Matthews to Ossoff: You and Progressives Have ‘Failure’ of Not Having Solution to Companies Hiring Illegal Immigrants

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” host Chris Matthews told Georgia Congressional candidate Jon Ossoff (D) his answer on what to do to companies who hire people in the country illegally was a “failure to be comprehensive” that progressives have.

After Ossoff touted immigration reform with border security and a path to legal status to non-felons who are in the country illegally, Matthews asked, “But what do we do to stop the magnet of illegal jobs, which is the reason people come here. How do you stop people from hiring people illegally, how do you do that?”

Ossoff replied, “Well, the best way to stop it is to secure the border, and, provide a path to legal status so folks can come out of the shadows.”

Matthews then cut in, “No, what do we do about enforcing those people who — no, this is what — this the failure to be comprehensive. What do you do to enforce our immigration laws?” Ossoff answered that “there should be stricter penalties for those who knowingly employ those who don’t have proper documentation because that deprives law-abiding American citizens of work. But that in and of itself, Chris, is not a solution, unless there is both a border security element, and the pathway to legal status.”

Matthews then stated, “The point that you finally got to is the one that progressives tend to skip, and I think that’s the lack of comprehensiveness.”

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