Let me be clear: Like most of you, I support legal, lawful immigration. We value those who seek our nation in pursuit of their dreams. Separately, we want to protect others who have nowhere else to turn in the face of persecution.

While most immigrants obviously come to the United States with goodwill, the crime and drug statistics related to illegal immigration are staggering. Human trafficking has risen dramatically in recent years. Hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of deadly narcotics are seized on the border each year by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested more than 300,000 illegal immigrants in the last two years, including: