Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was interviewed by Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation.” When they discussed how migrant families were treated at the border, Noem said that children of migrants have a “choice” about crossing the border illegally.
She claimed that everyone can choose to be in the country legally or illegally and can even leave the country voluntarily (“self-deport”). Brennan tried to correct her, saying that kids don’t really have a choice in this matter. Still, Noem insisted that children and their parents can decide to stay together or if the parents want to leave the kids behind, that’s a family choice.
When asked about separating families at the border, Noem said she wasn’t sure if that policy would come back. She blamed President Joe Biden, saying he ignored federal immigration laws, leading to consequences for people who break the law.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett from Texas disagreed with Noem. She said that entering the country without permission is not a crime; it’s a “civil matter.” Crockett pointed out that local police don’t ignore real crimes because of someone’s immigration status. Instead, they focus on serious crimes and shouldn’t waste time rounding up individuals just because they entered the country illegally.
Crockett also criticized Republicans for their stance on immigration and called former President Trump the “biggest criminal” to have been in office. She mentioned that people shouldn’t be concerned about immigrants when there are more serious criminals to catch.