Rep. Louie Gohmert said Wednesday that he supports putting up thousands of miles of fencing along the U.S.-Canada border, because Canada is now taking in Syrian refugees that could pose a risk to the U.S.
“We have to have a border that we can defend, and that includes to the north,” he said on Fox News. “You know, Canada’s bringing in Syrian refugees that are not vetted as well.”
When asked specifically if he wants a fence up on Canada’s border, Gohmert added, “you betcha,” and noted that Israel’s border, most of which is fencing, “works in Israel.”
Gohmert said Congress has already provided money for border fencing, but said the Obama administration has refused to use it for that purpose. “This is a lawless administration and people are being harmed,” he said.
Gohmert was interviewed amid a new surge of unaccompanied alien children along the southern U.S. border. Federal agents say the number of UACs has more than doubled in the first two months of fiscal year 2016, compared to the same period last year.
Gohmert said the Obama administration continues to create an incentive to illegal immigrants, by continuing to push for relaxed immigration rules.
“This is a disaster,” he said. “This administration, and the United States really, we are complicit in homes being destroyed in Mexico, Central America, South America, because of this shiny object lured: If you can just make it to Texas, then Homeland Security will ship you anywhere in the United States.”
