Ex-Obama Border Patrol chief supports idea of sending migrant detainees to sanctuary cities

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President Obama's former Border Patrol chief gets behind the idea of sending migrant detainees to sanctuary cities

Mark Morgan, former Border Patrol chief under President Obama, said Monday he supports an idea floated by President Donald Trump to send immigrants from the border to sanctuary cities.

“Congress has failed to do their job. Make no mistake, they could have prevented this (border crisis) and they failed to do so and then every time this current administration tries to come up with an option, they shoot it down. Well, I haven't heard any options from them,” Morgan said on “America’s Newsroom” Monday. “I've been there. The border patrol, ICE, their facilities are overwhelmed, the faith-based organizations and other non-governmental organizations are overwhelmed. They have no choice. They’re going to have to start pushing these individuals out. Shouldn't we kind of share the burden throughout the country?”

SANDERS: PLAN TO SEND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO SANCTUARY CITIES UNDER 'THOROUGH' REVIEW

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed to "Fox News Sunday" that President Trump's prospective plan to send illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities is undergoing a "complete and thorough review," days after Democrats, who have fought to protect illegal immigrants from federal authorities, characterized the possible move as a dangerous stunt.

"Nobody thinks that this is the ideal solution," Sanders said Sunday. "But until we can fix the crisis at the border, we have to look at all options. This is one of them. Whether or not it moves forward -- that’s yet to be determined.”

The Democratic Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is a critic of this option and the White House's description of what is happening at the border.

“This is again his manufactured chaos that he’s (President Trump) created over the last two years on the border,” said Thompson.

He added, “Before Donald Trump took office, we had a situation that was manageable. We had spikes, but it also went down. But what we have now is a constant pushing of the system so that it doesn't work.”

OBAMA'S BORDER CHIEF WARNS CONGRESS: IMMIGRATION CRISIS 'AT A MAGNITUDE NEVER SEEN IN MODERN TIMES'

Morgan, who served in the last six months of the Obama administration and a seemingly unlikely source of support for President Trump, said in response, “I’m here and I've broken my silence for one reason:  because it’s fact.”

He added, “What the president is saying and what they're trying to do as far as the policy goes, it’s based on reality and fact and I know that because he’s listening to the experts. Not political pundits, not talking heads, he is listening to experts. Anyone who says this a manufactured crisis is absolutely misleading the American people.”

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Morgan then added there are “some questions of legality” as well as “some issues with logistics” with Trump's prospective plan.

“To be intellectually honest, to pull this off would be a challenge logistically,” Morgan said. “But again, if you look at the facts right now, almost a 400 percent increase from this time last year. We're looking at over 100,000 (illegal immigrants) coming in this month, 4,000 to 5,000 a day. The inn is full all along the southwest border. So where are we going to transport and place these individuals that our loopholes allow them in? Something’s got to change.”