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The socialist Democrat poised to represent most of Philadelphia in Congress questioned the premise of “illegal immigrants” and claimed “99%” of police work does not involve pursuing criminals.
Pennsylvania State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-West Oak Lane, made a name for himself in Harrisburg by championing progressive proposals such as abolishing the death penalty and transitioning Pennsylvania to 100% renewable energy by 2050. In 2019, Rabb introduced a “carbon pricing” bill to tax greenhouse-gas emissions above a certain cap, saying the revenue would be reinvested to help low-income consumers and support workers “displaced” from a shrunken fossil fuel industry. He also claims the “Nakba” (Palestinian displacement during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War) has “never ended.”
“Raab’s platform is comprised of pretty far-left, radical positions,” said host Sean Hannity on “Hannity.”
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Pennsylvania State Rep. Christopher Rabb, D-Northwest Philadelphia, stumps for Michigan’s Abdulrahman El-Sayed. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
“Among them, he advocates for Medicare for All, universal basic income, federal jobs guarantees — the government does so well educating your kids — guaranteed housing, universal childcare, government grocery stores [and] replacement of [GDP] with a so-called ‘genuine progress indicator’…,” Hannity listed.
“In other words, what he is saying is he would not just reshape our institutions, he would tear them down, fundamentally transform them in what I believe would be a very dangerous way.”
Rabb pushed back on some of the characterizations, telling Hannity in the case of the DSA’s effort to abolish the Senate, “that’s not what I’m running on.”
When Hannity asked whether Rabb — who boasts of running in the “bluest district in America” — truly supports “amnesty for illegals” and abolishing national borders, the lawmaker replied: “What are illegals?”
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Hannity responded, “Illegal immigrants: people that didn’t respect our laws, borders, and sovereignty; entered the country without permission.”
Rabb said he didn’t accept the “premise” of the question.
“There are folks who have documentation. But these are not criminal acts,” he said, adding that he “absolutely” wants to abolish ICE and “dismantle immigrant concentration camps.”
“I want to end all deportations. We want to make sure that there’s an immigration system that is fair, just, and efficient, and we don’t have that system,” Rabb added. He went on to cite an immigration reform package led by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., that he lamented “your president” successfully killed.
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PA State Rep. Christopher Rabb, D-West Oak Lane, stumps with New York progressives in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
When asked about abolishing police as an institution — in line with socialist doctrine — Rabb said the statement was “interesting” because there were few or no organized police departments in early America.
“Long before there was any notion of policing, we had Founders that did not even understand that term. Policing is something that’s evolved over time,” Rabb said.
“Ultimately, what we want is to have communities that are safe, and 99% of what police do are not going after the bad guys,” he said.
Philadelphia did not organize the PPD as a centralized municipal force until 1854. Before that, local elected constables and civilian watchmen patrolled their neighborhoods for crime. The PPD formed after a series of riots, when what is now Philadelphia was divided between the City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia County, which are now coterminous.
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A general view shows the skyline of Philadelphia from the top of the Rocky Steps with the bronze Rocky Statue visible on foreground. (Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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“We need to keep our communities safe and there were ways of doing that before the term ‘police’ ever existed,” Rabb said.
On disarming police, a policy some socialists support, Rabb said he believes in “arming oneself,” arguing that, as someone with Southern ancestry, the only way his family could protect themselves was through self-defense.
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“We couldn’t trust the police because they were largely part of the [Ku Klux] Klan,” Rabb said. His paternal family roots trace to Columbus, Miss.
Rabb upset the Democratic establishment in his May primary, defeating state Sen. Sharif Street, D-North Philadelphia — the son of popular former Mayor John Street — who also had the backing of incumbent Mayor Cherelle Parker and former Gov. Edward Rendell.
No Republicans vied for the nomination, leaving Rabb reportedly facing only independent Dennis Mahoney in November.
Digital reached out to Rabb for comment.
