On Tuesday's New Day while CNN's Alisyn Camerota debated the ACU's Matt Schlapp on border security, the liberal host made her latest claim that immigrants who cross the border without permission are not really breaking the law as long as they seek asylum afterwards. Schlapp tried to school the liberal host on the importance of putting immigrants through a background check system rather than let them sneak into the country unchecked.
She also complained that her right-leaning guest did not "sound" to her like he was "pro-immigration," as he described himself, because he was arguing against letting non-citizens break the law to enter the country.
Early in the segment, the two discussed President Donald Trump's recent ad highlighting crime by illegal immigrants as the two debated whether it was "racist." Camerota soon complained: "The President endorsed this ad, and it found the most heinous, sort of psychopathic double murderer to feature from four years ago on the same week that actually 11 Jews were killed in a synagogue that the President wasn't focused on."
It was not clarified that, although the murders took place in 2014, the trial in which the perpetrator boasted about the attacks occurred earlier this year in January.
Schlapp jumped in to disagree with Camerota's claim that Trump was not "focused on" the Tree of Life synagogue attack.
A bit later, as Schlapp complained that there is a "big criminal problem" in the immigration system because so many are allowed to be in the country illegally, the CNN host jumped in to undermine complaints about illegal immigrants committing crimes. Camerota: "I hear you, but stats don't support that. You know that all of the research suggests that actually immigrants commit less crime than people who were born in America."
Schlapp responded by making a distinction between legal and illegal immigrants as he pointed out that legal immigrants go through a background check process while those who sneak into the country do not.
A bit later, when Schlapp described himself as a "pro-immigration Republican," Camerota jabbed him: "You don't sound like one."
The two then debated about whether it is legal for a non-citizen to cross the border without permission as long as they then apply for asylum after they are apprehended. Camerota: "But asylum is legal. Seeking asylum is legal."
Schlapp responded: "They problem is, you don't have to rush the border to do it. You can go to any port of entry."
Although many illegals are sneaking across the border and then applying for asylum, the CNN host responded: "That's right -- that's what they're doing. They're showing up. You can also just show up at the border. You can present yourself to a Customs agent and ask to seek asylum."
She then added: "You and I are struggling with this. You are because this is legal. You're trying to suggest that what's happening is illegal. It's not."
