Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen accused members of the press and Congress of being “blinded by politics” regarding the border situation, during a Tuesday interview with Tucker Carlson.

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“Why is it that the press, many in Congress, don’t seem to recognize the magnitude of this? Do you think it’s that they don’t know the details or they don’t care? Do you want to speculate as to why no one has responded?” Carlson asked. (RELATED: Trump Administration To Quadruple Number Of Asylum Seekers Sent Back Over The Border)

“Look, at this point, I will be blunt. I think they are blinded by politics,” Nielsen stated. “Unfortunately, they are blinded for what they see as a request from this administration instead of looking at the request and the way in which it is directly affecting Americans. I mean, you mentioned fentanyl. Last year alone, CBP and ICE interdicted more fentanyl to kill every American four times.”

Nielsen addressed a letter to Congress last Thursday that called for lawmakers to change how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is legally allowed to process child migrants from countries that do not border the United States. In it, she asked that legislation be passed that allows DHS to treat all arriving migrant children equally, regardless of which country they came from; presently, children from non-contiguous countries cannot quickly be sent back to their home nations because of trafficking laws.

White House senior adviser Stephen Miller told The Daily Caller on Tuesday that the administration is exploring all possible options in existing law that would allow for an aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration.

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