Donald Trump declared over the weekend that not only is there a large influx of refugees flooding into Washington State but that illegal immigration is costing the state’s taxpayers $2.7 billion a year.

“Illegal immigration in Washington State is costing the taxpayers, that is you, $2.7 billion a year,” Trump told a packed crowd in the northern border town of Lynden, Washington. Trump declared that the attendance was “an all time record” for the facility at the Northwest Washington fairgrounds.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) cites $2.7 billion as the annual cost of illegal immigration to Washington taxpayers as of 2012.

“Washington State has received a large influx of refugees. And Syrian refugees are on their way to this state,” added Trump. “These people are totally undocumented. There’s no proof. They have no paperwork. Nobody knows where the h**l they come.”

He later added, “More than 90 percent of the recent refugees from the Middle East receive welfare.”

Washington “has historically ranked as one of the top ten resettlement states in the U.S.” according to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. The department’s website advises that federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is available to post-August 22, 1996 refugee adults for up to seven years. The department’s website adds, “By becoming a citizen, an individual can maintain his/her SSI benefits and become eligible for a full range of other public benefits.”

Trump expressed a desire to help refugees, but that bringing the refugees to America is not the solution.

“Right over there in Syria we should build safe havens. We should build safety areas,” resolved Trump, who said you would get the Gulf states to pay for such a project.

“We can’t bring them to Washington State and you don’t even know where they’re going,” he argued. “You know you saw what happened in Paris. You saw what happened at the World Trade Center. You saw what happened in California with the 14 people that they worked with, shot, killed, many people in the hospital.”

“These are people that nobody knows who they are. And they’re gonna be in your community. You can’t do it,” said Trump.

He also spoke to local economic issues in Washington affected by issues like trade policy:

“Timber, right? Do we love timber, right? Oh man, you’re whole thing is gone. Timber’s down, labor force, in Lynden, labor force, the region is 3,000 people smaller today than when [President] Obama took office.” Trump cited “a lot of bad deals being made,” as the cause.

“Maybe I’ll move up here,” he said.

He also pointed out the “number of timber and construction jobs has declined 20 percent in Lynden region since 2006.” Trump blamed the “leadership at the top.”

He also highlighted how “nearly one in 7 manufacturing jobs in the state of Washington has been lost.” Trump noted that Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton signed NAFTA saying that “it’s destroyed our country as we know it.” He further commented that jobs are moving to Mexico.

Whatcom County resident Ashley Butenschoen told Breitbart News, “It was a great honor to have him visit our town. We were very fortunate to be right up in the section for volunteers and were able to get a book signed which meant so much to the kids. Most of all it was peaceful and that is what matters. We were able to bring our 4 kids and let them experience a part of town history. We hope he comes back! Most of all we are Republicans who need change, and he is our man to get the job done.”

“We’re winning with evangelicals all over the place,” Trump also said, a claim he has made repeatedly along the campaign trail but particularly poignant in a town flooded with Christian churches. Trump told the crowd winning with evangelicals “is very important to me.”

Aerial views of Trump rally showed the packed in crowd:

Look what Trump just did to Lynden, WA. #TrumpTrain out in full force pic.twitter.com/KBfbLRx6dy — RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) May 7, 2016

Images of some of the pro-Trump enthusiasm:

I haven't seen a single pro Clinton sign or shirt at #TrumpInLynden. Not one! Lots of Bernie. pic.twitter.com/zWq3Pyj3kj — G Todd Williams (@WA_News_Junkie) May 7, 2016

There was very little anti-Trump protest presence:

Funny. The anti Trump crowd hijacked my spot. #Lynden pic.twitter.com/avZbzXW0kd — G Todd Williams (@WA_News_Junkie) May 7, 2016

https://twitter.com/Campaign_Trump/status/729084854252412928

Several times Trump reminded the enthusiastic crowd that their ballots should be arriving in the mail already. He warned voters not to be complacent about casting their votes in light of Trump recently being named the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican Party.

Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana