CNN host Fareed Zakaria said Sunday that while he takes no pleasure in what he was about to say, there is no denying President Trump has a point when it comes to people abusing the asylum claims process in order enter the United States.

"Given President Trump’s mean-spirited and often bigoted attitudes on immigration, it pains me to say this, but he is right that the United States faces a crisis with its asylum system," Zakaria said. "Democrats might hope that the out of control situation at the southern border undermines Trump’s image among his base as a tough guy who can tackle immigration. But they should be careful. It could actually work to the president’s advantage."

Zakaria also said asylum seeker claims have soared since 2014, with immigration courts receiving 162,000 asylum claims in 2018, a 240% increase. The massive number of asylum claims has resulted in a huge backlog, making the process to look into the claims take a much longer time.

"The Trump administration’s approach has been mostly to toughen up the criteria: hire more judges, push Mexico to keep applicants from entering the U.S. But a much larger fix is need," Zakaria said. "The criteria for asylum need to be rewritten and substantially tightened. The number of courts and officials dealing with asylum must be massively expanded. People should not be able to use asylum claims as a way to work in America. There needs to be a much greater cooperation with the home countries of the applicants rather than insults, threats, and aid freezes."