Matt Rinaldi, a Republican Texas state representative, claims Democratic colleagues of his threatened him with violence after he called ICE on illegal immigrants who were protesting in the state capitol Monday.
Rep. Rinaldi claimed in a Facebook post, “Today, Representative Poncho Nevarez threatened my life on the House floor after I called ICE on several illegal immigrants who held signs in the gallery which said ‘I am illegal and here to stay.’ Several Democrats encouraged the protestors to disobey law enforcement.”
Then Rinaldi claims another Democratic representative became violent towards him. “When I told the Democrats I called ICE, Representative Ramon Romero physically assaulted me, and other Democrats were held back by colleagues. During that time Poncho told me that he would ‘get me on the way to my car.’ He later approached me and reiterated that ‘I had to leave at some point, and he would get me.'”
Other Democrats claim that Rinaldi was threatening to “put a bullet in the head” of somebody.
Rinaldi addresses that in hist post, writing that, “I made it clear that if he attempted to, in his words, ‘get me,’ I would shoot him in self defense. I am currently under DPS protection. Several of my colleagues heard the threats made and witnessed Ramon assaulting me.”
In response, Nevarez took to Twitter to call Rinaldi a “liar and hateful man,” whom he has “no use” for.
The immigrants were protesting the Texas legislature’s vote on SB4, which would crack down on sanctuary cities.
A video from the floor Monday shows multiple lawmakers shoving each other:
VIDEO: Lawmakers in Texas House scuffle during #SINEDIE on Monday.
BACKGROUND: https://t.co/q77vMguaXh pic.twitter.com/zlAGEaL0pB— KVUE News (@KVUE) May 29, 2017