On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” host Kaitlan Collins stated that it is “off topic” to mention how people are abusing the asylum system when discussing asylum seekers getting the health care benefits in question during the government shutdown.
Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) said: “Now, they’re saying we’re not going to let them let the government run. So unless they give us $1.5 trillion in money for programs that the American people have largely said they’re no longer interested in supporting, to include health care for non-citizens, illegal immigrants, health care expansion programs for other countries, in some cases, on a export, unless they give us 1.5 billion dollars for that, we are going to keep the government closed. “That is not negotiating in good faith.”
Collins responded: “Okay, but… well, it’s not for people who are here illegally. It’s people who have different legal statuses, people seeking asylum, refugees.”
Sheehy then said, “Yes, but saying they are not citizens is accurate.”
Collins responded: “You said people who are here illegally.”
Sheehy responded: “Some of those people would be considered illegal here.”
Sheehy later said: “[A] “A lot of people are seeking asylum and seeking asylum, who are not actually asylum seekers, five million, tens of millions, potentially people, have abused that system.”
Collins responded: “But that’s a legal process. You can change the law if you don’t like it. But what I mean is, these are not people who have crossed the border illegally.”
Sheehy responded: “But if they abused the process and lied about it, that’s illegal. If they have falsely applied for asylum status, if they have been granted asylum status during an administration that decided to do so voluntarily…”
Collins then said, “Okay, you’re getting off topic. What I mean is that the people who are DACA recipients, refugees with temporary protected status, these are the people who get… who qualify for that.”
Continue Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
