Former President Donald Trump responded Friday to the massive influx of illegal immigrants across the U.S. southern border following the end of Title 42, calling it "absolutely crazy."
In an 11-second video posted on his Truth Social account, Trump called the "invasion" of illegal immigrants after the expiration of Title 42, a policy he invoked during the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed for the rapid deportation of illegal immigrants because of health concerns, "unprecedented."
"The massive invasion of our southern border is unprecedented anywhere in the world," Trump said. "It’s absolutely crazy."
Trump also addressed the crisis at the southern border Wednesday night during his appearance on a CNN town hall.
"Look at what's happening at our southern border," Trump said. "Millions and millions of people are coming in. They’re being released from prisons, they’re being released from mental institutions, and we have millions of people pouring into our country. Now they're getting rid of Title 42, which I put on, which kept people out that were sick."
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Newsmax on Friday the end of Title 42 poses a huge national security threat for the United States.
"Title 42 does not stop immigration," Mullin said. "It stops single males traveling by themselves and allows us to apprehend them and hold them for up to three days and do biometrics on them and find out who they actually are.
"That is why we've caught 82, I'm sorry, 83 known terrorists since Title 42 has been put in place. These aren't terrorists on the watch list. These are known terrorists."
Mullins added that in the past 12 months, at least 160 people on the U.S. terrorist watch list have been apprehended at the border.
Peter Navarro, a former trade adviser in the Trump administration, told Newsmax on Thursday this flood of illegal immigrants is just what Democrats want because they are hoping it will expand their voting base.
"The Democrat agenda with open borders, it's a big bet," Navarro said. "They think everybody coming across there after they give them amnesty, which you know they're going to try to do, is going to vote Democrat. They're shipping them in buses to the red states, and they're just trying to upset the [political] balance. ... They do not care. All they care about is political power and their woke agenda."