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President Trump Criticizes 'Catch-And-Release' Immigration Policy

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CLEVELAND (AP) — While meeting with supporters and highlighting the benefits of the Republican tax law during a business roundtable in Cleveland, President Donald Trump criticized U.S. immigration policies.

President Trump says people entering the U.S. illegally are taking advantage of "catch-and-release" policies and don't show up for their immigration court dates. He says: "We may have to close up our country to get this straight."

President Trump says the U.S. has "thousands" of immigration judges, adding, "Do you think other countries have judges," seeming to imply that they have no need for them.

He says of the immigrants that "they never show up to the trial."

President Trump reiterated his call to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and said Mexico should have done more to prevent a large group of Central American migrants from reaching the U.S. border last month.

In an effort to advance his agenda and policies, President Trump is calling on Ohio voters to elect Republican lawmaker Jim Renacci to the Senate, saying "we need his vote very badly."

Renacci, a member of the House, is running for the Senate against Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown.

"He'll be fantastic," President Trump said.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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