US senator contrasts Trump’s ‘increasingly extreme’ immigration rhetoric and proposals with Congress’ continued efforts

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons contrasted Donald Trump’s recent speeches on immigration with ongoing legislative efforts in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, calling the former president’s language and proposals “increasingly extreme.”

Coons, appearing Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” said Trump’s approach, which this week repeatedly included language reminiscent of Adolf Hitler, worked against the wishes of both Republicans and Democrats working on immigration reform in Congress .

“This is all in stark contrast to former President Trump, who has become increasingly extreme in his rhetoric on immigration and his proposals to reinstate the Muslim ban, use the military to screen, arrest and deport from the center of our country that people thought were undocumented,” Coons said in the MSNBC appearance, which you can watch above, after outlining ongoing efforts in Congress. “His proposals are becoming more extreme as we get closer to a lasting, bipartisan solution.”

Coons said he was not among the “small group” of senators negotiating a bill, but that he was “in regular contact with them and supportive of this effort.”

The efforts also extend to “both caucuses” of the House of Representatives, Coons said, who have major concerns about the bill, which the senator emphasized was “very complex and difficult to draft.”

The Delaware Democrat, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described a potential additional funding bill in the Senate that included $14 billion to “hire more Border Patrol agents, to install more screening facilities that would help screen out fentanyl entering our borders, that would strengthen our border security.”

“And it’s an important part of a path forward,” Coons added. “Republicans and Democrats are now negotiating some policy changes that would complement this investment.”

Watch the full “Morning Joe” segment with Coons via MSNBC and YouTube at the top of this post.

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