Murphy Dismisses Illegal Border Crossing Drop As Result of ‘Lawless’ Trump Policies
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut on Sunday vehemently rejected the notion that President Donald Trump’s immigration policies deserve credit for the dramatic decline in illegal border crossings, instead accusing the administration of “violating the law every day.”
During an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet The Press,” Senator Murphy was pressed by host Kristen Welker about U.S. Border Patrol data for May 2025, which showed approximately 8,725 illegal crossings – a staggering 93% decrease from the 117,905 encounters in May 2024. Despite these record-low numbers, Murphy insisted the reduction was a consequence of the Trump administration’s alleged illegal actions rather than effective policy.
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“I don’t give them credit for that because border crossings are low because they’re violating the law every day,” Murphy stated. He elaborated, “We have a law in this country that says if you are fleeing terror or torture from another country, you can come here and apply for asylum.”
Murphy claimed that the Trump administration has effectively suspended the asylum process, thereby preventing individuals from seeking refuge as legally prescribed. He referenced bipartisan legislative efforts from 2024 aimed at reforming the asylum process, designed to ensure that only qualified individuals apply and to expedite case reviews at the border.
“The Trump administration has suspended that law. They are not allowing anybody to come here to apply for asylum,” Murphy asserted. “We wrote that bipartisan bill last year to reform the asylum process, to make sure that only the right people are coming in and that we judge those cases expeditiously at the border.”
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In 2024, a bipartisan group of lawmakers indeed introduced a bill to reform the asylum process, seeking to streamline procedures while maintaining protections for those fleeing persecution.
“It’s true, there are very few people crossing on a daily basis, but that’s because the Trump administration is violating the law,” Murphy reiterated. “And it should matter to every American that on so many facets, the Trump administration doesn’t care about the law. This is becoming a lawless administration. We are on a road to see our democracy after feats of the point that it will be unrecognizable. And the border is just one example of many ways in which this administration doesn’t care about the law anymore.”
Upon his return to the White House, President Trump swiftly implemented a series of executive actions and administrative reforms aimed at securing the southern border. These measures included declaring a national emergency, prioritizing wall construction, pressuring the Mexican government to deploy its own law enforcement, and issuing numerous other directives.
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The current decline in illegal immigration sharply contrasts with the previous administration’s tenure, which experienced what many characterized as the worst border crisis in U.S. history. That crisis followed several actions taken by the Biden administration to dismantle border security measures established during Trump’s first term. Sources
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