Fox News "The Ingraham Angle" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Steve Scalise on Immigration Caravan
Interview
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INGRAHAM: Congressman Scalise, we don't really have time to do anything before this midterm election. This is a national security issue and economic issue cost taxpayers billions of dollars to take all these people in, public school, health care, all of what we know. It's a health issue too because we don't know what people have coming in here. We have diseases in this country we haven't had for decades. What will congress do after the midterms to address the issue?
REP. STEVE SCALISE, HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: Laura, I think in the next two weeks you're really going to see this debate play out because ultimately that election in two weeks will help decide it. I am really glad that President Trump is putting such a sharp focus on this. Look, I mean, when you look at these -- it's like a parade going over. These aren't asylum- seekers.
I mean, you can see and you've talked about this. You've highlighted the people that are coaching them along the way so that at the beginning of this march, they are talking about coming over here looking for jobs and by the time they get closer, they are being coached about how to finally try to get in here legally even though this is not what the legal process is supposed to be like.
We need to change the law. We've had two different bills on the House floor. We've got actual votes to tighten these loopholes to actually close the loopholes that are allowing this.
INGRAHAM: So what's the problem? Why is it not getting traction? This is a national emergency. I would pull everyone back from midterm campaigning to deal with this frankly. That important that we have thousands of people --
SCALISE: Look at this.
INGRAHAM: -- maybe most of them are unarmed or all of them are unarmed for all we know. We don't know. This is an invasion into this country and the American people are seeing this play out they're like, this is like the phone is ringing and no one is home. No one is answering the phone here.
SCALISE: And that's what you're seeing President Trump saying, look, we are not going to allow this. First of all, all the Latin American countries, all of those billions of dollars of foreign aid needs to be on the table. They need to be made very clear.
INGRAHAM: They are already out of the Central America.
SCALISE: If you do this, this is going to be a threat to your billions of dollars that you are getting.
INGRAHAM: They're gone.
SCALISE: But President Trump has already made that clear. This is going to be in jeopardy. And you saw Secretary of State Pompeo saying, we are not going to let you into our country. We have to treat this as an invasion but also you have to look at this as we are a nation of laws. We have said, just play by the rules. There are rules that you can play by but they are trying to gain the system. We have got to be very clear --
INGRAHAM: Have to be changed.
SCALISE: -- that these laws have to be changed, and there is going to be an election in two weeks, in just two weeks. There are people that -- look, Pelosi wants open borders. This is a real impact on Pelosi's whole idea of having open borders. President Trump has done a great job of making this an election issue because the country is going to ultimately decide.
INGRAHAM: They don't want --
SCALISE: Do we want to know from a national security open borders, I'm for it, national security. They are for open borders.
INGRAHAM: Tom, the groups that are facilitating this, they are co- conspirators in the gaining of the system and the mass rush on the border. What can be done?
HOMAN: What you describe is absolutely aiding and abetting and helping people make an illegal entry. That is a violation of a United States code 1324 which is alien smuggling. It's a felony. So HSI need to work with the partners in Mexico, identify these people and prosecute.
INGRAHAM: Gentleman, we can do a whole hour on this. Thank you so much for joining us and Congressman Scalise, we're going to have you back on this issue and so many others. I love having you both on.
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