Trump calls to 'send a message' to illegal immigrants

Former President Donald Trump called for a hardline against illegal immigration, stressing the need to "send a message to every would-be illegal alien."

Trump, addressing CPAC in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, said that liberals think their policies are "somehow compassionate," but in reality they are not as the United States "is being invaded" by illegal immigrants. 

He went on to list some horrific crimes in which illegal aliens were convicted or are the primary suspects, such as in the death of Kate Steinle and in the case of an illegal alien who was found last year to be using a decapitated head as a soccer ball in New Mexico.

"Animals," he said. "Never forget every death at the hands of a criminal, illegal alien is entirely preventable. This is all preventable stuff."

Looking toward Republicans taking back Congress in the 2022 midterms, Trump said, "Next year, we have to use the purse strings to send a message to every would-be illegal alien all over the world: 'If you break into our country illegally, you will be caught. We will detain you and we will quickly send you back to the place from which you came or put you in prison immediately.'"

He said his administration took a hard stance against illegal immigration. His comments come as Customs and Border Protection agents have encountered a record of more than two million illegal immigrants at the southern border this fiscal year, having come from more than 150 countries. 

"If you’re a foreign national who repeatedly tramples upon the laws of our nation, you should be looking at spending a long time in jail," he added.