Veterans Assisting Veterans lambasted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and other Democrats for putting illegal immigrant rights above those who served their country in the military.
An open letter written by members of the VAV also targeted other Democratic politicians from Massachusetts, including Sen. Edward Markey, Rep. Michael Capuano, and Rep. Seth Moulton, the Boston Herald reported on Saturday. Moulton is an Iraq war veteran.
Parts of the letter are directed at Warren specifically.
"Senator Warren and others like her should know the difference between legal and illegal activity and chose instead to act out negatively in selfish political theater," the letter reads. "Where’s your rally for US Veterans, Senator Warren?"
The letter called her a "selfish political leader," and said that she and other state Democrats need to "re-examine their priorities."
Dennis Moschella, a VAV member who co-wrote the open letter, called out Markey and Capuano.
"We want every veteran, every family member, to start making calls, put them on the spot," he said. "We want to know how Warren, Markey, Capuano stand on this issue."
"We need to take care of veterans first before we decide to take care of people who are illegally here," John MacDonald, another VAV member, said.
The letter also blasted the "selfish blatant ignorance of the politicians that have chosen illegal immigrants over US Veterans."
The letter targeted one Republican, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).
They wrote he has "[forgotten] about his fellow veterans and deep troubles at the VA."
Warren's spokesperson Lacey Rose assured the group in a statement that helping veterans is of the "utmost importance," but then spoke about immigrants.
"She also knows that standing up for our veterans and rejecting President Trump’s unlawful, immoral, and irresponsible attacks on immigrants are not mutually exclusive issues," Rose said.
"We have immigrants and children of immigrants who serve with honor in our military, and she is committed to doing everything she can to protect the rights of all of our service members," she continued.
VAV enacts therapeutic veteran programs such as horse therapy, and has supplied all-terrain wheelchairs for local Massachusetts vets.