The Lead with Jake Tapper: Rep. Maria Salazar, (R-FL), Is Interviewed About Immigration Reform Bill

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

That's a great question. And thank you for welcoming me. Because that we are creating the dignity path, that dignity status, and that status is basically you could be there for seven years, if you're undocumented, you've been here for more than five years and do not have a criminal record, then we give you the dignity status, come out of the shadows.

One of the things that I want to tell the public is that most undocumented do not necessarily want that path to citizenship. That is something that we have been hearing around, but no I think that if you give them dignity they are very happy. And then after that, if they do really want to create, they want to become American citizens, then they go into the redemption path.

So we're talking about almost 15 years before you become an American, I we are Hispanics. I was on television, I serve those undocumented, and I know that they want -- they would rather live a dignified life in the Promised Land than wait for their path to citizenship that never comes.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Let me just add to that. We stopped catch and release. That's what we're doing.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Don't game the system anymore.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Yes, asylum system has been gamed by millions of people for 35 years, it's time to stop it. You go to a humanitarian campus. We're going to treat you well in a very humanitarian way, like my colleague would love to. And then we're going to we're going to say, yes, no, or maybe to you in 60 days. No more giving you a seven years that will never finding you again. You know that's what's happening.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Because the federal system, I mean because, you know, the Biden administration, and I'm not going to be bipartisan here, because this has been a 35-year problem that Republicans and Democrats have committed, they have not been able to solve it.

So now we're coming together to see if we can open the Red Sea, because we understand that this is very difficult. But we do have hope that because the border is the way it is it's time for both parties to come together and do now what's perfect, but something that is good enough.

And what we're saying is that we're going to give you, we're going to stop, catch and release, we're going to seal the border, we're going to create all that to put to all the technology that it's out there, I don't care whether it's a barrier, a levee, a tower, a drone, and infrared camera, we're not experts, but we do know that the border needs to be sealed.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

And then it secured. Secure the border. Don't stop catch and release and then bring out of the shadows, those millions of people that are doing jobs that no one else wants to do. Let's strict them with dignity, not citizenship necessarily at the beginning.

And you know, we know that we are going to be able to create a -- millions of jobs for the economic for the business sector, because you know very well that right now the business sector is dying to our hands.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Yes. So then it is -- this is an economic bill, more than anything else.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

That what we are here for. So why are we doing -- why we're doing at the halls of Congress.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Let's work for the American people, not for Democrats or for Republicans.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source