Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) issued a resounding defense of President Trump’s commitment to enforcing our country’s immigration laws on Tuesday.
“Thousands of families legally immigrate to the United States every year, following all the rules. Those who break the law risk consequences – potential detention, separation from their families and prosecution – just as any American citizen would,” DesJarlais said in a statement released by his office late Tuesday.
“Democrats argue illegal immigrants should receive better treatment than our own citizens, including the vast majority who follow the law and struggle to provide for their own families. However, our country’s de-facto open borders mean that hundreds of thousands of foreign citizens, remaining behind in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, primarily, are sending their children alone into the custody of federal immigration authorities and U.S. taxpayers,” DesJarlais continued.
“Drug gangs and MS-13 transport unaccompanied minors across Mexico. But they and their families could remain together, if adults would simply follow the law. The President is enforcing it, as he promised he would during a winning campaign, and in Congress, I’ve voted for a border wall and other deterrents that would dramatically reduce illegal immigration, juvenile detention and family separation,” he added.
“I support legislation that would end catch-and-release, sanctuary cities, and many enticements to dangerous behavior. My first priority is national security and the safety, as well as economic well-being, of my constituents in Tennessee. The solutions I propose would save lives on both sides of the southern border,” DesJarlais continued.
In contrast to DesJarlais’ stalwart support for President Trump’s enforcement of our border laws, both Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) have come out in favor of allowing illegal aliens who cross the border to remain in the country and not be separated from the children who accompany them when caught crossing illegally.
