MJ Hegar, the Democrat running for the Senate from Texas, has equated U.S. immigration policies to Uighur concentration camps in China, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
The news outlet reported that she made her comments in a June 24 call with supporters. Hegar is trying to unseat Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
"When we are committing human rights violations on our southern border, not only is it immoral, but it's also impacting our ability to have influence globally," Hegar reportedly said. "We cannot lecture China on their treatment of the Uighurs. We cannot start looking like the countries and the governments that we are supposed to be the opposite of."
The Free Beacon noted her comments came before the Treasury Department announced new sanctions against Chinese Communist Party officials for their treatment of Uighur Muslims.
According to the Free Beacon, Hegar, who is an Air Force veteran, has made foreign policy the focus of her campaign. She has attacked the Trump administration’s tough stance against China. Cornyn has been critical of Hegar for catering to "national Democrats" rather than Texan ones, according to the Free Beacon.
"Hegar stood by as her national allies footed the bill for her campaign and pushed a diverse slate of candidates out of her way, making it perfectly clear Hegar's loyalties lie with liberal elites, not hard-working Texans," National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Joanna Rodriguez said.
Hegar won the Democrats’ primary runoff on Tuesday by defeating Royce West, The Dallas Morning News noted.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.