Dan Crenshaw Drops Unpleasant Truths About Immigration on the Ladies of ‘The View’

“We have no effective control over our border right now.”

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-T.X., engaged in a spirited debate Monday with the ladies of ABC’s “The View” on the topic of immigration.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Crenshaw was consistent in advocating for tougher immigration enforcement. His stance contrasted with those of “The View’s” co-hosts, who seemed more concerned with the humanitarian plight of migrants seeking asylum in the United States.

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“Every country has the right to own its own sovereignty,” he said in response to co-host Sunny Hostin challenging his support for President Donald Trump’s proposed fee on asylum-seekers. “Every country has the right to manage who comes in and out of those borders. And right now, it feels as though the United States does not have that right.”

Crenshaw cited Customs and Border Patrol statistics that revealed 103,000 illegal immigrants were caught crossing the border in March, the highest number since 2007.

“And it’s on track to be even more than that this month. By the way, border patrol only thinks they catch one in three. So you can actually triple that number,” the freshman congressman said.

“We have no effective control over our border right now,” he added.

Echoing former Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, who claimed last year that cartels make $500 million a year from smuggling migrants across the border, Crenshaw said illegal immigrants are already paying a “fee.”

“Those illegal immigrants are already paying a fee. They pay a fee to the Mexican drug cartels – they have to,” he said. “Mexican drug cartels have complete operation control of our southern border.”

To the applause of the crowd, Hostin accused Crenshaw of “bunching everyone together” by talking about “undocumented immigrants” and said that many immigrants were “people seeking asylum.”

Crenshaw replied by referencing hard data from the Department of Homeland Security.

“As it turns out, about 80-90% of those don’t have a valid asylum claim once we actually get the documentation,” the Texas lawmaker replied. “What they’ve learned over the years is they only to raise their hand and say they’re claiming asylum, and they need a child with them. So our laws that are based on good intentions are actually incentivizing child trafficking.”

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“No matter what, they’re taking advantage of the asylum process,” he added.

Hostin took issue with Crenshaw’s use of DHS figures, saying they had been debunked by organizations such as activist group LatinoJustice, whose stated mission includes ensuring “that Latinx in the United States are treated with dignity, justice and fairness.”

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