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Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said Tuesday on Fox News that deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records shouldn’t be a “controversial” issue for lawmakers.

New legislation requiring federal immigration officials to detain illegal immigrants with theft-related crimes, called the Laken Riley Act, passed the House on Tuesday and is making its way to the Senate for a vote. On “Special Report with Bret Baier,” the host, Baier, asked the lawmaker about his fellow colleague, Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, who said the bill would “demonize immigrants.” Raskin said that was his reason for not voting for the measure.

“I have a lot of enormous respect for my colleague in the House, but I just happen to disagree on this. For me, just like my friend and colleague in the Senate, like it’s really common sense. I’d like to remind everybody that we have hundreds and hundreds of thousands of migrants here illegally that have convicted of crimes,” Fetterman said.

“And why? I don’t know why,” Fetterman added. “Who wants to defend that to allow them to remain in our nation? Now, if you’re here illegally and you’re committing crimes and those things, I don’t know why anybody thinks that it’s controversial that they all need to go.”

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During Tuesday’s vote in the House, 159 Democrats voted against the Laken Riley Act. The measure, however, ended up passing with a 264-159 vote as 48 Democrats helped push the measure through.

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“I’ve been in this same chair, and I was arguing about a year ago saying that ‘You can be pro-immigration, but we need a secure border,’” Fetterman said.

“We have a serious issue here on the border, and we have to address that. We can be pro-immigration, and I really believe we should protect the dreamers,” Fetterman added. “But I don’t know why it’s controversial that we need to deport any migrants here, illegal, that are engaging in kinds of criminal activity. I don’t know why that’s controversial to anybody.”

During the 2024 campaign, President-elect Donald Trump said that, if elected, he would secure the southern border. This, as illegal immigrant encounters reached record highs under the Biden-Harris administration. Incoming border czar Tom Homan has said he will see Trump’s mass deportation plan through. Homan said Sunday on CBS News that foreign home countries that refuse to take immigrants back won’t slow the process down.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Fox News/”Special Report With Bret Baier”)

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