Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., told Newsmax on Thursday that President Biden's latest budget proposal cuts $600 million from the Department of Homeland Security and $160 million from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement "at the very time that we need it the most."
"Not only do we have all of these people coming into our country, and it's been clearly laid out that they are being forced into indentured servitude, prostitution, human trafficking, being forced to be mules to carry drugs back and forth across the country," Rosendale said during an appearance on "American Agenda."
The Montana congressman also criticized the utilization of Section 265 of U.S. Code Title 42 by the Biden administration, a rule that permits the director of the Centers for Disease Control to limit immigration on the pretext of public health concerns.
Rosendale argued the law was ineffective to begin with, and the administration's plan to phase it out before the arrival of an imminent migrant caravan will not change much.
"We're trying to use Title 42, which is a public health tool, as an immigration tool, and it is not supposed to be done as such," Rosendale said. "Title 42 was put in place to make sure we didn't bring communicable diseases into the United States, and yet here we are allowing all of these people to come to our borders whether they have a disease or not."
"They're not even being checked. So, Title 42 is not the right tool to be using here."
The congressman instead proposed using stronger immigration laws on the books.
"We have to reenact the Remain in Mexico policy that was utilized very well under the Trump administration. It said, 'Okay, you're going to wait in Mexico for your hearing so we can establish whether you have credible fear, and you really can utilize asylum claims or whether you're going to be sent back to your country of origin."
"We have laws that are in place. We have a lawless administration right now," he added.
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