President Donald Trump acknowledged Thursday that the number of illegal immigrants and migrants captured at the border are at record highs, forcing border law enforcement to release them into the country.
“We’re catching them, and we’re keeping them; we’re not doing release. Now, at a certain point, we’re going to have to do some release because we don’t have the bed space, we don’t have the room, and we don’t have the funds to build new space because we have ridiculous laws,” Trump said.
During a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the White House, the president commented on the ongoing border crisis.
Trump expressed frustration with existing immigration and asylum laws frequently requiring a trial before apprehended immigrants are deported.
“In our country, because the laws are so ridiculous, so stupid, we have to give them a trial, so we send them into the country, and then they’re supposed to come back, but they never come back. Very rarely do they come back.”
Trump reminded Americans that Democrats were the ones blocking changes to the laws to stop the flood of migrants toward the border.
“I think it’s going to be a great election issue,” he said.
When an Irish reporter asked Trump if his immigration policies are “cruel,” he said they are not.
“No, I don’t think they’re cruel. I think they’re the opposite of cruel,” he said, stating that the current immigration laws are the ones “hurting a lot of people.”
He asserted that a wall is necessary to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants and migrants crossing the border but praised border officials for doing their job.
“We shouldn’t have to be put in a position of apprehending 75,000 people in a month,” he said.
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