Attorney General: ‘Constitution doesn’t apply outside states. We don’t have to apologize’

In an address to the Southwestern Border Sheriffs Coalition in Las Cruces Wednesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the Department of Justice is determined to crack down on illegal immigration, drug trafficking and the notorious MS-13 street gang.

“If you break into our country, we will prosecute you,” the attorney general said, “The Constitution does not apply outside our nation’s states. We don’t have to apologize for anything.”

The coalition is composed of 31 sheriffs who oversee counties within 25 miles of the U.S. – Mexico border. Sessions spoke at the Ramada Las Cruces Hotel and Conference Center. When the attorney general arrived at the hotel, a group of nearly 100 activists greeted him with chants of “shame” and pro-immigration signs.

“The president expects us to not just play around with this problem (illegal immigration), but to fix it and that is my goal,” Sessions said, “We are determined to end catch and release – zero tolerance! Our goal is to prosecute every case that is brought to us. There must be consequences to breaking the law.”

Sessions said sanctuary cities “are protecting those who came into their cities to sell drugs. They are blocking us from removing these individuals … It’s a radical policy. We need to call it what it is.” The attorney general told law enforcement officials in attendance the goal of his department and the Trump Administration is to deter people from entering our country illegally. “Ultimately, it will require action from Congress. It’s time for Congress to take some action. A great nation cannot allow these actions to continue,” he said.

Sessions said 400 sheriff’s recently sent a letter to Congress asking it to secure the border. “Congress needs to listen to the people and not block President Trump … It’s time to fix some of these problems … I think the American people are going to choose common sense and it cannot be that our country rewards people who cross the border illegally with food stamps and Medicaid,” Sessions said, “We want to end the illegality and create a rational immigration system. What is wrong with that?”

While in Las Cruces, Sessions praised the efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “We have your back. With President Trump, we have a new era of support of law enforcement. We have a new sheriff in town,” Sessions said.

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said the visit by Sessions was important for border communities.

“They need to be engaged with each and every community because you just can’t paint a broad brush stroke across the border and say this is a one size fits all approach of how we’re going to take care of what we need to take care of,” Wilmot said.

“The National Border Patrol Council is always happy when top officials from D.C. who can make decisions come to the El Paso (Sector). This allows them to see the reality our agents face daily,” said Joe Frescas, the president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1929.

Sessions said most of the heroin smuggled into the country is coming from across the border. “The drugs that we are seeing, based on their purity, are the deadliest we have ever seen. This country has never seen these types of deaths. The unprecedented death toll of drug overdoses needs to go down,” Sessions said.

The attorney general told those in attendance one of the goals of his department is to eliminate the backlog in immigration cases. The justice department plans to add 100 new immigration judges to border areas so that it can process immigrations cases faster. “We will be able to handle a lot more cases a lot more efficiently. We are directing them to complete at least 700 cases a year,” Sessions said.

Sessions also referred to law enforcement agencies as “the thin blue line between law abiding citizens and the criminals.” He said one of the goals of this administration is to destroy the MS-13 street gang. “I met the families of two 16-year-old girls who were murdered with baseball bats and machetes. This is a violent gang and we believe we can dismantle it,” Sessions said, “Let’s not let MS-13 slide. Let’s go out and get them.”

As ABC-7 reported recently, the number in illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border in the Southwest nearly tripled in March 2018. More than 50,000 immigrants entered the United States illegally in March, tripling the number during the same period last year.

“The increase in illegal crossing could be due to the Trump economy. We are doing well and people want to come,” Sessions said, while adding, “The lack of the wall is also sending a message that we are not resolute and it encourages people to make the trip. The loopholes in our laws are also being exploited by illegal aliens.”

Sessions said he is concerned with undocumented immigrants who abscond and do not show up for their court hearings. He also questioned the right to asylum claimed by some immigrants. “Those who do show up have their asylum claims denied because they are bogus claims. Just because you have a dangerous town in Mexico, or in another country, doesn’t mean you can’t go live in another town in that country. Give me a break.”

While some sheriffs along the border welcome the support, Dona Ana County Sheriff Kiki Vigil holds stead fast on his approach to dealing with undocumented immigrants.

“I can tell you were I stand. My deputies, the officers and sheriffs here will not be enforcing immigration law. We’re not immigration officers,” Vigil said.