Cuccinelli: Trump Detention Rule a 'Deterrent' to Border Crossings

Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, defended Friday the Trump administration's decision to change the rules concerning how long migrant families can be detained after they cross the U.S.-Mexico border as a deterrent to illegal immigrants.

"This solves the problem by demonstrating to families that are considering coming to the southern border illegally that they will be detained for the duration until their hearings can be held," Cuccinelli said during a contentious interview with CNN "New Day" co-host Alisyn Camerota.

This is "important" he added, agreeing that the rule is a "deterrent" because "they know that instead of rushing the border, which is what's been going on for a number of years now, by using the massive numbers coming to the border and overwhelming our facilities and our capacity to hold folks and our court rulings, which is what the Flores rule was, that now they can and will to the extent we're able to do so, hold them until those hearings happen. They won't simply be released into the interior for us to never see them again."

He explained that the Flores ruling in 2015 was made by a single judge, and resulted in the "explosion of the crisis at the border."

"Thirty percent of the children in the pilot programs, we are finding, were being recycled," said Cuccinelli. "They were being trafficked. This became a ticket to bring children to get into the United States because you had to be released within 20 days. This protects children."

But when Camerota asked about overcrowding in the detention facilities and showed a picture, Cuccinelli objected because he couldn't see the picture and told her, "you don't want real answers. I know you don't want truth."

Cuccinelli also denied that people will be held in cages while they await their court proceedings.

"We don't use cages," he said. "We use the facilities built in the 1990s and with the last administration. So if you want to characterize it that way, everyone watching should know you're pushing a narrative."