Fox News:
So, let’s start with the president’s statement on Friday about possibly shifting detainees, immigrant detainees, to Santuary Cities all over the country. Here he is.
President Trump:
California certainly is saying Oh, we want more people. And they want more people in their Sanctuary Cities, well, we’ll give them more people we can give them a lot, we can give them an unlimited supply.
Fox News:
Is the president serious? Does he really intend to shift thousands of immigrants all across the country to cities like New York and San Francisco and a lot of other places?
Sarah:
Certainly we are looking at all options and as long as Democrats, Chris, continue to ignore the crisis at the border, continue to refuse to sit down with the president and republicans in congress and come up with a solution to stop the national security and humanitarian crisis and the number of illegal immigrants that are flooding across our border, then we have to look at all options across the table so that those towns right there on the border aren’t taking on the whole burden, and that we’re shifting some of that burden ah to places who constantly claim ah to want to have open borders and want to have an open city so let?s put some of those people into their communities and into their towns and? and see if they are okay then with them, with that same impact.
Again, the big part of the question, the big thing we have to look at here is how do we stop this from being a problem in the first place. We shouldn’t have to be putting people and moving them all across the country to spread that out. We should have a border that’s strong, that’s secure, a border than functions the way that it’s supposed to. That’s the president’s number one priority, that’s what he’d like to see happen, and that’s what he’d like Democrats to work with him to solve. If they continue to be unwilling to do that, we’re certainly looking at all options.
Fox News:
Okay. I want to pick up on this specific option though, of shipping migrants to Sanctuary Cities. The president tweeted last night that he has, the government has the absolute legal right to do so.? But as has been reported, this has been floated by the White House, brought over to DHS and they repeatedly that it was not legal to do so and also, they said counterproductive. Take a look at some of the objections DHS raise.
- They say congress has approved no specific money for this purpose;
- ICE says quote it would be an unnecessary operational burden;
- Sending them to Sanctuary Cities which don’t cooperate with Federal enforcement of immigration laws would make it harder to round them up later;
- And it also might be an incentive to more illegal immigration.
So, I guess the question is: how do you overcome all of those problems?
Sarah:
Again, nobody thinks this is the ideal solution ah but until we can fix the crisis at the border, we have to look at all options. This is one of em. Whether or not it moves forward ah ah that’s yet to be determined. This was raised at a staff level initially ah? and pushed back on? the president wants us to explore it again so that?s being done and they’re doing a complete and thorough review.
But again, the big thing is Democrats, including the mayors, ah? and members of congress in these communities want these individuals they should be helping the president frankly look for solutions to bring them to their communities instead of fighting the president every step of the way. Let’s work together, let’s solve the crisis at the border and let’s figure out how it doesn’t make a massive impact on any one particular community like we’re seeing in a lot of the border towns all along our southern border.
Fox News:
One other question in immigration. I want to move on, (chuckles) there’s a lot to talk about. The New York Times reports that last week
Sarah:
We like to stay busy.
Fox News:
Yeah, you keep us busy and we appreciate that. The New York Times reports that last week the president told acting DHS [Department of Homeland Security] chief, Kevin McAleenan that he urged him to close the border to migrants and offered to pardon him if necessary. Now the White House said that’s not the way it went down. What did the president say to McAleenan?
Sarah:
Look, the president has addressed this, DHS has put out a statement on this topic saying that is inaccurate reflection; the president is a person and a president of law and order, that’s his entire focus, his coming in is actually restoring law and order to this country [indistinct]?
Fox News:
What did he say?
Sarah:
Look, the president has asked him to do everything they can everything they are allowed to do under the law to stop the massive crisis we have at our southern border, the same thing he says publicly day in and day out. It’s the same thing he says behind closed doors to staff is figure out how we stop this crisis, how we fix this problem. Let’s look for every possible option to do so and that’s what our team has been doing. But it would be really nice and much simpler if Congress would spend 15 minutes and sit down with the president and let’s just come up with the best solutions so that we don’t have to do this, we don’t have to look for ah? all of these different options. It seems so basic.
Fox News:
I I
Sarah:
And yet Congress wants to spend all of its time attacking the president, investigating the president on these taxpayer funded fishing expeditions that are completely outrageous and completely baseless instead of doing their jobs.
Fox News:
All right, let me ask you a little bit about that and I promise you we are going to ask senator, Democratic Senator McAleenan in the next segment about the Democratic plan for immigration.
Sarah:
They don’t have one. Their only plan is to fight the president and it’s a sad day in America when the Mexican president is willing to do more for the United States of America for the illegal immigration problem than Democrats and Congress and I hope that you will ask him and I hope that you will ask what their solution is and why they are so unwilling to get onto it.
To be continued: Part two of this interview will be published tomorrow.