Democrats 'afraid' to discuss border security, says Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff

By Graham Colton

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., asserted that Democrats "are afraid to talk about border security" Tuesday on "Special Report."

"Democrats are afraid to talk about border security, and Republicans are afraid to talk about establishing a path to legal status for the folks who are here and otherwise follow the law who are part of our society," he told host Bret Baier.

"And until we're willing to acknowledge that, and until we're willing on that basis to pass legislation that secures the border and that addresses the undocumented persons who otherwise follow the law in this country at a time when we have severe workforce shortages, we're going to be re-litigating these same issues year after year after year."

Ossoff acknowledged a "serious deficiency" in the United States' border security, adding that it is "systemic."

Such border insecurity predates the current Congress or administration, he said. The U.S. has to "be able to know and control who enters and exits" it.

"That's what makes us a country," he noted, saying that the U.S. now lacks that ability.

People wait in line to clear customs and enter the United States at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in downtown El Paso, Texas on November 8, 2021. - Long lines formed at border crossings as the United States reopened to foreign visitors vaccinated against Covid-19, ending 20 months of restrictions that separated families, hobbled tourism and strained diplomatic ties

People wait in line to clear customs and enter the United States at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in downtown El Paso, Texas. (Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)

A photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows a general view of an unfinished section of a border wall that former US president Donald Trump tried to build near the southern Texas border city of Roma. - The 11,000 inhabitants of the Texas border town Roma have been living with illegal immigrants for decades. Many have mixed feelings about the new arrivals

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A photo shows a general view of an unfinished section of a border wall that former U.S. President Donald Trump tried to build near the southern Texas border city of Roma. (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

In this handout provided by U.S. Central Command Public Affairs, U.S. Air Force loadmasters and pilots assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, load passengers aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: In this handout provided by U.S. Central Command Public Affairs, U.S. Air Force loadmasters and pilots assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, load passengers aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA). (Photo by Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa via Getty Images))

It is also blighted by another "systemic issue": substandard living conditions in privatized housing for military families.

Service members shared Tuesday that their spouses and children have experienced noteworthy health effects from contaminated homes. The company responsible for such homes did not redress the contamination.

"This is a systemic issue," Ossoff said. "This is widespread. That's why I launched this investigation to establish the facts of the matter. And what we found is that not only is this continuing systemically across the country, it's continuing even after this company was found by the Department of Justice and convicted of a scheme to defraud the [U.S.] between 2013 and 2019."

Graham Colton is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to graham.colton@fox.com and on Twitter: @GrahamGColton.

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