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Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., fired back at the Pennsylvania House speaker, a Democrat, after she suggested the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration could invite 9/11-like violence.
“She used her time to actually denounce securing our border and saying that, somehow, the efforts to keep our country safe could lead to another attack,” Mackenzie told Fox News Digital.
“She’s totally wrong. She’s answering to the far-left radicals and globalists. I would actually call on Joanna McClinton to apologize for what she said at that event,” he added.
McClinton’s criticism highlights a challenge Democrats face as they search for vulnerabilities in Trump’s immigration agenda: attacking the administration’s aggressive enforcement tactics even as illegal border crossings have fallen sharply.
DEM REP SETH MOULTON SAYS PARTY HAS NO IMMIGRATION PLAN, IS ONLY ‘OPPOSITION TO TRUMP’
Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Joanna E. McClinton is seen during the Celebration Of Freedom Ceremony at Independence Hall on July 4, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
Speaking at a panel discussion on the 250th anniversary of American independence, McClinton said she feared the threat of retaliation for Trump’s “brutality.”
“When we think of just the brutality of this federal government for almost two years, it’s been heartless. It’s been too silent on the other side of the aisle. They are treating people with no respect or dignity — people who came here to do better. It’s horrible. So, when we think about where we are in 2026 and that it’s been 25 years, thank God we have not had another attack,” McClinton said.
“Thank God we haven’t seen another plane go down in Pennsylvania. But we also have to recognize that our policies are impacting our perception around the world,” McClinton added.
McClinton first became speaker in the Pennsylvania House in 2023 and first joined the chamber in 2015. Before her time in politics, she worked as a public defender.
McClinton has voiced similar criticisms of immigration enforcement before, framing Trump’s use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a tool that has gone too far.
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The State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“On our 250th birthday we’re seeing the worst horrors unfold in our beloved nation!!! Completely horrified by ICE agents so brutally hunting down, harming people every day – and now using deadly force!!!! God have mercy,” McClinton wrote in a post to X, referring to deadly encounters between ICE and protesters earlier this year.
Since Trump returned to office, illegal border crossings have sunk to historic lows. Since the end of 2024, encounters have gone from 144,000 in December 2024 to just 33,800 in July — a reduction of 76.5%.
Mackenzie believes Democrats like McClinton are ignoring that record.
“What she should be doing is making sure that we’re protecting and defending American citizens in our country at every single turn,” Mackenzie said.
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Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., speaks at a Trump rally at Mount Airy Casino near Mount Pocono. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
In addition to demanding an apology from McClinton, Mackenzie also called on other Democrats, like his own congressional opponent, to condemn her thinking.
“My opponent in the congressional race, Bob Brooks, should condemn that kind of rhetoric. We need to make sure that we are always pushing back on these types of things that are really inappropriate and being said by Democrat leaders who are trying to push their radical agenda instead of doing what is right for our country,” Mackenzie said.
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McClinton’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.