Arkansas Democratic Senate candidate Hallie Shoffner voiced her support for illegal immigrant farm workers, arguing that she and other farmers actually prefer them to American workers.
‘Every farmer will tell you at one point, we did, or still do, employ undocumented immigrants, and it’s absolutely ridiculous that these folks are being rounded up because they’re hardworking people,’ Shoffner said on Free Arkansas, a local podcast with host Andy McNeill.
During the podcast interview, Shoffner recalled that she grew up around ‘undocumented’ immigrant farm workers.
‘They’re some of the best people we know, and honestly, we’d trade five Americans for just one of them because of how hard they work,’ she said.
Shoffner's rival Senator Tom Cotton reacted to her comments in a statement to the Daily Mail.
'No one works harder than Arkansans, who deserve higher wages to help them afford what their families need. Forcing them to compete against illegal labor for work means fewer opportunities and worse pay for people in my state,' Cotton said.
'Our government should make life better for Americans, not help illegal aliens replace them,' he added.
Shoffner recently shut down her sixth generation 150-year-old family farm, citing high operating costs, and chose to launch a campaign to challenge Cotton.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Hallie Shoffner said that farmers preferred foreign workers over American workers
Tom Cotton and his campaign continue attacking Shoffner for her more left-leaning views on immigration
Shoffner is campaigning as a more moderate Democrat, but her comments on immigration sparked controversy
Shoffner’s campaign has triggered interest from Democratic donors, especially after one surprising political poll of the state showed she was leading Cotton by three points.
The Cotton campaign downplayed the accuracy of the poll but has stepped up their efforts to brand her as a typical left-wing Democratic candidate.
Cotton normally fends off electoral challengers with ease.
After winning his Senate race in 2014 with a 17-point margin, he won in 2020 with a 33-point margin over a Libertarian candidate.
Shoffner's comments about immigration threaten to damage her campaign, as she has tried to convince voters in the red state that she is a more moderate Democrat.
A spokesperson for the Cotton campaign called Shoffner's comments 'deranged and disqualifying' in a statement to the Daily Mail.
'Shoffner should come clean about whether she personally hired illegal aliens,' the spokesperson added.
Shoffner campaign manager Anna-Lee Pittman argued that the comments about farm workers were taken 'out of context.'
'Hallie has been clear about what she believes: our border should be secure, our laws should be enforced, and we need an immigration system that actually works for American farmers, businesses, workers, and communities,' she said.
During the interview, Shoffner argued that illegal foreign workers should have access to more legal options for employment in the United States.
Senator Tom Cotton, seen here at the 2024 Republican convention with his son greeting Donald Trump, is facing new competition in the midterm elections
Hallie Shoffner (pictured in a fire truck, left, and holding a shotgun, right), the Democratic challenger to Senator Tom Cotton, was found to be three points ahead in the deep-red state according to a Local Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College poll
‘Why is it that there’s no pathway for them to work here legally when they’re good workers? We pay them well. They spend money here. They have family here,’ Shoffner said.
As an activist, Shoffner served as an executive director at the nonprofit organization Seis Puentes to help undocumented workers navigate the legal system and get government benefits.
She said in June that she would vote to defund the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).
‘I would vote to defund ICE as it exists right now,’ Shoffner said. ‘Immigration and Customs Enforcement was created not that long ago, and it no longer serves the purpose it was originally created for.’
Shoffner later tried to clarify her remarks, insisting she wanted to reform ICE, not defund it completely.
She has also attacked Cotton's campaign for featuring her comments on immigration on social media.
‘Tom Cotton s**tposts about immigration, he does not represent all of us,’ she said in a podcast interview in January.