Sen. James Lankford told Newsmax U.S. border agents are no longer "hotel check-in folks."
The Oklahoma Republican told Newsmax's "National Report" on Wednesday that morale is way up since agents are now able to do their job. "They're finally getting a chance to enforce the law. They're turning people around," he said. "They're not hotel check-in folks that the Biden administration had them where they're basically checking them in as they're crossing the border and releasing them in the country."
Lankford serves on the Homeland Security Committee and said it's nice to see border agents able to truly secure the homeland from people making illegal border crossings. "Now they're arresting them, processing them, and turning them around immediately."
The focus at the border is on blocking illegal entry but still allowing legal immigration, Lankford said. "It doesn't matter what country they're coming from. They're getting turned around, put on planes and flown back to their original country. So the message is getting clear."
Lankford said the Trump administration has given border agents the tools to manage the situation. Repeat border crashers, he said, are being tagged with a felony, "which means they can never be allowed to be able to come back in the country again, visa or not." That's it, said Lankford, "They're blocked permanently."
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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