Page:Remarks by President Trump on the National Security and Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border.djvu/18

2/17/2019 Q Thank you, Mr. President. I wonder if you could comment on this disconnect that we seem to have in this country, where you are presenting information about what’s happening at the border — calling it an “invasion,” talking about women with duct tape over their mouths, and so on — and yet there’s a lot of reporting out there, there’s a lot of crime data out there, there’s a lot of Department of Homeland Security data out there that shows border crossings at a near-record low —

THE PRESIDENT: That’s because of us. But it’s still —

Q — that shows undocumented immigrants committing crime at lower levels —

THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me. It’s still massive numbers of crossings.

Q — that shows undocumented criminals — or undocumented immigrants committing crime at lower levels than native-born Americans. What do you say —

THE PRESIDENT: You don’t really believe that stat, do you? Do you really believe that stat?

Q What do you — well, let me ask you this —

THE PRESIDENT: Take a look at our federal prisons.

Q I believe in facts and statistics and data, but —

THE PRESIDENT: Okay? Any more? Quick, let’s go.

Q Let me just ask you this: What do you say to your critics who say that you are creating a national emergency, that you’re concocting a national emergency here in order to get your wall because you couldn’t get it through other ways?

THE PRESIDENT: I ask the Angel Moms: What do you think? Do you think I’m creating something?

Ask these incredible women, who lost their daughters and their sons. Okay?

PARTICIPANT: This is real. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-national-security-humanitarian-crisis-southern-border/