Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, accused the American judicial system Monday of impeding President Trump from making good on his signature campaign promises relative to immigration.
“The judicial system is really taking an activist role in preventing Trump from implementing his agenda,” Crenshaw said during an appearance on “Fox and Friends.” “We’re dealing with somebody … another side of the party that does not want to see a solution here.”
Several Obama-appointed federal judges have ruled against Trump’s immigration policies such as restrictions on green card holders and the exile of migrants awaiting court hearings.
During the 2016 campaign and since, Trump vowed to stop the “human carnage” caused by illegal immigration and “build a wall” between the United States and Mexico to make it happen.
Democrats, especially those running for president in 2020, have seized on Trump’s homeland security strategy, characterizing it as racist and cruel.
“We must end the dehumanization of immigrants and develop a humane policy for those at the border who seek asylum,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tweeted last week. “This is inhumane. It must stop NOW.”
Crenshaw, a freshman congressman from the largest state along the southern border, says liberals like Sanders are purposefully stalling on immigration reform and using it as a cudgel for Trump and Republicans.
“Look at Bernie’s tweet, he didn’t note any solutions, not one,” Crenshaw said. “He’s virtue signaling. They’re virtue signaling because they actually want this crisis to keep going so they can keep campaigning about it. And they won’t listen to actual solutions.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham earlier this month introduced legislation aimed at curbing the flow of migrants toward the southern border.
Trump praised Graham’s legislation during an announcement of his new plan to overhaul the American immigration system that includes a “merit-based” standard for entry into the country.
Republicans like Crenshaw have echoed Trump’s claim that more attention to legal immigration will make the process more fair for everyone.
“We must implement an immigration system that will allow our citizens to prosper for generations to come,” Trump said. “A big proportion of those immigrants should come in through merit and skill.”
