White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Monday slammed the Obama administration’s handling of the U.S. immigration system, while urging Congress to pass new legislation to secure the nation’s borders.
“Are we walking around, making up laws? No, because we are not the Obama administration. We’re enforcing the laws that are on the books,” Sanders quipped during the White House press briefing.
“We’re asking Congress to do their part in the process and pass new legislation that will fix our immigration system,” she added.
Sarah Sanders: “Are we walking around making up laws? No, because we are not the Obama administration” pic.twitter.com/SQKJxtAxmp
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 25, 2018
Sanders’ remarks came in response to question about President Trump’s call to deport illegal immigrants without judicial proceedings.
“The president has laid out what he’d like to see,” Sanders said. “We’ve put out the things we want to see in an immigration package months ago. We’re still waiting on congress to give us the ability to do that.”
Trump tweeted on Sunday, calling on the U.S. to deport “these people” immediately.
We cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country. When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came. Our system is a mockery to good immigration policy and Law and Order. Most children come without parents…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2018
….Our Immigration policy, laughed at all over the world, is very unfair to all of those people who have gone through the system legally and are waiting on line for years! Immigration must be based on merit – we need people who will help to Make America Great Again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2018
Under the Trump administration’s zero tolerance immigration policy, all adult illegal border crossers are referred for criminal prosecution. The policy has caused roughly 2,300 immigrant children whose parents were apprehended at the border to be separated from their families — an issue which has sparked outcry across the country.
Trump signed last week an executive order that seeks to end the family separations by detaining parents and children together for the duration of criminal proceedings.
