CNN’s Alisyn Camerota took issue with Republican Rep. Mo Brooks’ statement on illegal immigration and tried to go head-to-head with the Alabama congressman Friday on “New Day.”
Camerota read Brooks’ statement about the caravan of illegal immigrants making their way to America’s southern border, and called him out for referring to it as an “invasion by foreign nationals.”
Camerota took issue with this part of his statement:
I fully support President Trump’s use of our military to secure the border against invasion by foreign nationals. Recent highly publicized caravans of thousands of foreigners heading for America’s borders emphasize that it is past time for Congress to reform laws that entice and reward foreign nationals who illegally invade America.
Camerota asked Brooks why he used the word “invasion.” He said it was the best word to fit the current circumstances.
“Because that’s the word that applies,” he said. “If you go to Webster’s dictionary, it absolutely fits that definition.”
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“These folks come into the United States of America illegally when they cross our borders. They don’t do some kind of legal formal application process from another country to assert asylum to come into America,” Brooks continued.
“Often what you see is they cross our borders illegally. Then they’re advised by lawyers to say the right things that need to be said in order to be able to stay in the United States of America. And the net effect is that it’s costing us … $116 billion a year in net tax losses at the city, county, state and federal level. And we don’t have that kind of money.”
“It’s also costing our American and lawful immigrants jobs and they’re suffering from wage suppression because of the huge surge in the labor supply,” he added. “Whatever name you want to call it, refugees, immigrants.”
Camerota tried to defend immigration as a positive for the U.S. and said there are “all sorts of numbers” showing how immigration has helped the nation and served as the “backbone of our economy.”
“You’re talking about immigration which is different from illegal aliens,” Brooks replied. “Let’s make sure — if you’re talking about lawful immigration, we have the most generous lawful immigration policy on the planet. Nobody is as generous as the United States of America. What we’re talking about right now is illegal aliens over and above lawful immigration.”
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