U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin touted the economic benefits of secure borders at a Breitbart News policy event, noting that national security would ultimately “bring more business” to the United States.
Mullin addressed the view on the left that the country needs mass immigration to grow the economy, especially given that the U.S. is currently experiencing negative net immigration.
“You have to look at two things about mass immigration that debunk this argument,” Mullin began, explaining, “National security brings more business because it brings stability more than anything else.”
“Because if they know they can trust the government, they know they can be in a safe area. They know they don’t have to worry about their equipment being stolen. They can know their employees are safe coming to and from get off work. They know they may have employees who can pass a drug test and show up,” Mullin said, adding, “Stability in law enforcement and security is paramount.”
He went on to say that national security is impossible without border security because if border security is non-existent or lax like it was during the Biden administration, people won’t know who is in the country.
The Secretary of State said this in itself “becomes a huge problem”.
In addition, Mullin said large-scale immigration has put pressure on housing prices and made the economic situation of the American people more difficult.
“So when we go into some areas and do immigration enforcement, when we leave, we see average house rents drop by about six percent,” he revealed. “So if they can’t live in an area where an employer or manufacturer is building because it’s too expensive, then they’re not going to be able to attract people there in the first place.”
“So you have to have national security and at the same time you have to have affordability, which…these two go hand in hand,” he said, clarifying that they were not “anti-immigration.”
“We’re not anti-immigration. We’re just saying, you have to obey the laws of our country. What we’re saying is, we’re going to enforce the laws of our country, and you obey the laws of your country. If you obey the laws of our country, you came here through due process, you want to embrace what America is – a land of opportunity and freedom, and not bring your agenda into our country, and not break the law and come in and try to bring into the United States the country that you fled from.
“If it takes you 18 months or if it takes you 18 years, you still have to obey the law. If you choose to jump in line because you think you’re impatient and want to jump over other people, then our job is to hunt you down and send you back, and we will, and we will do that,” Mullin warned, stressing that an “anti-immigration” stance is not theirs.
“We’re just a country of laws, and if we don’t enforce the laws of our country, the difference between a third world country and a first world country is criminal activity. So if we enforce the laws of our country, we’re going to prevent ourselves from becoming a third world country, like you see in some of these cities,” Mullin said, naming a number of blue cities with serious crime problems, including Portland, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
“I mean, these are supposed to be great cities. New York, [have you] Been to New York recently? Looks like a horrible garbage pit. … But that’s what happens when you become a sanctuary city. You create all the criminal activity, and when you do criminal activity, you also lower the morale of the country,” he added.
Watch the full event below: