2:50 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: I’m thrilled to welcome America’s great sheriffs back to the White House. We’ve seen each other often and we’re working together very well. Been a great relationship. Always have had a great relationship with the sheriffs.
My administration stands proudly with America’s sheriffs, deputies, and law enforcement officers. And we stand, also, 100 percent with strong law and order. We want you to just keep doing your job as well as you’re doing it.
We’ve helped you a lot with military equipment and other things, but we just want you to keep going just the way you have been. You’ve been fantastic.
We’re participating with local law enforcement through the Project Safe Neighborhoods. We’re increasing prosecutions of federal gun crimes. We’re taking the fight to the drug dealers and drug pushers which, frankly, I think, is the number-one way we’re going to stop drugs. We can form all the Blue Ribbon Committees in the world, but the way you’re going to stop it is you folks, with the strong, really, law and order, when it comes to the drug, and the drug pushers, the drug dealers. That’s the way it’s going to stop.
It’s going to — really, the number one way. I think you probably all agree with that. And you’ve really done — especially, some of you have really done a job.
We’re asking Congress to support our immigration policy that keeps terrorists, drug dealers, criminals, and gang members out of our country. We want them out. We don’t want them in.
And right now we’re working on DACA, we’re working on immigration bills, and we’re making them tough so you people can enforce the laws — sometimes tough because of the laws you have to enforce.
That’s why we’re asking the senators to support legislation that contains the three vital elements of a safe immigration system. So we’re, right now, in the Senate. We’re in Congress. Altogether, we’ll see what happens with DACA.
But we want securing the border and a wall, ending chain migration, and canceling the visa lottery. I think you all agree.
Anybody in favor of the lottery, where you pick it out and you say, “Good, we have a new United States citizen”? Doesn’t work. And they’re not giving us their finest. That we can tell you.
In everything we do, we’re listening to law enforcement and we’re putting the safety and security of American people first.
Again, thank you all for being here. I look forward to hearing from all of you. We’re going to have a nice meeting and we’re going to discuss some of the things that we’ve been discussing. We’ve made a lot of progress and we’ll keep it going.
But a very big thing is going to be drugs, and the way the drugs pour into our country. We’re stopping them, I guess, as much as they can be stopped right now. But the laws are being stiffened and you’re going to be able to do even more of a job.
So we appreciate you being here. Thank you very much. And thank you very much. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.
END
2:53 P.M. EST
