House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Sunday on CNN's “State of the Union” that the U.S. needs “work visas” and “encouragement of legal immigration.”
Jake Tapper: Do you think the American people would be ready if 20 million illegal immigrants were deported, whatever that might be? Do you think we're ready? It looks like 5 percent of the workforce is undocumented, and we're seeing videos of families being separated and people being removed from the communities they've lived in for years. Facts too? Do you think the American people are ready enough for that?
Johnson: I don't know if that's going to happen, Jake. I think what the president is talking about starts with the dangerous people that we know are here. There are criminals, known criminals. There are known terrorists in this country. Others have crossed the border illegally and been arrested for committing violent crimes. So if you start with that number, there are 3 or 4 million people who fit into that category. Start there and see how it happens. This requires a lot of thoughtful work and consideration. And I think the president has exactly the right idea.
And, look, the American people want us to restore order and immigration. For four years, the border has been wide open. The Biden administration did this intentionally. That's why we had to take the extreme step of impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
I think that's one of the main reasons why Kamala Harris and Joe Biden themselves had no chance of re-election when they were running. Last year, we held campaign events in 260 cities and 40 states, and wherever we went, the biggest issues were the cost of living and borders. They came and went. And that's what's on the minds of the American people, and that's why President Trump is committed to making it a reality.
TAPPER: Well, I understand your point in terms of securing the border and removing criminals who are illegal immigrants, but the promise wasn't just about removing criminals. It was to eliminate all illegal immigrants. And one of the reasons their presence in cities has been so controversial, and why Democrats have lost elections in places like New York, is the extent to which these immigrants extract resources. I can't think of a better word. But they were. Taking care of them cost a lot of money and money, which did not exist in the city. So the promise is actually to get rid of them all. I'm not going to take my position one way or the other, but it's not just criminals talking.
Johnson: Well, I don't know what the specific promises are. I know that the president has said that he wants to tackle probably the largest mass deportation effort in history because that's what's needed. I mean, you yourself admitted that there may be as many as 20 million illegal aliens, illegal aliens in this country. So this is a concern for communities across America, big cities as well as rural areas alike. Because they are being sent all over the country.
We need to send a message to people around the world that the open door is now closing and we will restore law and order. And I think that's what the American people have high expectations for and expect us to deliver on. And so I do. And President Trump is fully committed to that. He is the leader who does it.
TAPPER: So when you talk about rural communities, a lot of immigrants in rural areas are doing jobs that Americans don't want to do. And there are big concerns that deporting all these illegal immigrants will actually hurt the economy.
Will that be taken into account? Is there a way for individuals here to peacefully be part of the economy, pay taxes, etc., and gain some kind of legal status? I'm not talking about a path to citizenship, I'm talking about legal status, so there's this tremendous disruption to the economy, not to mention people with kids going to school, etc. Isn't it?
JOHNSON: I'm not going to preempt the president or the administration on the specifics of policy, but I can tell you that there is a strong desire in Congress to solve this problem. A work visa is required. We need to encourage legal immigration and these work programs that are working so well. But we need everyone in this country to obey the law. I don't think that's asking for much. And I think that's what people want us to get back to.
