Anti-immigration policies advocated for by Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans would have resulted in the deportation of his own grandfather, who also may not have gotten into the U.S. legally.
The rising MAGA star and anti-immigration advocate has repeatedly said that his Mexican grandfather came to the U.S. “the right way,” implying that he arrived legally, but an investigation by Colorado Newsline claims that immigration documents show that isn’t strictly true.
Paperwork seen by Colorado Newsline shows that Evans’ grandfather, Cuauhtemoc Chavez, arrived in the U.S. illegally in 1929 with his mother and siblings and lived there for 12 years before being arrested and subject to deportation proceedings.
Two of Chavez’s sisters were arrested at the same time, according to documents which list their reason for entering the country on December 9, 1929, as “to live, illegal entry.”
Evans has been an avid proponent of President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies, in particular the Laken Riley Act, which was signed into law at the end of January. The Act directs law enforcement to detain immigrants arrested over a “burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting offense.”
Ironically, immigration documents show that prior to deportation proceedings, Chavez had been arrested for attempted burglary, meaning that today he would be deported under the policies advocated for by his grandson.
Evans’ spokesperson Delanie Bomar did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Daily Beast.
The Colorado Rep. has repeatedly told the story of his grandfather’s “legal” move from Mexico to the U.S., and it is a tale that has been used to justify and soften the public image of Trump’s anti-immigration policies.
In a debate in 2024, Evans said, “We are a nation that is ruled by law. You need to go stand in that line and do it the right way, do it the legal way, so you are not leapfrogging over those folks like my grandfather, who did it the right way and did it the legal way.”
Last week, Evans and Rep. Maria Salazar introduced immigration reform legislation called the Dignity Act.
“As the grandson of Mexican immigrants and a former cop and soldier, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of a secure border and a fair immigration system,” the Colorado Rep. said at the time.
The legislation mandates round-the-clock surveillance of the border with “barriers, drones, radar, and other modern enforcement tools” and the use of DNA testing to verify familial ties at the border.
It also includes the creation of a Dignity Program, which offers legal status but not citizenship, for undocumented people who have been in the U.S. since before the end of 2020, provided they stump up $7,000 as restitution and receive no federal benefits.
