Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew agreed Friday that the nation's southern border must be made secure so there isn't a "constant bleeding" of migrants from Central America, and he thinks a nonpartisan panel of experts is needed to make recommendations about what is really needed there.
"I've always supported the idea and unfortunately I don't have enough support from everybody else, to have a nonpartisan panel of experts to make recommendations based on what is really needed there," the New Jersey lawmaker told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "I see nothing wrong with getting even more beds. I see nothing wrong with even more security. I see nothing wrong with holding these folks in Mexico so we can process them properly."
Van Drew added that it's time to talk about immigration in total, including about the border wall many in his party oppose.
"We need to have a physical barrier," he said. 'We do need some wall...it doesn't mean it has to be from sea to shining sea. We definitely need areas of a wall and significant strong, vertical fencing."
More technology, more drones, and more manpower are also needed, Van Drew added, and he does not believe in having an open border, because "we are not an open border country, period. I do not believe it's good for our security."
He said he does believe work must be done to protect the nation's "dreamers," and they should go through a process to learn about America and become citizens.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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