Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), a 2020 Democrat presidential candidate, says giving amnesty to all 11 to 22 million illegal aliens will make American citizens — and specifically, the Angel Families who have lost loved ones to illegal alien crime — “demonstrably safer” in the United States.

During a town hall in Iowa this week, O’Rourke was asked about the thousands of Angel Families who have lost children, parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends to crimes committed by illegal aliens living in the U.S.

O’Rourke said, in response, that his plan to amnesty all illegal aliens living in the U.S. will make Angel Families and American citizens “demonstrably safer.” O’Rourke said he would only deport illegal aliens after they have committed a crime against an American citizen.

The exchange went as follows:

IOWA VOTER: I know you are for tearing down existing wall … and you’re basically for open borders. Have you ever met any Angel Moms here in Iowa? There’s a woman by the name of Michelle Root, about a hundred miles east of here. And her daughter Sarah was killed by a drunk illegal alien right after she graduated from college … what would you tell her about your immigration stance? [Emphasis added] BETO O’ROURKE: First I would tell her — through you if you could get this message to her — that I am deeply sorry for your loss. And I would also share with you that I think I understand the spirit of your question, but the premise is incorrect. I’m not for open borders. I do think there are places where physical barriers along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border makes sense. [Emphasis added] … We will be demonstrably safer when we know who is in this country and right now there are millions, there are millions in those shadows that we know nothing about today. Give them the chance to get right with the law. Come into the light of day. Contribute even more to the success of this country. If they have committed crimes, deport them back to their countries of origin. But if they are contributing to the success of our country, they’re raising U.S.-citizen children, let’s offer them a future here in the United States of America. [Emphasis added]

O’Rourke’s response to Angel Families comes as multiple Americans have been allegedly killed and murdered by illegal aliens over the last few months.

Alabama mother and school teacher Sonya Jones was most recently allegedly killed by an illegal alien from Guatemala who crossed into the U.S. two years ago. Likewise, Washington state police officer Ryan Thompson, a father of three children, was allegedly shot and killed by a 29-year-old illegal alien who has been living illegally in the U.S. since 2014, when he overstayed his H-2A visa.

Paige Gomer, a 28-year-old mother, was allegedly shot and killed in Oklahoma by an illegal alien last month. In Tennessee, an illegal alien has been charged with killing 22-year-old Pierce Corcoran in a hit-and-run crash days before New Year’s Eve. Similarly, an illegal alien in Nevada is accused of going on a killing spree to steal meth money, allegedly murdering four Americans in their homes.

Last Fiscal Year, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency arrested about 2,000 illegal aliens who had been either convicted of homicide or had pending homicide charges against them. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) estimates that about 2,000 Americans die every year at the hands of illegal aliens.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.