On his Tuesday show, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh took on remarks made by Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) at a campaign event declaring the U.S. immigration system to be in the need of reform.

According to Limbaugh, Bush and others like him miss the point on the issue by referring to it as an immigration problem. Instead he likened it to a refugee crisis, deeming it an “invasion” and said calling this illegal immigration misses a broader point.

“This border security business – I have to tell you something, of course it is the right thing to do,” Limbaugh said. “But we’ve had nothing but lip service on it. You know what, if we really had border security – if we were able to stop what I think is an invasion – folks, I’m going to open up here for a minute. I don’t even think we’re talking about immigration here. This isn’t immigration what is happening in this country. This is not even illegal immigration. We’re being invaded. These are refugees from either poverty-stricken, war-torn parts of the Western Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere – whatever. It’s happening in Europe. European nations are facing the same of influx of people from third-world countries having to leave because of poverty or war or what have you.”

“We don’t have an immigration system that permits this – this is happening in violation of the immigration laws, which is the whole point,” he added. “To call these people illegal immigrants is to give them a status that I don’t think is valid.”

Later in the segment, Limbaugh speculated as to how things have gotten to this point.

“Now you can call it what you want, but I look at it as a bunch of refugees flooding the country and the Democrat Party and the Republican Party are not interested in stopping it because they have uses for these people,” he said. “The Democrats see them as voters. The Republicans see them as cheap labor, or at least their business donors do. And maybe some Republicans also see them as voters, or what have you. Whatever it’s a total mess.”

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