President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's not happy with a $4.5 billion emergency border aid package passed in the House because "there is no money for protection" included.
"It is like we're running hospitals over there now," the president told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo in a wide-ranging telephone interview. "What people don't understand is, you have separation. Separation is a terrible thing (for) the families. And I said, 'well, I am going to (keep) people together,' but it is going to mean more people coming up."
The aid package, designed to care for thousands of migrant families and unaccompanied children detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, passed along party lines Tuesday night. Trump defended his administration's handling of the migrant situation, insisting it has done a better job than the Obama administration.
"(President Barack) Obama built all those cells. Those cages were built by the Obama administration," said Trump, adding that his critics "had fun" with him for three days until it was pointed out the facilities "were built in 2014 by President Obama."
Further, he said if congressional Democrats would handle the loopholes in the immigration system, "you would have zero problems at the border." But Mexico, Trump added, has "been really strong" so the numbers of migrants will be dropping.
Democrats, however, "want open borders," and that is "ruinous to our country."
"I want strong laws on the border," said Trump. "We are building a wall the wall is being built, very rapidly, by the way, we've got 400 miles of wall, despite the fact that I have five lawsuits."
However, he noted that he now will have judges that could rule in his favor.
"I have 145 judges that within another couple months, all 145 will be sitting judges, federal judges," said Trump. "We have two Supreme Court judges."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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