DHS head Nielsen says immigration crisis 'is not new,' product of [DEMOCRAT CREATED] legislative loopholesHomeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday that the growing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border "is not new" as the Trump administration dug in amid a national outcry over the separation of immigrant children from their parents.
"This entire crisis, just to be clear, is not new," Nielsen told reporters at the top of the White House briefing. "It's been occurring and expanded over many decades. But currently, it is the exclusive product of loopholes in our federal immigration laws that prevent illegal immigrant minors and family members from being detained and removed to their home countries."
"In other words," Nielsen added, "these loopholes create a functionally open border. Apprehension without detention and removal is not border security."
Nielsen called for Congress to act on legislation that would curb the separation of immigrant children from parents held in custody. Such a provision is already in a compromise GOP immigration measure between party conservatives and moderates and similar language was expected to be added to an alternative bill favored by conservative members. The House is expected to vote on both bills later this week.
The current holding areas used to house separated children have drawn widespread attention after journalists gained access to one site Sunday.
At a McAllen, Texas, detention center, the Associated Press reported that hundreds of immigrant children waited in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets were scattered around the facility.
Nielsen, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other members of the administration have insisted that the White House is simply enforcing immigration laws already on the books.
"The voices most loudly criticizing the enforcement of our current laws are those whose policies created this crisis and whose policies perpetrate it," Nielsen said.
The policy has drawn outrage from conservatives and Republicans as well as Democrats and liberals. The Rev. Franklin Graham, a longtime Trump ally, called the policy "disgraceful." Several religious groups have also pushed to stop the practice and former first lady Laura Bush called it "cruel" and "immoral" in a Washington Post opinion piece.
On Capitol Hill, Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton called for an immediate end to this "ugly and inhumane practice," adding, "It's never acceptable to use kids as bargaining chips in political process." And Kansas GOP Sen. Pat Roberts said he is "against using parental separation as a deterrent to illegal immigration."
[This is a developing story; check back for more updates. The Associated ]
The press conference with both DHS secretary Nielsen, and Sara Huckabee-Sanders, was held less than an hour before the 6PM news.
