President Donald Trump took a machete to his political rivals Monday, claiming Democrats ‘don’t care’ about ‘killer’ MS-13 gang members flooding into the country.
With just days before government funding is once again set to expire, and little headway on a deal between the the White House and Democrats and Republicans in Congress over immigration, Trump blasted Democrats on immigration, saying they ‘don’t care’ about the nation’s security.
‘The ones that don’t want security at the southern border or any other border are the Democrats. They don’t care about the security of our country. They don’t care about MS-13 killers pouring into our country – and we bring them out almost as fast as they come in, but nobody was bringing them out before us,’ Trump said.
Trump made the comments while speaking in Ohio where he toured a plant and touted his tax cut.
President Donald Trump said Democrats ”don’t care’ about the nation’s security
He went off on Democrats after an audience member brought up the border wall, saying: ‘You got to build that wall.’
‘Oh, we’re building the wall. Believe me. We’re building the wall. Don’t even think about it,’ Trump said.
In his immigration proposal to Democrats, Trump said he would agree to a 12-year path to citizenship for DREAMers in exchange for $30 billion for the wall and other policy changes, something Democrats rejected as a ransom.
Continuing highlighted the ‘killers’ that make up the gang, which has been blamed for horrific attacks on rivals gang members as well as civilians who dare to challenge it.
‘And these are killers, but our guys are tougher than them and that’s what we need. Sorry. And our Democrats ought to get smart and they ought to get tough or the situation’s going to get very bad. But we’re going to win,’ Trump said.
Trump’s attacks on Democrats came after he said in his State of the Union he had an ‘open hand’ to negotiate
Handcuffed inmates, members of MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs, are made to wait upon arrival at the maximum security prison in Zacatecoluca, 65 km east of San Salvador, on August 30, 2017
Roughly two dozen accused members of the violent MS-13 gang were arrested before dawn Wednesday as federal and local investigators forced their way into homes across Los Angeles County in a sweep that came as a result of a two-year racketeering investigation
‘America will not overcome this epidemic overnight. But just like Americans always will – I do think we have to change our ways, and we will – but we will prevail. We’re going to beat it. We’re going to get tough. We’re going to get angry and we’re going to win. Our children are being decimated,’ the president said.
‘You know, one drug dealer can kill thousands of people. One drug dealer. If you ever did an average, nobody’s ever seen this. You probably never heard this before,’ Trump said.
‘If you ever did an average, a drug dealer will kill thousands of people. And we don’t even come down on these people. So it’s time to start. And that time is now. Right now,’ he said.
Trump also brought up MS-13 in his State of the Union speech, where he pitched an immigration deal that he termed ‘a fair compromise – one where nobody gets everything they want, but where our country gets the critical reforms it needs.’
His speech came hours after he ripped the latest bipartisan immigration effort as a ‘total waste of time.’
GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware released the proposal Monday morning. It provide a ‘pathway to citizenship’ for dreamers and sets up a study for how to improve border security – but does not fund a new border wall. Government funding runs out Friday and DACA protections expire next month.
‘Any deal on DACA that does not include STRONG border security and the desperately needed WALL is a total waste of time,’ Trump tweeted Monday morning. ‘March 5th is rapidly approaching and the Dems seem not to care about DACA. Make a deal!’
Sens. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, are rolling out legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for the so-called ‘Dreamers,’ while also ordering a study, which would look at what measures are needed to secure the southern border.