Congress needs to address the immigration crisis because under current federal border policy children were dying on they journey to the United States through Mexico, Rep. Mike Rogers told "Fox & Friends."
Rogers, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said there was "no compassion in letting this problem get out of control." He said children, many unaccompanied by adults, faced multiple threats on their trek to the United States.
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"These kids are being sexually abused. They're being recruited for gangs, or pressed into gangs. They're being introduced to drugs. And, unfortunately, we're finding more and more dead bodies along the way," the Michigan Republican said Thursday.
Rogers said the House attempted to address the problems caused by the nearly 60,000 illegal immigrant children from Central America who have crossed the southern U.S. border since October.
On Aug. 1, the House approved a bill that would provide $694 million for better border security and also speed deportation of illegal immigrants already in the United States. The Senate failed to act on measures to address the border control problem before it left for its summer recess.
"We did pass a bill that we think really set the place where the House of Representatives is on immigration, border security, more money to make sure that kids are treated humanely, but returned back to their home country," he said.
Rogers said current policy told the governments in Central America that the United States was giving a "free pass" into the country, adding that the message was, "If you can make it, you get in."
Every day the federal government waited to act on the issue meant "some family has handed their child to a criminal organization," Rogers said. He questioned why President Barack Obama hadn't worked harder to push immigration reform if popular support was high.
"Why has he never led both the Senate and the House to come together on an agreement on immigration?" Rogers said.
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