After spending over a decade supporting anti-immigrant measures in Arizona, including SB 1070, Biggs was elected to Congress in 2016. As a Member of Congress, he has introduced anti-immigrant bills and partnered with anti-immigrant groups.
About
- Biggs was first elected to the Arizona House in 2002 and served until 2010. He was subsequently elected to the Arizona Senate in 2010 and took over leadership as Senate President in 2013.
- Immigration was one of Biggs’ key issues during his time in Phoenix. He supported, among other legislation, the draconian SB 1070 bill introduced by Sen. Russell Pearce.
- Pearce lost a recall election after the passage of SB 1070, making him the first elected official ever to be recalled in the state. Biggs was a strong supporter of Pearce and told the Arizona Republic after the recall vote, “I am profoundly disappointed that he (Pearce) didn’t win.”
- Following the Supreme Court’s 2012 ruling that parts of the anti-immigrant law should be upheld, Biggs welcomed the decision. “This is a huge victory for the state of Arizona and SB 1070,” said Biggs. Biggs told KJZZ, “What’s different is we have the imprimatur of the Supreme Court saying ‘this is acceptable police behavior.’ And so, what that does, is that validates what we’re doing, what we want police officers to do in this state.”
- Biggs ran for Congress in 2016 and since taking office, he has been one of Donald Trump’s staunchest allies on immigration policy. In 2018, Biggs issued a statement in support of the President, “I support President Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to the border. I continue to fight to fund, begin, and complete a border wall, just as President Trump promised when America elected him. His commitment to building the wall and ending illegal immigration helped him capture the Republican nomination and the Presidency. I appreciate President Trump’s efforts to keep his promises.”
- Since taking office, Biggs has introduced a number of anti-immigrant bills, including the Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act, which includes provisions such as directing the Department of Treasury to provide funding for building a wall on the US/Mexico border, and charging a 5% fee for foreign remittances. Biggs’ bill was endorsed by the National Border Council and the anti-immigrant groups NumbersUSA and FAIR. In September of 2018, Biggs and NumbersUSA issued a joint statement in which Biggs praised the group founded by Roy Beck, “I’m grateful for NumberUSA’s support for my legislation. NumbersUSA engages millions of activists around the nation who are passionate about border security and enforcing the immigration laws this country has on its books.”
- Biggs repeatedly cites anti-immigrant groups including NumbersUSA, FAIR and the Center for Immigration Studies on his website when discussing immigration issues.
- In 2019, Biggs and Rep. Babin announced they would co-chair the House Border Security Caucus.
Anti-immigrant Views
- In 2018, Biggs invited Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), to speak on his podcast. Vaughan has previously blamed the TPS program for “its contribution to the burgeoning street gang problem in the United States.” Vaughan also granted an interview in 2014 to the virulently anti-Semitic tabloid, American Free Press.
- In March of 2019, Biggs posed for a photo with FAIR’s president Dan Stein, after he was invited to speak at a House Border Security Caucus meeting. Stein has previously argued that immigrants are “getting into competitive breeding.”
- In 2018, Biggs spoke at an annual gathering of the conservative Eagle Forum, a group that often gives a platform to anti-immigrant figures. The event featured officials from far-right parties in Germany and Poland as well as Canadian Stefan Molyneux, a man who routinely interviews white nationalists and eugenicists. Among other racist things, Molyneux has stated, “Screaming ‘racism’ at people because blacks are collectively less intelligent…is insane.”
- In 2019, Biggs spoke at a “Patriotism Over Socialism” rally in Phoenix, which was attended by a number of extremist groups. Another speaker was Laura Loomer, who has been banned from Twitter for her anti-Muslim tweets. In response to a question about why Biggs would speak at such a gathering, a Biggs spokesperson told the Arizona Republic, “He enjoys talking to constituents in his district — and other Arizonans — about his firsthand experience as an elected official and his long-held views about his love for the Constitution, Arizona, and the United States.” Russell Pearce also spoke at the event.
- The Arizona Republic reported that Biggs spoke at a 2015 event featuring anti-government figures. During the event, the founder of the anti-government Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, told the crowd that then-Arizona Senator John McCain should be put on trial for treason, and “hung by the neck until dead.” According to the Republic, “Biggs said he doesn’t agree with Rhodes’ comments, but said he didn’t feel it was his place to speak up and denounce him.”
- On April 3, 2019, Biggs tweeted, “Every day, thousands of illegal aliens cross over our southern border, overwhelming our law enforcement officials & our communities. Still, most Democrats in Congress refuse to take the necessary actions to end this crisis and secure our border. We must act before it’s too late.”
Anti-immigrant Activity
- In 2018, Biggs teamed up with Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) and five other Members of Congress, including Representatives Steve King, Paul Gosar, Louie Gohmert, 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 May of 2018, Biggs endorsed a bill introduced by Rep. Mark Meadows that “would require the Department of Homeland Security to work with state and local law enforcement agencies who want to participate in the 287(g) program.” The program allows state and local law enforcement to act as immigration enforcement officers.
- In April 2018, Biggs co-signed a bill by Rep. John Ratcliffe designed to eliminate concurrent sentencing for undocumented immigrants. FAIR welcomed the bill.
- Biggs has received an “A+” rating from NumbersUSA for his record supporting anti-immigrant legislation.
- Biggs is a proponent of ending the constitutionally guaranteed right to birthright citizenship, penning a piece on his website in November of 2018 noting, “I agree with President Trump that the policy of birthright citizenship needs to be reconsidered. Only 39 countries in the world offer birthright citizenship, excluding all of Western Europe and most developed nations.”
- In September 2019, Biggs attended FAIR’s annual “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” event in Washington D.C., and spoke at a “Badges and Angels” press conference organized by Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson and FAIR. Acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli was also a speaker.