Tucker Carlson convinced his Tuesday evening guest to acknowledge that illegal immigrants caught using fake documents should be charged for those crimes.
WATCH:
Jon Summers, a former communications director for Sen. Harry Reid, joined Carlson’s show in the lead-up to President Donald Trump’s Oval Office address regarding illegal immigration and border wall funding.
“I don’t think anybody knows how many people are here illegally in this country. I see estimates from credible sources that go from 11 to 22 million. That’s a spread of 11 million people. So if we don’t really know how many people are here how can we say there is no crisis?” Carlson asked.
“I think you raised a good point. There is a crisis. But that doesn’t necessarily rise to the occasion of a national emergency. A national emergency is a very different thing. And that’s not where we are,” Summers answered.
He continued, “If you want to talk about national emergencies, you might talk about gun violence where we have 35,000 Americans die each year because of that. That’s not what we are seeing on the southern border. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t address border security. And a wall can be part of it. We already know there are parts of a wall down there that were long before Trump including on the border of California, right?”
Damaris Alejandra Tejeda, 15, a migrant from Honduras, part of a caravan of thousands traveling from Central America en route to the United States, poses in front of the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico in Tijuana, Mexico, November 23, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Carlson responded, “About 10 million people who live within our borders, many of whom will be using fake federal documents, fake Social Security numbers. That’s a felony in every case, that’s a felony. So, first question, if I go to a bank and use a fake federal document fake Social Security number, should I be charged with that or is that okay.”
Summers commented, “I think you should definitely be charged.”
“I’m just here to state the obvious which is this is a crisis. So if you are saying that I should be charged with a felony for using a fake federal document, and, yet, we have evidence over that over 10 million people are doing that but they shouldn’t be charged, how does that work, exactly? What message does that send to the rest of us,” the host added. (RELATED: Tijuana Official Provides Update On Spike In Crime)
According to ICE’s website, “types of fraud pose a severe threat to national security and public safety” because it could lead to terrorists or other criminals to get into the country without the U.S. knowing they crossed the border.
“Well, again, everyone who commits a felony should be charged with that felony and they should be afforded due process,” Summers countered.
CAMPO, CA – JULY 19: Volunteers look over the US-Mexico border fence to see how illegal border crossers may jump the fence before going on the nightly patrol by citizen volunteers searching for people crossing into the US illegally from Mexico on July 19, 2005 near Campo, California in eastern San Diego County. (David McNew/Getty Images)
Carlson added, “Well how about we round up every single person who we think is here illegally and find out if they are committing the felony we are talking about now using a fake Social Security number. Would you be for that? You just said I should be charged for doing it but you are not for charging them for doing it.”
“If you’re caught in the act of doing it, then yeah.”