*Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2018 *

**The President's Weekly Address **

*June 23, 2018 *

Our country is currently facing a crisis of illegal immigration on our southern border. Democrat-supported loopholes in our Federal laws have enabled roughly half a million illegal immigrant family members and minors from Central America to be released into the United States since 2014, at unbelievably tremendous taxpayer expense. While illegal aliens can only be held for a period of days or weeks, it can take years to move their cases through the legal system to actually try to send them back to their home countries.

It is a ridiculous process. For example, of the removal orders issued for unaccompanied alien children over a recent 2-year period, 90 percent were done in absentia; that means they weren't there and they never showed up for their removal hearing. What else is new?

The United States cannot have an open border to every illegal alien family and minor on the face of the Earth. We must have rules, we must have laws, and we must enforce those laws. The driving factor in the surge of illegal families and minors is the belief that there will be no consequence for illegal entry and no likelihood of removal or reprisal.

Unfortunately, open border Democrats support the loopholes that prevent families from being detained and removed together; they just want everyone to be released into our country no matter how dangerous they are. They can be killers, they can be thieves, they can be horrible people; the Democrats say it's okay for them to be in our country. I don't think so. Congress and Congress alone can solve the problem. And the only solution that will work is being able to detain, prosecute, and promptly remove anyone who illegally crosses the border.

Remember this: We need Democrat votes. Without the Democrats constantly obstructing, there's no way you can do it. Without having Democrats voting, there is no way you can get this done. So the Democrats are obstructing, the Democrats don't want border security, the Democrats are okay with crime, but we're not okay with it.

We need Democrat votes. Without it, frankly, nothing can be done.

NOTE: The address was recorded at approximately 2:30 p.m. on June 21 in the Cabinet Room at the White House.

*Categories:* Addresses and Remarks : Weekly addresses*.*

*Locations: *Washington, DC.

*Subjects:* Congress : Bipartisanship; Defense and national security : Border security; Immigration and naturalization : Illegal immigration; Immigration and naturalization : Reform; Immigration and naturalization : Unaccompanied alien children across U.S. Southwest border, increase; Mexico : Border with U.S., infrastructure and security.

*DCPD Number:* DCPD201800450.