President Donald Trump speaks with U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, right, as they participate in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, June 23, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP )
"That's what the law says, and that's what our country needs because … unfortunately, they allowed millions of people to come into our country. Totally unvetted, totally unchecked," Trump said, referring to the Biden administration.
"So you ought to ask, 'Did he have the authority to allow millions of people?' Did Biden have the authority to do something that's unthinkable, have open borders where millions of people poured into our country, totally unvetted and totally unchecked, just as you would say. And many of those people were criminals," the president added.
"Many of them were from jails and prisons and mental institutions and gang members and drug dealers and very dangerous people. Many were murderers. We have 11,088 that we know of murderers. They murdered of that number. At least half killed more than one person.
HEARING SET FOR TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER FEDERAL JUDGE’S BLOCK OF DEPORTATION FLIGHTS
Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., March 13, 2023. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty=)
The action is leading to a tense discussion over the relationship between federal judges and the administration after U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia James Boasberg temporarily blocked the use of the act, but the court battle continues Friday.
"What the ACLU is seeking in this case is unprecedented — that a single unelected judge take upon himself the authority to micromanage the national defense of our nation. This would be a complete corruption of the principle of separation of powers, which is a bedrock feature of our Republic enshrined in the Constitution," America First Legal Senior Counsel James Rogers said in a statement Friday, according to a news release on AFL's brief in the case.
During the Biden administration, there were millions of migrant encounters along the border. Since Trump took office, the Department of Homeland Security swapped out the CBP One app, which people crossing could use to attempt to get asylum in the United States. The CBP Home app is meant for self-deportation.
Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Arcand@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-flips-script-reporter-questioning-admins-authority-deport-illegals