.

These are not just tragedies. They are failures – failures of judgment, of leadership, of policy.

When Democrats throw the border wide open, skip basic vetting, and act like security is optional, American women pay the price. They pay with fear – with trauma – and in the worst cases, with their lives.

Democrats treat public safety like it’s negotiable. They talk nonstop about compassion, but compassion for whom? The illegal alien who drove drunk? Who assaulted a minor? What about compassion for the victims?

They lecture citizens about women’s rights, then turn around and make it less safe for women to walk down their own streets at night.

Here are the facts: Democrats think securing the border is extreme. Democrats think protecting your daughter is extreme. Democrats think wanting violent criminals off our streets is extreme. It is not extreme, It’s common sense. Calling it anything else is just plain crazy.

In the coming days, Congress will again vote on whether to fund our homeland security. Eight times, Democrats have voted no. Eight times, they’ve turned their backs on victims and sided with criminals. Eight times, they’ve let the far-left drag them into an indefensible position – one where criminal aliens seem to get more consideration than American citizens.

If you are here illegally and you commit a violent crime, the answer isn’t complicated: Detain. Deport. Done. We should be using every tool we have to stop the next headline, spare the next grieving family, and protect the next woman from having her life cut short. And if you’re serious about doing that, then you should be serious about fully funding the law enforcement officers tasked with that mission.

It’s time for Washington Democrats to drop the nonsense and get back to reality.

Women should be able to ride the train, walk through a park, jog in their neighborhood, and live their lives without fear of being attacked by a violent illegal alien. That’s not a big ask. The solutions aren’t complicated either: Secure the border. Remove violent offenders. Back law enforcement.

Enough with pretending open borders are compassionate. Enough with excusing the inexcusable. Enough with undermining the very systems that keep Americans safe.

It’s time to stand up for women, for children, and for every American citizen who wants to live in a safe country. That’s not crazy – it’s common sense.

Lisa McClain is the House Republican Conference Chair and represents Michigan’s 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She also serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Education and Workforce.