Luis Gutierrez: Must Pass Immigration Reform Before Securing the Border

On Tuesday, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (R-IL) said he would be derelict in his duty to protect America if he supported bills that would secure America’s border first before a broader and more comprehensive amnesty bill is even considered. 

Appearing on Fox News’ Hannity, Gutierrez, who has been one of the most prominent champions of amnesty legislation, insisted that ISIS terrorists have a better chance of coming to America on visas and, citing Arizona’s Republican Gang of Eight Senators, said the Senate’s amnesty bill is in fact “the best way to secure the border.” 

When host Sean Hannity asked , “You can pass a bill, secure the border first, would you support that?” Gutierrez responded, “No, because it would be folly.”

“I would be derelict in my duty to protect America,” Gutierrez said.

Hannity said it was a dereliction of duty not to pass legislation that secures the border first, especially when Gutierrez is “demanding amnesty.”

The border crisis in which at least 63,500 illegal immigrant juveniles have been detained since October of last year has made Americans more aware of how insecure the border is. And after the Ebola outbreak in Africa and the rise of ISIS, Homeland Security officials have warned that terrorists can exploit the country’s lax border security. Even Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has stated that America must have better border security, especially since ISIS is encouraging terrorists on social media to exploit the “porous” U.S.-Mexico border. 

During the border crisis, Senators who championed comprehensive amnesty legislation–like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)–have conceded that America’s border had to be secured first before more comprehensive legislation can even be debated.

In recent months, Breitbart Texas has reported that federal agents along the border have received warnings about the potential ISIS threat and revealed a leaked federal document that showed at least 71 individuals from nations in which there is an Ebola outbreak have been detained at the border. 

But Gutierrez accused Hannity of trying to gin up ratings by demanding legislation to secure the border first. He was also perplexed by what he said was a “fixation” on the southern border. Gutierrez insisted that ISIS terrorists do not need to cross the U.S.-Mexico border when they could come to America with visas.

“Why hire a coyote when you can fly first class?” Gutierrez said of the terror group that is reportedly taking in $1 million a day. “They’re putting them in first class and sending them to America–and they could be American just like you or I.” 

Hannity told Gutierrez that “if something happens, I will blame members of Congress for not doing their job.”