Trump defends zero tolerance immigration policy, blames Democrats for impasse

June 20, 2018 09:28

United States US President Donald Trump defended his administration's "zero tolerance" policy towards immigration, blaming the opposition Democrats for the current mess and urging the Congress to change the "ridiculous" laws.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, under President Trump's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy, nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents and guardians and placed into holding facilities between April 19 and May 31 of this year.

"Change the laws. Now is the best opportunity ever for Congress to change the ridiculous and obsolete laws on immigration. Get it done, always keeping in mind that we must have strong border security," Trump said in a tweet.

He blamed the opposition Democrats for the loopholes in the existing laws.

"Democrats are the problem. They don't care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our country, like MS-13. They can't win on their terrible policies, so they view them as potential voters!" Trump said.

Trump called for arresting anyone who comes into the country illegally.

"If you don't have borders, you don't have a country!... Be smart America," he said.

"We must always arrest people coming into our country illegally. Of the 12,000 children, 10,000 are being sent by their parents on a very dangerous trip, and only 2000 are with their parents, many of whom have tried to enter our country illegally on numerous occasions," he said.

Crime in Germany is up 10 per cent plus, since migrants were accepted and others countries are even worse,Trump said, adding that officials do not want to report these crimes.

Later addressing the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Trump alleged that as a result of the Democrat-supported loopholes in the federal laws, most illegal immigrant families and minors from Central America who arrive unlawfully at the border, cannot be detained together or removed together, but only released.

"These are crippling loopholes that cause family separation, which we don't want. As a result of these loopholes, roughly half a million illegal immigrant family units and minors from Central America have been released into the United States since 2014, an unbelievably great taxpayer expense," Trump said. -- PTI

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