A Democratic staffer who has campaigned for Sen. Sherrod Brown and other vulnerable Ohio Democrats was caught on video demanding open borders and claiming that voters’ opposition to illegal immigration stems from "pure racism," Fox News reported Monday.
"Open the f—ing border, I don’t give a s—t who comes in here," the staffer, identified as Kevin Oyakawa, told a volunteer. "We don’t need border patrol, but the issue with even talking about immigration here in Ohio is that it’s a losing issue for Democrats here, for like no f—ing reason other than people’s pure racism."
Oyakawa has worked on campaigns for Brown, Ohio Rep. Emilia Sykes, and other down ballot Democratic candidates, according to his Facebook posts. Photos on social media show him canvassing for Brown and Sykes, Fox News reported.
Both Brown and Sykes are facing tough reelection bids, with recent polls indicating that GOP candidates Bernie Moreno and Kevin Coughlin have taken slight leads over Brown and Sykes, respectively.
Oyakawa, discussing Sykes’s ambiguous stance on immigration in the video, noted that "if she has to start talking about immigration, she starts losing."
Oyakawa’s now-deleted LinkedIn profile listed him as a regional organizing director for the Ohio Democratic Party, while he described himself on Facebook as "responsible for leading a team of field organizers on day to day operations of the campaign" and "just another guy who is active in the Resistance."
Brown and Sykes's Republican challengers slammed Oyakawa's comments.
"Sherrod Brown's staff is saying the quiet part out loud: Ohio Democrats would rather keep the border open and continue to allow millions of illegals to enter our nation rather than secure the border and protect our communities," said Reagan McCarthy, communications director for Moreno.
Coughlin, a former Ohio state senator, echoed the criticism, accusing Sykes and her team of having "no remorse" for Ohio communities "suffering from fentanyl and crime flowing over our borders."