Republican under fire after calling for immigration status screening for State of the Union attendees

Republicans distance themselves from provocative comment

A Republican said police should screen State of the Union attendees for immigration status and deport violators, taking aim at Democrats who plan to host young undocumented people.

“Today, Congressman Paul Gosar contacted the U.S. Capitol Police, as well as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, asking they consider checking identification of all attending the State of the Union address and arresting any illegal aliens in attendance,” a tweet from the Arizona Republican’s account said.

Choosing whom to bring as a guest to the annual presidential address offers members of Congress a chance to make high-profile political statements, and multiple Democrats are planning to bring so-called Dreamers — young immigrants who are in the country illegally after being brought there as children.

Congress has been consumed by a battle over their fate after Donald Trump rescinded a program offering deportation relief to nearly 800,000 people. Supporters of providing relief to the Dreamers — including, intermittently, Mr Trump himself — argue that they are effectively Americans who know no other country and arrived here without a say in the decision.

By suggesting that authorities identify and deport Dreamers who are in Washington under the auspices of elected officials, Mr Gosar took a hardline position at odds with that stance — and drew rebukes from fellow Republicans.

“Of all the places where the Rule of Law needs to be enforced, it should be in the hallowed halls of Congress,” Mr Gosar said in a statement.

“Any illegal aliens attempting to go through security, under any pretext of invitation or otherwise, should be arrested and deported”.

Republicans rejected the hardline rhetoric. Asked about Mr Gosar’s proposal, a spokeswoman for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan told CNN that he “clearly does not agree”.

“This is so drastic and cruel,” Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said on Twitter. Her rebuke was echoed by Republicans like Arizona senator Jeff Flake, who like Ms Ros-Lehtinenis retiring.

Democrats also assailed the tweet, with Rep Barbara Lee of California warning “The American people will not forget this”.

Mr Gosar’s inflammatory comments have spurred outrage before. Last year, his siblings publicly called for him to apologise over comments disparaging financier and philanthropist George Soros and suggesting Mr Soros was behind a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.