Senator Schmitt on Trump’s Immigration Agenda, Efforts to Combat Venezuela Drug Trafficking, Latest on Russia-Ukraine

ST. LOUIS, MO — Today, U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) joined Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures to discuss the Trump administration’s ongoing mass deportation operation, efforts to combat Venezuelan drug flows into the United States, and the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Watch the full interview HERE.

Senator Schmitt on Trump Admin’s Mass Deportation Operation, Abuses in Legal Immigration System:

“I think we need to take away every incentive possible that made this wide-open border the Biden administration constructed [possible]. That’s what they did. Whether it’s a remittance tax, whether it’s making sure that illegal immigrants aren’t getting taxpayer benefits — we approach some of that on the One Big Beautiful Bill. What you see here, Jackie, is that mass migration needs to be met with mass deportations. We have plenty of laws that are now being enforced by [the Trump] administration to get people who shouldn’t be here back to where they came from. We [must] have the resolve as a country to do that. Because what the left wants to do, they want to create controversy, create chaos, make it look like the ICE agents are the bad guys in all this [when] they’re picking up bad folks and sending them back where they belong […] We have immigration laws that need to be enforced. I would point out that it’s not just an illegal immigration problem. We have real abuses with our legal immigration system that should be addressed. Take the H-1B program, for example. You have white collar jobs [where] the American [workers] have the humiliation of training their foreign replacements in order to receive their severance pay. They don’t have any additional skills; they’re just being paid less. The [Optional Practical Training] program, which has become a visa mill for universities because they get paid full freight. That’s taking away American jobs to where [now] you have some of the highest unemployment rates for engineers and physics majors, who we have plenty of in this country. But they’re being squeezed out through some of these programs, so there’s a lot to do on this front. But the good news is, we have a President that wants to enforce the laws. That is not what we saw last administration when 20 million people came here in four years illegally.”

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“When you hear comprehensive immigration reform, it’s usually code word for mass amnesty. That’s what they’re talking about. We’re not interested in that. What we need to do right now is enforce the laws of the United States. Here’s the thing, there’s nothing particularly new about deportations. Bill Clinton deported 11 million people. The difference now is the Democrats have been radicalized. The people who wrote white papers 20 years ago are key members of their party. When you even hear Democrats condemn violence against ICE agents, what they never say, Jackie, is ‘let them do their jobs, get out of the way and let them do their jobs’. [That’s] because this is a coordinated attempt to thwart immigration enforcement in this country. The American people have had enough of it. It’s one of the big reasons they sent President Trump back to the Oval Office. He campaigned on this. This mass migration we’ve seen needs to be met with mass deportations. 20 million people came here illegally. There are flaws in our legal immigration system. I think this is a real kind of civilizational issue for us here in the West. They’re dealing with it in Europe, where it’s had tragic consequences. I think if we get ahead of this in this country, we’ll be okay. But the left has hell bent on these open border policies. And then, if you come here legally, you’re never, ever supposed to leave. It’s ridiculous.”

Senator Schmitt on Trump’s Realist Foreign Policy, Efforts to Combat Venezuelan Narco-Terrorists:

“I’m just so glad we have a president that’s focused on the homeland and our hemisphere. For decades, […] Washington elites and permanent Washington have been focused on fighting wars for other countries and far off places, as opposed to taking care of business here at home. So, whether it was discussion about Greenland, whether it was the Panama Canal or now this cartel activity, where the boats are being blown out of the water. This is a real focus on what’s close to home for us and making sure that we take care of it. As Tom Holman just said, we’ve effectively closed the border, so they’ve gone on to the high seas. These narco-terrorists don’t have the right to poison 100,000 Americans every year. It’s a two-part strategy. One is to get rid of the precursors that are coming from China and then take out the cartels that are distributing [drugs] and bring them to the United States of America. President Trump is well within his Article II [Constitutional] powers. The Democrats are playing a very dangerous game here by encouraging service members to disobey orders, to break the chain of command. All they have left, Jackie, is they can’t believe that [President Trump] won. They can’t believe he got his cabinet [confirmed]. They can’t believe he’s delivering on his promises. So, they want to sow chaos now. We have to stand up and say, ‘that’s nonsense’. President Trump has the ability to do it, and he should do it.”

Senator Schmitt on Trump’s Effort to Broker Peace Between Russia, Ukraine:

“That’s the nature of diplomacy. Some of the folks who have been so wrong about so many foreign policy questions over the last 30 years have all kinds of advice here. But are really trying to undermine President Trump’s — the peace president — efforts to bring about a peace deal here. You know, hundreds of thousands of people have died. Thousands more die every week. What [President Trump is] trying to do is bring the parties together. It’s part of this Trump Doctrine, which is, understand what our core national interests are, pursue peace, pursue diplomacy, and have overwhelming force. But really, Europe has to step up in a much more meaningful way. This is a war between Ukraine and Russia. The United States of America, because of President Trump’s leadership, is the only country, the only president, the only person who can bring these parties together. So, they’re making progress. I know there’s still some sensitive issues that remain, but I would hope that everybody would be rooting for [peace]. But you see so many people that are rooting against this, and they have no plan, Jackie, they have no other plan except for this meat grinder continue so they can thump their chest and act like the tough guy. But the truth is, President Trump’s doing the hard work of diplomacy, which is what we need right now.”

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