The nation's broken asylum laws are a "magnet" for people to come to the United States illegally, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., said Wednesday, after meeting with Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan earlier this week.
"He made the point to say that when Mexico finally engaged after President [Donald] Trump hung tariffs over their head, they finally said we will help with this crisis," Rep. Scalise told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo.
"They put thousands of their own agents at their southern border, and it's had over a 20% drop."
There are still too many people entering the United States illegally, Scalise said, and that is because the current system encourages them to come, and to bring children with them.
"They know they can read from a script," he said. "Many, by the way, have turned downs asylum in Mexico. How can you have a credible claim for asylum when you turned it down from another country you came through? Yet, they're coming in droves . . . they're illegally abusing young kids bringing them over."
Trump has pushed the envelope as far as he can through executive action and pushing Mexico to help engage, Scalise said, but still, immigrants know that if they can get in, they will be in the U.S. for at least 5 years before a court date.
"The secretary told me over 75% of those people don't show up for the court date five years later," he said. "This is a broken system and it needs to be fixed. It takes congressional action."
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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