President Trump called out the "fake news media" on Tuesday for not reporting the truth when it comes to illegal immigration and migrant families becoming separated at the border.

The president was speaking in Washington at the National Federation of Independent Business' 75th Anniversary celebration, and touched on the controversial separations of of migrant families.

Trump said that legal loopholes in the current immigration system have led to a dramatic increase in child smuggling

"We need Democrat votes to get it fixed," he said. "These smugglers know these rules and regulations better than the people that drew them."

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The president went on to say that his administration is halting the attempted smuggling of families across the border "by the thousands."

He said that people who apply for asylum legally are not prosecuted, but that "the fake news media" fails to mention it.

"They're fake," Trump said. "They are helping these smugglers and these traffickers like nobody would believe."

He said that the "fake" media know "exactly what they are doing" and that it needs to stop.

Trump said that the current law allows for two options to mitigate the family separation crisis: release all illegal immigrant families and minors, or arrest the adults "for the federal crime of illegal entry."

"What's going on is very unfair to the people of our country," Trump said, adding again that his administration is taking care of illegal immigrants "by the thousands."

Trump added that he wants an immigration system in which people are allowed to enter the country based on merit.

Watch more above.

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