Former New Mexico governor and libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson took on StreetCarnage.com writer Gavin McInnes over illegal immigration on Friday night’s Red Eye, with Johnson arguing that those crossing the U.S.-Mexico border were hard workers who were more likely to obey the law.

“We’re getting the cream of the crop when it comes to workers from Mexico,” Johnson said. “And I am speaking having been a border state governor. These are hard-working individuals, that are just in pursuit of the American dream.”

McInnes, who immigrated to the United States legally, mimed disbelief. “The cream of the crop, come on! The drunk driving charges! We’ve got all these hidden charges about murder, pedophilia, infidelity—they can’t even hold a family together.”

“These things do happen, but relative to the citizens of the United States population?” Johnson said. “Much less. Crime, much less than citizens of the United States…They’re walking on eggshells.”

At this point, McInnes feigned a heart attack. “Maybe in South Chicago or Detroit.”

“He’s right about the statistics,” host Greg Gutfeld said. “Because they’re so scared of being deported, they actually don’t commit crimes.”

“They’re not scared of being deported,” McGinnes said. “They go to City Hall with signs saying, ‘This is BS! I don’t care if you know I’m an illegal! I’m shameless.'”

“They can’t fit all that on one sign,” said Bill Schulz.

“I think attrition is the key,” McInnes said later in the segment. “You just have to make it a little more uncomfortable to employ illegals, and they go home with their tail between their legs in droves.”

“And if you lay this on the employers, it becomes grossly unfair because for the most part they’re presenting false documentation,” Johnson rebutted. “They end up paying taxes that they never lay claim to.”

Watch the segment below, via Fox News:

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