Ellison calls Arizona immigration law "fascist"

Keith Ellison dropped the political f-word during an immigration rally in Loring Park this weekend.

May 3, 2010 at 6:16PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Keith Ellison dropped the political f-word during an immigration rally in Loring Park this weekend.

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Minneapolis congressman said Congress urgently needs to pass immigration reform in light of Arizona's new law giving police more rights to detain people whom they suspect are in the country illegally. Borrowing a word normally reserved for Tea Party protests these days, Ellison called the law "fascist."

"The fact is that we have to fight against these repressive laws in Arizona," Ellison said. "They want to say that everybody is a criminal. They will stop anybody. We've got to stop these fascist, racist laws [inaudibule]."

On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Michele Bachmann told Fox Business News last week that the law in Arizona is "a real concern," though she said federal officials need to do a better job enforcing laws that are "on the books."

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