A notorious immigration hardliner, President Donald Trump has never shied away from expressing his views and opinions candidly, bluntly, and hyperbolically.

Earlier today, as the Inquisitr reported, the POTUS touched on Europe, Germany in particular, accusing immigrants of what he called a spike in crime wave, and therefore contradicting German government reports, which clearly state that the crime rate in Germany is the lowest it’s been since 1992.

Today, during a meeting with the National Space Council at the White House, President Trump touched on immigration, vowing that the United States will not become a “migrant camp,” while, as CBS noted, placing blame on the Democratic party which, the President claims, is responsible for the lack of consensus regarding immigration policy.

Once again, President Trump talked about his administration’s controversial child separation policy, calling it “sad” and “horrible.” Democrats, and more recently numerous members of the Republican party, have vocally criticized the infamous policy. As Financial Times reported, Anthony Scaramucci, the financier who last year served briefly in the Trump administration, and Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House aide, for instance, have criticized the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrant children from parents.

A brief video clip published on Politico’s official Twitter page captures a portion of Trump’s speech on immigration policy. The President stressed the importance of borders and strong immigration laws, calling for a merit-based immigration system while accusing immigrants of causing “death and destruction.”

“We must remember, a country without borders, is not a country at all. We need borders, we need security, we need safety, we need to take care of our people. You take a look at the death and destruction that’s been caused by people coming into this country, without going through a process. We need a merit-based immigration system.”

“They could be murderers and thieves and so much else,” the President added, emphasizing, once again, that the safety of United States’ citizens “starts with the borders.”

“They could be murderers and thieves and so much else,” the president said about immigrants, again pushing for a “merit-based” system. pic.twitter.com/IKhKzUcZKR — POLITICO (@politico) June 18, 2018

Traditionally seen as a piece of Trump’s conservative social policy, the President’s immigration plan could have deeply damaging economic consequences, according to numerous think-tanks and non-profits from both ends of the political spectrum.

An analysis by the Center for American Progress shows mass deportation would reduce the national GDP by up to 2.6 percent, resulting in a cumulative reduction of $4.7 trillion over the next 10 years.

Featured image credit: Susan Walsh AP Images

Likewise, the libertarian and conservative-leaning Cato Institute estimated the fiscal impact of Trump’s DACA repeal. The repeal could, according to Cato, cost the federal government $60 billion, reducing the overall economic growth by $280 billion over the next decade.

More recently, conservative religious leaders, too, as the New York Times reported, denounced President Trump’s immigration policies, preaching about the sanctity of the family, accusing the Trump administration of tearing migrant families apart, and leaving children in danger.