Evans, the Democratic nominee for U.S. House 3rd District seat, spoke last Wednesday about a conversation he had in which he claimed to have had with a woman from southwest Mississippi, who stated that Mexican immigrants were taking jobs from her three sons. Evans asked the woman, “Do you want these Mexicans to return tonight?” Evans stated that the woman claimed the boys didn’t want to work at the chicken plant due to their college degrees. Evans said that if the boys didn’t have jobs, it wasn’t because of Mexican undocumented immigrants. He said, “I haven’t seen a Mexican with a college degree cross the border.” “… Most of these Mexicans who are coming to this country want to work. I want to secure our border. I support securing the border, building the wall and keeping out the Mexicans. “But, folks, you need to understand that our state’s farmers must have immigrants. You need immigrants to clean your motel rooms. Our farmers need immigrants if they want their chickens to be caught and their produce picked. Bryant stated that similar remarks would have been controversial. He criticised members of the media for failing to report on Evans’ comments and stated that the media had reported that Evans had given the best speech at the Neshoba Country Fair. Mississippi Today did not cover Evans’ comments about the educational attainment of undocumented immigrant students, but it did report what Evans had to say about undocumented immigrant children later. Bryant passionately spoke Thursday as he accused media of using a double standard. Bryant referred to Evans’ claim that he hadn’t seen a Mexican crossing the border with a college diploma and that immigrants were required to clean hotels rooms and work in farms. CNN would have sent a trailer to me trying to interview my next day. They would have called for my resignation from office. It’s this double standard that ignites the flames of conservative hearts. Tomorrow you will likely read how I attacked the media. I’m not attacking anyone. They are my friends. Bill Chandler, executive director for the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance said that he suspects Michael Evans is someone who sympathizes with the plight and was incorrect to the facts. Chandler stated that there are many immigrants who have college or professional degrees and who come to the United States. In the 1990s, Chandler said that there were doctors who came from Argentina to work in Mississippi’s chicken plants. He also stated that there are many Central American and Mexican immigrants seeking asylum, including journalists from Mexico, who have seen their lives threatened by the claims. Bryant has been accused by Chandler of supporting unfair immigration policies and enacting them. Bryant stated on his website in 2011 that “As long as the federal government continues turning a blind eye towards the problem, we will urge our legislators to pass legislation to ensure that available jobs only go to legal residents.” E-Verify is a great tool for employers to verify the status of their employees. But we need more. “I will continue to support Arizona’s immigration legislation so anyone stopped for a motor vessel violation or other primary offense can be asked for proof of citizenship.” Several attempts have been blocked by the law enforcement and business community to require police officers to question motorists about their immigration status. Bryant signed into law a 2017 bill that prohibited local governments from adopting legislation to protect undocumented immigrant from criminal prosecution. Bryant’s office was the state auditor and conducted a study showing that undocumented immigrants were costing the state $25,000,000 annually in the early 2000s. Some conservatives continue to circulate the study, while others claim that the report omits tax contributions from immigrants and cherry-picked facts. Bryant also addressed the Neshoba County Fair on Thursday. Bryant called Donald Trump “one of America’s greatest presidents.” Critics claim that the report omits tax contributions of immigrants and cherry-picked facts. They are bringing drugs. They bring crime. They’re rapists. Some are rapists.