ICYMI: Rep. Gabe Evans zeroes in on campaign promise
Freshman Republican Gabe Evans is wasting no time making his mark in Congress for his constituents in CO-08, zeroing in on his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
As a second-generation Mexican immigrant, Army veteran, and police officer, Rep. Evans discusses his accomplishments thus far with National Journal.
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Gabe Evans tackles immigration in fight to hold Colorado’s most competitive seat
National Journal
James A. Downs
March 6, 2025
A freshman representative heading into a midterm with his party in power, Republican Rep. Gabe Evans of Colorado is one of the most vulnerable members in Congress.
Evans and Republicans ran heavily on immigration in the suburban seat just north of Denver. Campaign ads blamed his opponent, then-Rep. Yadira Caraveo, for crime and drug issues. Local headlines emboldened the GOP’s immigration-focused message in the district. Evans eked out a win by less than a point.
Republicans are banking on their continued focus on immigration keeping them—and Evans—in power. The freshman said the issue is particularly salient in his Hispanic-plurality district.
“It’s important to note that I’m speaking as a Hispanic man … and so as a member of the Hispanic community, they want safe communities just as much as anybody else does,” Evans told National Journal in an interview from his Capitol Hill office.
Evans was heralded as one of the top Republican recruits last year because of his background as a second-generation Mexican immigrant, Army veteran, and police officer. He says he still wears the same boots he wore on the police force more than 10 years ago.
“It reminds me of those stories that are never going to see the light of day—the interactions between a cop and somebody having the worst day of their life at 2 a.m. on an overnight shift, and how we were able to work together to solve a problem,” Evans said.
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To keep his job, Evans is working to keep his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration. Last week, he introduced his first bill, the UPLIFT Act, which would empower state and local governments to work with federal immigration enforcement.
A former police officer in the Denver metro area, Evans has leaned into that experience in his short time in Congress. He said his service informs his decision-making and policymaking priorities on a daily basis.
He grilled Denver Mayor Mike Johnston during a hearing Wednesday about the capital city’s sanctuary policy that lets the city refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officers. The House Oversight Committee brought in Democratic mayors from four major cities to testify about their immigration policies. Republican lawmakers took the opportunity to criticize the mayors, while Democrats largely commended their leadership and dismissed the purpose of the hearing.
In preparing for the hearing, Evans hoped to get Johnston on the record about Denver police not recording the nationality of homicide suspects, as required by the FBI.
“Police officers in Denver are not being told to fill out those mandatory fields in the FBI fingerprint card,” Evans said during the hearing, “which could potentially indicate why you’re unsure of how many these crimes are being committed by illegal immigrants.”
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As he navigates that precarious political terrain, Evans said his philosophy, drawn from his time in the Army as a Black Hawk pilot, is simple: “If it doesn’t work, don’t do it. If it does work, do it.”
Evans said he thinks Congress can find wasteful spending while also protecting the critical services millions of Americans rely on.
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Read more here.