Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) questioned why some Democrats do not care about the effects of illegal immigration, saying there are “so many things” the nation can do to enforce its laws on this matter.
Following President-elect Donald Trump‘s victory in the 2024 election, several Democrats have said they will oppose Trump’s plans to deport illegal immigrants, with incoming “border czar” Tom Homan threatening consequences for those who do. In reflecting on the opposition some Democrats are enacting, Scott noted how he would be “devastated” if a family member of his were killed by an illegal immigrant, with Laken Riley’s death and other similar instances becoming a focal point in Trump’s presidential campaign.
“Why doesn’t Joe Biden, why doesn’t Pritzker, why doesn’t the mayor of Chicago, why doesn’t Mayorkas, why don’t they care?” Scott asked on Fox News’s The Faulkner Focus. “So Donald Trump won, he won a mandate to clean up the mess that Biden created. So we are going to secure the border, and if you are here illegally, you can’t be here! Think about it: we have almost 40,000 Chinese nationals. These are generally single adults. Why are they here?”
Scott added that these Chinese nationals need to be sent back to China “immediately,” as the Eastern country is “basically threatening war with the United States.” He then questioned why the U.S. is allowing flights from China if they are unable to send these nationals back.
The Florida senator also said Democrats “canceled the hearing” in which Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was set to testify before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and questioned if Mayorkas has “a heart” over the effects of illegal immigration.
“Doesn’t he have somebody in his life that he worries about, that somebody here illegally, unvetted, might harm?” Scott said. “I don’t get it.”
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Going forward, Scott said he and the rest of the Republicans will focus on giving Trump all the resources he needs to allow the president-elect to “clean up the mess that Joe Biden created.”
On Wednesday, Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) said he is “open” to having a conversation with Homan, a reversal from his previous statement that he would oppose Trump’s deportations. He added that he shares Trump’s view that undocumented “violent criminals” ought to be deported.