January 12, 2018

Cassidy: Immigration Deal Depends on Democrats Supporting Border Security Again

WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) joined Harris Faulkner on Fox News today to discuss the need to secure the border and modernize our country’s immigration policy. He addressed President Trump’s efforts to bring Republicans and Democrats together on a solution that will secure the border, discourage future illegal immigration, and be fair to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, non-citizens who were illegally brought to the U.S. at a young age, usually by their parents.

In 2013, 54 Senate Democrats voted to build the wall, end the diversity visa lottery, double the number of border agents, and move toward a merit-based immigration system. In 2006, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) along with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden voted to increase the size of the border wall.

Key excerpts of Cassidy’s remarks are transcribed below.

ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S STATED GOALS

CASSIDY: It is about border security. It is about DACA. It’s about keeping illegal drugs and illegal immigrants on the other side of the border, and taking care of the DACA kids. If Democrats really care about DACA, they will also focus on the deal before us. Will they give up more border security, which previously they have supported? If we can stay focused on that, I would argue that’s the more important thing to focus on, not what was or was not said in a meeting.

ON WHETHER DEMOCRATS WILL SUPPORT BORDER SECURITY AGAIN

CASSIDY: Chain migration is clearly important. Again, border security, taking care of kids with DACA. All of those are important. You want to avoid getting the deal too comprehensive, because then there’s too much to oppose. But if you can stay laser focused on the four pillars, if you will, then you can actually come to common ground. I think you can, because again, Democrats supported almost all these things that Republicans are now proposing, and they would get DACA.

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