In response to reporting that Vivek Ramaswamy could be Donald Trump’s Homeland Security secretary, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

“Donald Trump’s first term immigration agenda was an inhumane catastrophe, defined by a racist Muslim ban, horrifying images of children in cages, and a cruel policy of systematically ripping families apart. Now, if given the chance in a second term, he’s promising to go even further – and he wants far-right conspiracy theorist Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the charge as head of the Department of Homeland Security. If Ramaswamy is known for anything, it’s pushing a cruel immigration agenda that includes mass deportations, ending the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, and taking away resources from our military to pursue political stunts. The American people want solutions, not fear mongering and hatred. Trump and Ramaswamy are pushing an extreme MAGA agenda that would do nothing to secure our border or fix our immigration system.” 

Vivek Ramaswamy’s immigration agenda includes his extreme and possibly unconstitutional plan to end birthright citizenship and deport American-born children of undocumented immigrants.

Ramaswamy: “I want to be very clear about this. I think that birthright citizenship does not and should not apply to the kids of parents who entered this country illegally.”

NBC News: “Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says that as president, he would deport American-born children of undocumented immigrants. ‘The family unit will be deported,’ said Ramaswamy when asked by NBC News if the deportations would include American-born children, after a packed town hall here Friday.”

Ramaswamy has even pushed for redirecting resources away from our military to the southern border.

Bret Baier: “Mr. Ramaswamy, you would not support an increase of funding to Ukraine?” 

Ramaswamy: “I would not and I think that this is disastrous that we’re protecting against an invasion across somebody else’s border when we should use those same military resources to prevent across the invasion of our own southern border here in the United States of America.”

Ramaswamy wants to mass deport entire families. 

Interviewer: “You said you want to deport the entire family unit of undocumented immigrants.” 

Ramaswamy: “Yes, entire family unit.”

Ramaswamy wants to eliminate the H-1B visa system for skilled workers, even though his own company frequently utilized and benefited from the program.

Ramaswamy: “[The H-1B system is] bad for everyone involved. … The lottery system needs to be replaced by actual meritocratic admission. It’s a form of indentured servitude that only accrues to the benefit of the company that sponsored an H-1B immigrant. I’ll gut it.”

Politico: “GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed to ‘gut’ the system for H-1B temporary worker visas if he wins the White House. It’s the very system he’s used in the past to hire high-skilled foreign workers for the pharma company that built much of his wealth. From 2018 through 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved 29 applications for Ramaswamy’s former company, Roivant Sciences, to hire employees under H-1B visas, which allow U.S. companies to employ foreign workers in tech and other specialized jobs.”

The Department of Homeland Security was established in the wake of 9/11 – meanwhile, Ramaswamy has repeatedly entertained dangerous 9/11 conspiracy theories.

Politico: “Ramaswamy: I ‘don’t believe’ the 9/11 Commission report”

NBC News: “Vivek Ramaswamy suggests ‘the truth’ about 9/11 is still unknown”

Fox News: “Vivek Ramaswamy on 9/11: ‘I don’t believe the government has told us the truth’”

NBC News: “While visiting the Sept. 11. memorial Monday in Lower Manhattan, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he stands by the comments he had made regarding the terrorist attacks in a recent interview. ‘So today’s not the day to talk about the comments I made, which I stand by. But it is important to have a government that tells the truth to its people, that people can trust, and trust its people back,’ he said while attending the Fire Department of New York’s pipe and drum tribute at Station 10.”