(CNN) Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke likened President Donald Trump to an "arsonist" on immigration, suggesting the President's policies are worsening the migrant situation on the US southern border.

"Donald Trump is the arsonist who gets the credit for putting out the fire," the Texas Democrat said in an interview on David Axelrod 's show "The Axe Files" that will air Saturday.

O'Rourke argued that Trump's decision to cut off all US aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras will compound the migration crisis and asylum-seekers from Central America.

"What we need is someone who will not play games or politics with people's lives or the security of this country but will invest in the smart decisions and policies like investing in Central America to stop the outflow before it even begins," O'Rourke told Axelrod.

"We can try to address these problems at the US-Mexico border with walls or open arms, or we can address them in the countries of origin before they ever become a problem, and that's what I want to do," he continued.

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