A candidate seeking to represent Americans in the U.S. Senate should recognize the problem with talking about trading American workers for illegal immigrants. Arkansas Democratic Senate nominee Hallie Shoffner’s comments invite precisely that criticism.
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis responds by saying that Democrats prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens, citing Shoffner’s remarks about agricultural workers.
Shoffner, a sixth-generation Arkansas farmer whose family’s farming operation closed in 2025, defended illegal aliens working in agriculture during an interview last week on “Free Arkansas” with host Andy McNeill.
“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. “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.”
Hard work deserves respect. But it does not settle the question of whether immigration laws should be enforced. Nor does praising immigrant labor require disparaging American workers. For someone seeking to represent Arkansas in Washington, that comparison deserves scrutiny.
Asked on Newsmax’s “Ed Henry: The Big Take” whether Democrats stand for illegal aliens over Americans, Bis said, “When they tell you who they are, believe them.”
Bis said radical Democrats support allowing illegal aliens to enter and remain in the country and want to eliminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“They release criminals from jail back into American communities that have gone on to kill innocent Americans, like Laken Riley, like Sheridan Gorman,” she said, citing two killings that have become central to the national immigration debate.
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed in February 2024 while jogging on the University of Georgia campus. A Venezuelan man who had entered the country illegally was convicted in her death. Congress later passed the Laken Riley Act, requiring the detention of illegal aliens accused of certain crimes.
Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student, was fatally shot in March. Prosecutors charged a man who was in the country illegally in her killing, renewing debate over sanctuary city policies and immigration enforcement in Chicago.
These cases underscore why public safety belongs at the center of the immigration debate. The value of agricultural labor cannot be the only consideration when discussing enforcement.
Bis said the administration’s approach would remain unchanged.
“President Trump and this administration will always put American citizens first and their safety,” she said.
That is the proper priority for an American administration. Respect for hardworking people and a commitment to enforcing immigration laws can coexist.
Shoffner has also faced scrutiny this year over her position on ICE funding. She initially said she would not support additional funding before reversing her position amid Republican attacks. Separately, she has drawn criticism over remarks about how she weighs the treatment of illegal aliens against American citizens.
Her latest comments sharpen a question voters have every reason to consider: What priority does a prospective U.S. senator give the American workers she would represent?
