Louie Gohmert

Congressman (R-TX 1st District)

Rep. Louie Gohmert has a history of trafficking in anti-immigrant conspiracy theories and has attended a number of events hosted by extremist groups during his time in office. In July 2010, Rep. Gohmert offered up his “terror babies” conspiracy theory on the floor of the House, claiming that “[terrorists] would get [pregnant women] into the United States to have a baby… then they would turn back where they could be raised and coddled as future terrorists… and then one day, twenty, thirty years down the road, they can be sent in to help destroy our way of life.” The following year CIS attempted to add an academic veil to this theory in a report entitled: “Birthright Citizenship for the Children of Visitors: A National Security Problem in the Making?”

  • Since 2005, Rep. Louie Gohmert has served Texas’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  • The Texan has an A+ rating by NumbersUSA, and has attended FAIR’s annual “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” event.
  • From his position on immigration related committees over the years Rep. Gohmert has become a go-to for right-wing media outlets for opinions on immigration and terrorism, and frequently peddles bigotry and conspiracy theories regarding undocumented immigrants and Muslims.
  • In response to an influx of unaccompanied minors arriving in Texas in 2014, Rep. Gohmert suggested bringing in the Texas National Guard to “stop the invasion… [because] we don’t know what diseases they’re bringing in.”
  • Congressman Gohmert has publicly supported the construction of a wall along the Southern border, dismantling birthright citizenship, has described an increase of people seeking asylum as a “brazen invasion,” has praised the Muslim bans and once introduced a resolution which would declare Cesar Chavez’s birthday as “National Border Control Day.”
  • Gohmert was one of the very few to defend Rep. Steve King’s comments to The New York Times when he stated: “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”
  • Gohmert is a staunch supporter of President Trump and his immigration policies, and he has often come to Trump’s defense, even when it includes measures such as zero-tolerance and family separation. At a December 2018 congressional hearing, Gohmert defended the policy, saying “it’s what happens,” and “Mueller did it…to Manafort.”
  • In 2019, Gohmert participated in an event organized by group We Build The Wall in New Mexico that featured a number of anti-immigrant activists, including Rosemary Jenks of NumbersUSA.
  • Rep. Gohmert is an opponent of DACA, and since 2012 has worked with his allies in the U.S. Congress to attack the program. He has supported legislation that would defund DACA both as stand-alone bills and amendments attached to must-pass appropriations bills like the NDAA or the Department of Homeland Security Appropriation Act.
    • During the markup of the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, Congressman Gohmert introduced a “poison pill” measure in an attempt to sideline the bill which would have provided permanent protections for Dreamers and TPS recipients.
    • In 2018, Gohmert teamed up with Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) and five other Members of Congress, including Representatives Steve King, Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, Thomas Massie and Ralph Norman, to file an amicus brief in support of the state of Texas for its lawsuit seeking to eliminate DACA. IRLI filed the brief on behalf of the Congressmen.
    • In 2016, Gohmert supported amendments to the NDAA offered by Representatives King and Gosar, which were designed to prohibit Dreamers from serving in the military.
    • In the summer of 2014, Gohmert voted with Reps. Blackburn, Barletta, King and Brooks to pass a bill that would have halted DACA.
    • In 2013, Congressman Gohmert voted in favor of an amendment to the DHS Appropriations Act. H.Amdt.136 would have prohibited the use of funds to process DACA applications. The measure passed by a recorded vote 224/201.