Fox News guest: Immigrants don't want citizenship because they are 'enjoying all the benefits'

A conservative radio host is arguing that many undocumented immigrants would not even apply for citizenship if they had the chance because they want to "continue living illegally" and they are "enjoying all the benefits."

Mary Walter on Wednesday told Fox News that lawmakers were wrong to work on comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship without first securing the border.

But Fox News contributor Juan Williams pointed out that a lot had already been done to stop illegal entry into the country under President Barack Obama, including increased electronic surveillance and more troops on the border than ever.

"At some point you have to say, are we just doing this to please people who think there's a security problem, when in fact, the numbers indicate the security problem has been dealt with?" Williams wondered.

Walters responded by expressing outrage that she had been to her bank and had been asked for identification, while people who she assumed were immigrants and did not have ID were allowed to go to a "special" line.

"It is very easy to live here and not speak English and not be a citizen and still have a wonderful life and still get your children education and still get health care," she opined. "You're assuming that they're going to want to jump through those hoops [to apply for citizenship] and that they're going to want to pay taxes. That's a big assumption."

"That's the pathway to citizenship," Williams observed.

"Maybe they don't want citizenship!" Walters interrupted. "Maybe they want to continue living illegally and not paying taxes and enjoying all the benefits."

Watch this video from Fox News' Happening Now, broadcast Jan. 30, 2013.

(h/t: Media Matters)