Rep. Chip Roy sharply criticized the Democratic Party over immigration policy, arguing that political priorities have overtaken national security concerns and calling for a broad pause on immigration to overhaul what he described as a broken system.

Roy said Democrats are focused on politics rather than protecting Americans.

“This is the radical Democratic Party that are more interested in playing politics and trying to focus on protecting those who want to endanger Americans than standing with an administration and the President and Secretary noeme who want to secure Americans,” Roy said.

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Addressing proposals related to immigration reform, Roy cited current demographic data to highlight his concerns.

“The fact of the matter is, we have 51 and a half million people in this country who are foreign born, that’s about 16% of the population,” he said, adding that the figure exceeds historical levels.

“That’s higher than at any other point in our history.”

Roy compared the current situation to the early 20th century, noting differences in assimilation and government policy.

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“So go back to 1920 where we had maybe a similar percentage, is about 15% and we had a whole bunch of people who would come here who, by the way, were more interested in assimilating, who were participating in schools that actually taught that America is great. And when we had no social welfare state,” he said.

He argued that the modern system has produced different outcomes.

“Today, we have millions of people who have come here, who don’t want to assimilate, who aren’t in schools teaching that America is great, and they are on the social welfare state,” Roy said.

Roy said a pause in immigration is necessary to allow Congress to address systemic problems.

“We need to pause immigration. We need to fix our system,” he said.

He outlined several policy changes he believes are necessary, including ending specific visa programs and practices.

“We need to end diversity visas, end chain migration, the kind of people that allow their cousins and uncles and aunts to come in,” Roy said.

He also called for reforms to employment-based visas and citizenship policy.

“We need to stop the abuse of H 1v, visas. We need to end birthright citizenship,” Roy said, adding that recent executive actions should be made permanent.

“We need to codify what the President has done.”

Roy further criticized taxpayer-funded services for illegal immigrants. “We need to stop having taxpayer funding of illegal alien children in our schools, as we do in Texas and everywhere else,” he said.

Summarizing his position, Roy said the entire immigration framework must be restructured.

“And we’ve got to re center our entire immigration system. So pause and let’s fix it,” he said.

Roy pointed to historical precedent to support his argument.

“I think we need that for the country. We did it in 1920 our country was stronger. For that for about four or five decades.”

He warned that decades of lax enforcement have led to serious consequences.

“And now for 50 years, we’ve been blowing the lid open and allowing people to come here, including radical Muslims, radical Islamists, who want to undermine Western civilization and our way of life,” Roy said.

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