Peter King: Harry Reid's Denial of 'Broken' Border Hampers Reform

Meaningful immigration legislation won't happen unless the Senate has a Democratic leader "who's not living in his own alternate universe" like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who claimed this week the nation's southern border is secure, New York Republican Rep. Peter King said Wednesday on Newsmax TV.

"First of all, the border is broken," King, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told "America's Forum" host J.D. Hayworth. "I mean, just common sense, if young kids are able to get across the border, we can imagine the drug dealers can come across the border, we have to be concerned about terrorists that would come across the border."

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King admitted there are no easy answers to the immigration situation, but "in an issue like this, you need people with good faith and good intelligence to come together."

When someone like Reid denies there is a problem, it makes it impossible to get any legislation through the Democrat-controlled senate.

"Either he's denying reality or he's just intentionally denying the truth," King said. "In any event, it makes it very, very difficult to even think of getting anything done."

King isn't the only one speaking about Reid's claims. Tuesday night, conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer speculated on Reid's mental health during a segment on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier."

The discussion turned to whether laws should be changed that allow children from Central American countries to come into the United States, while sending migrants from Mexico and Canada back home, reports The Daily Caller.

Krauthammer also blamed the migration on Reid saying the border was secure, and then speculated, "You’ve got to wonder, you know, whether he’s really on his medication or not."

"I mean that’s so detached from reality," Krauthammer said."How many [children] do we have now? 60,000 at least? And we’re completely helpless. And it’s the helplessness that I think is driving the president and the Democrats to accept" changing the law.

On Newsmax TV ON Wednesday, King said there are two different main components that will enable the United States to tighten the border.

"One is the children are not the villains here, they're the victims, and they have to be treated humanely," King said. "But having said that, we have to include in any law we pass the provision that the children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras should be treated the same as the children from Mexico. Unless there's an immediate [threat] of political oppression or to their lives they will have to be returned."

Sending the children back to their home countries needs to be a "dramatic showing," said King, "so the parents will realize that this is for real. We have to show that it's real and that's for the good of the children and it's for the good of the communities."

The United States also needs to be sure there is an increased presence of the National Guard on the certain areas on the border, said King.

"We have to make clear that we're tough on fighting this," King told Hayworth. "As far as getting extra judges, whatever else, we have to do that, but we can't turn this into a social services type enterprise."

He insisted the United States can't open its floodgates to every child or adult who is suffering or is in need of food or shelter, "or we'll just lose control of our borders all together."

Meanwhile, the president is getting a great deal of pushback on the 2008 law that allows young immigrants to remain and go through legal proceedings if they are from countries other than Mexico or Canada.

The law "actually was extremely well-intentioned," said King. "It was aimed to stop sex trafficking, but it is now being abused. We have to change the law."

King told Hayworth, in response to a question about the potential of terrorists entering the United States along with the flood of immigrants, that it can't be said for certain whether there are any such activities yet.

"Now whether or not it's actually been done yet, that we're still looking at, but the fact is this is a potential threat," said King. "It's a real potential threat that we have to be aware of. If all these kids can come across, if others can come across the border, it's a lot easier for terrorists from the Middle East, Islamic terrorists to come across that border. We're just kidding ourselves if we don't realize the threat is there."

In other matters, King also discussed the current situation between Israel and Hamas, telling Hayworth that Hamas is still refusing to abide or consider a cease-fire.

"The fact is Hamas is the aggressor," said King. "Hamas is the party that wants to destroy Israel. Israel has to defend itself. We owe more to an ally than to just say they have to show restraint."

Instead, the United States should be saying that Israel has the "absolute right to defend itself," said King. "They have to take what action they believe is necessary against Hamas, and the last thing Israel wants is another war."

The Palestinian government, by supporting Hamas, is supporting a "terrorist organization masquerading as a government partner," said King.

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