President Donald Trump's approval rating on immigration has dipped because of "false media" reporting, says border czar Tom Homan.
"The false media stories, like I just said, that most people in [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] detention aren't criminals. Wrong. A majority is criminal. I see the numbers every day, but now the media is saying, 'Well, they're not criminal enough,' " Homan told the Washington Examiner.
"The bottom line is, I looked it up, 70% of everybody we arrested has a criminal history, and I told you, the other 30% are national security threats," he added.
"Most national security threats don't have a criminal history. They're lying low. A lot of gang members don't have criminal histories. And the others, the non-criminals, everybody arrested in the country illegally, that's not OK. It's not OK to be in this country illegally."
According to Real Clear Politics, 51.8% disapprove of the way Trump is handling immigration, compared with 45.2% who approve.
A Reuters poll released Tuesday showed Trump's approval rating dropped one percentage point to 40%, the lowest level of his second term in office, as Americans remained concerned about his handling of the economy and immigration.
The three-day poll, which closed on Monday, surveyed 1,023 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. It showed a nation deeply polarized over Trump, with 83% of Republicans and just 3% of Democrats approving of his performance. About one-third of independents approved.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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