Kirstjen Nielsen: “border security is the most basic and necessary requirement of a country to protect its citizens”

We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period.

We urge the committee to consider our recommendations and to hold the Trump administration accountable to do what Congress has mandated: Allow asylum seekers to apply for protection in the United States.

As a Secretary of Homeland Security, I can no longer assure you of who is coming into this country. That is a direct National security threat.

We do face a crisis. We see unacceptable levels of illegal drugs, dangerous gangs, criminal activity, and illegal aliens flowing across our Southern Border.