In a press release on Friday, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5) applauded President Donald Trump’s Presidential Proclamation “Addressing Mass Migration Through the Southern Border of the United States” and the Department of Homeland Security’s newly released asylum rule.

“Each year, hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens furtively thumb their noses at America’s sovereignty by clandestinely violating our borders and laws,” Brooks outlined. “Now, Central American caravans openly and brazenly seek to do the same. This outrageous conduct cannot be, and should not be, tolerated by America. As a sovereign nation, the American people have every right to expect their government to secure our borders.”

Brooks continued, “Illegal immigration hurts American workers and taxpayers. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, illegal aliens are a net $116 billion annual cost to American taxpayers. That’s $300 in additional taxes each man, woman and child in America is forced to pay for people whose first act on American soil is to violate American law.”

“Fraud and abuse plague America’s asylum system,” Brooks emphasized.

He concluded, “Let me make this clear: no one has a right to demand asylum from any nation. Asylum and sanctuary is a discretionary benefit given by nations to those with clear justification. Too often, illegal aliens are coached by attorneys to say ‘magic words’ that help them take advantage of America’s generosity. Their exploitation of America’s already generous immigration laws must stop! As such, I support President Trump’s steps to close asylum loopholes and stop the damage to America caused by illegal aliens’ wrongful conduct.”

Brooks’ release provided the following additional information on illegal immigration and asylum:

• So far in FY18, 500,000 people apprehended attempting to cross the border – about 100,000 at checkpoints and 400,000 in the interior.
• According to the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice, “In recent weeks, United States officials have each day encountered an average of approximately 2,000 inadmissible aliens at the southern border.”
• According to data provided by the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice, “Over the past decade, the overall percentage of aliens subject to expedited removal and referred, as part of the initial screening process, for a credible-fear interview jumped from approximately 5 percent to above 40 percent, and the total number of credible-fear referrals for interviews increased from about 5,000 a year in Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2008 to about 97,000 in FY 2018.”
• Last year, nearly half of the completed cases that involved aliens who claimed credible fear resulted in the alien failing to show up at a hearing or even to file an application for asylum.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn