President Donald Trump's administration is treating the immigration crisis at the border as a "Cat-5 hurricane disaster," including pushing more military resources to the border, and Congress needs to look at it the same way, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says.
"In my opinion, this is one of if not the biggest crisis this country has faced in a decade," Nielsen told Fox News Channel's "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on Tuesday. "The security and humanitarian aspects have to be addressed. This is the top of our list ...We are asking everybody to chip in. We need to get as many resources as we can to the border."
Nielsen said the administration has "made the request" to put U.S. military along the border. She added that she has been in "constant contact" with acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and talked with combatant commanders earlier Tuesday.
Trump threatened late last week to close the border, but on Tuesday took a step back, saying he is waiting to see how Mexico responds to the situation.
Nielsen told show anchor Tucker Carlson that "everything is on the table" regarding the border.
"We have to stop the drugs," she said. "We have to stop the smuggling and trafficking gangs. He's very serious about it, so yes, I think everything is on the table."
Nielsen added that she's optimistic about Congress taking action, as "it's not a partisan issue."
Meanwhile, Trump will take "all action" that is required on border security, as he has "full authority to defend our country," said Nielsen.
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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