Scalise: Senate Open Borders Bill is Not the Solution

Interview

"There's a whole host of issues that we have with this bill. And if you look at where we started in the House over six months ago, H.R. 2 is a bill that we put together working with border patrol agents, working with others. We've been down to the border ourselves personally -- almost all of us in the House -- and ultimately what we recognized was it's the magnet of catch and release. It's the broken asylum process. It's the ending of the 'Remain in Mexico' policy that we want to restore that would ultimately close the border. What are the things that we can do to secure America's border that's wide open right now? Anybody that looks at the border knows it's wide open.

And if you look at the Senate bill, it, in essence, codifies catch and release. It allows for more people to come in illegally. It makes it easier to make asylum claims in America. Again, the process for asylum has always been there. It's a generous process, but you're supposed to make those asylum claims in your home country. You don't come into America through Mexico or through any other state -- whether it's coming in through Texas, whether it's coming in through California.

What we're seeing right now is just a complete abuse of the process because Joe Biden allowed that to happen. Joe Biden could end this today. Let's be clear: He has the legal authority as president to close and secure the border himself. He's chosen not to. And so that's why we took strong action in the House with H.R. 2

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Shouldn't that tell you everything you need to know? That's a spot in San Diego, by the way, that 60 Minutes did the feature on last year. Over 30,000 Chinese nationals came across, and they're using TikTok, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. So if anybody wonders where this is coming from, all the countries, what we've documented, well over 150 countries where people have come across our border. This isn't just South and Central America. It's Middle Eastern countries, it's China, it's other Asian nations, all coming into America untethered, without any vetting at all because Joe Biden sent the clarion call and said: 'The border is open. Come on in.'

And, oh, by the way, that Senate border bill puts over a billion dollars of your additional tax money to process more people illegally and to send them out throughout the country. Nobody knows where they're going. No governor can tell you how many are in each of their states. We have mayors that are crying out -- Democrat mayors -- saying, stop this because it's overwhelming their cities. And yet, this is going to bring more people into those communities.

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Yeah, that vote is going to happen this evening around [06:00 PM EST]. Secretary Mayorkas, the case has been made very strongly that he should be impeached. Chairman Green and his Homeland Security Committee members have laid this case out over months. And these are many different times where [Secretary Mayorkas] has come before the committee, made false statements.

How many times has he said 'the border is secure' or given other statements to the committee that just don't mesh up with the facts? And ultimately, he's got a job to secure our nation. He's failed miserably: That's why it's risen to this level of impeachment

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Feeling great, and I appreciate it. I feel the prayers, getting healthier every day. And when I saw the story about King Charles, I pray for him, too, because cancer affects so many people everywhere. It surely affected me. But I appreciate the prayers and the marvels of science. We've made so many advances. We're going to continue to make advances. And the key is just to follow your doctor's advice. Hopefully, you catch it early. If you find something wrong with your body, go see your doctor, because early detection truly does save lives"

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