President Donald Trump decried the "horrible" U.S. immigration laws, including the visa lottery and border security, in an interview that aired on "Fox & Friends" Thursday morning.
Speaking Wednesday to co-host Brian Kilmeade, Trump lambasted Democrats for their positions on immigration issues. He repeated his line of attack against House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) after she criticized his comment that MS-13 gang members are "animals."
"We are doing, from the standpoint of law enforcement, a great job. The Democrats are sticking up for MS-13. You heard Nancy Pelosi the other day trying to find all sorts of reasons why they should be able to stay," Trump said backstage at an event focused on MS-13 in Bethpage, N.Y. "These are stone-cold killers."
"These are vicious killers and they shouldn't be allowed into the country," Trump added. "The laws are horrible."
He said the pressure is on the Democrats to approve legislation to help protect the border, but he touted the gains that have already been made in enforcement. He said the event he attended at Morrelly Homeland Security Center, involving those affected by MS-13 violence, showed the need for action.
"I can tell you there is a mood right now for very strong border security," he said. "When you see a scene like this, where these incredible parents have lost their sons and daughters, it's very hard not to do that."
He also dismissed some aspects of the country’s immigration laws, from the visa lottery to the so-called catch-and-release policy.
"We have to get rid of catch and release," he added. "You catch them, even if you know they are a criminal, you catch them, [then] you have to release them by law. You have to release them, and then they go into society and they don't come back to the trial."
He laid the blame at the feet of Democrats.
"We have the worst immigration laws in the entire world by far," Trump said. "Other countries laugh at us; it's because of the Democrats. It’s because of [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi."
He went on to say it’s inefficient to use judges for so many immigration cases, since the backlog of cases is growing as enforcement ramps up.
"Other countries have — it's called security people," Trump said. "People that stand there and say you can't come in. We have thousands of judges and they need thousands more judges."
"Who ever heard of a system where you put people through trials? ... How do you hire thousands of people to be a judge?" Trump said. "So, it's ridiculous. We’re going to change the system, we have no choice for the good of our country."