A Democratic lawmaker says Americans âdonât want illegalsâ and called for a âcomprehensive immigration reform.â
During an interview on NBC Newsâ âMeet the Press,â Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) responded to a question from host Kristen Welker about the southern border being âbrokenâ under President Joe Biden.
âThe borderâs been broken,â Dingell said. âIt was broken under Donald Trump as well. Our immigration reform, we have needed comprehensive immigration reform for decades.â
âLet me also say, youâve got small businesses clamoring for people,â Dingell added. âWeâve got caregiving, which is in desperate shape. And, we need to bring, some of these people need to be immigrants, but we donât want illegals. We donât want other people coming in.â
Dingellâs words come as Steven Camarota, the research director at the Center for Immigration Studies, provided an estimate that roughly 13 million âgotawaysâ were in the United States. A âgotawayâ is a person who has entered the U.S. illegally and was not apprehended by Customs and Border Protection officers.
Camarota also revealed about 50 million immigrants, both illegal and legal, were in the US. currently.
âWe donât want drugs coming across our border,â Dingell continued. âWe need a balanced comprehensive immigration policy.â
Senate Republicans recently blocked a $111 million supplemental funding bill requested by President Joe Biden. Included in the bill was funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as additional funding for border security.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has stressed that further aid to Ukraine would not be approved until the border and national security issues are addressed first.
