On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” host Kaitlyn Collins said it was “off topic” to mention how people abuse the asylum system when talking about how asylum seekers receive health benefits in the government shutdown.
Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) said, “Now, they’re saying, we’re not going to allow you to keep the government working. So, unless you give us $1.5 trillion for programs that the American people have now overwhelmingly said they have no interest in supporting anymore, including health care for noncitizens, illegal immigrants, health care expansion programs to other countries, in some cases, based on exports. Unless you give us $1.5 trillion for it, we are. Going to keep the government’s mouth shut. This is not a conversation in good faith.”
Collins responded, “Okay, but – well, it’s not people who are here illegally. It’s people who have a different legal status, it’s people who are seeking asylum, refugees.”
Sheehy then said, “Yeah, but it’s accurate to say non-citizen, though.”
Collins retorted, “You said people who are here illegally.”
Sheehy responded, “Some of those people would be considered here illegally.”
Later, Sheehy said, “[A] So many people come to asylum, claiming asylum, who are not actually asylum seekers, that system has been abused by half a million, tens of millions, potentially.
Collins responded, “But it’s a legal process. If you don’t like it you can change the law. But my point is that they’re not people who crossed the border illegally.”
Sheehy countered, “But if they abused the process and lied about it, that’s illegal. If they falsely claimed asylum status, they have been granted asylum status during an administration that willingly chose to -.”
Collins then said, “Well, you’re getting off topic. What I’m saying is that people who are DACA recipients, Temporary Protected Status refugees, these are the people who get – who qualify for it.”
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