On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” Sen. Angus King (I-ME) stated that the Department of Homeland Security “really has to get on” its recordkeeping issue that has allowed for visa overstays. He also said that “if somebody goes through three or four different countries claiming they’re in danger in their home country, why do they have to come here? Why aren’t they safe once they get to another country? I think that’s a legitimate question that we have to address.”
King said, [relevant remarks begin around 6:15] “50% of the illegal aliens in the United States came here legally on some kind of visa that they overstayed. So, that’s a recordkeeping problem that I think the Department of Homeland Security really has to get on. That’s the first step. As far as the border is concerned, the real issue is asylum. These aren’t necessarily people that are sneaking across the border or swimming the river. They’re people that are coming under our laws, claiming asylum from being in danger for their lives. The question is, are those valid claims and do we have the infrastructure to determine their valid claims within a reasonable period of time, not having them in the United States waiting for a determination for years and years? That’s one of the problems, is we don’t have the judges and the courts and the infrastructure to make these asylum decisions in a timely way. And also, a question that I asked — have been asking is, if somebody goes through three or four different countries claiming they’re in danger in their home country, why do they have to come here? Why aren’t they safe once they get to another country? I think that’s a legitimate question that we have to address.”
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