THEIR OWN BRIEFING THIS
THURSDAY.
JOINING ME FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN,
HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY
COMMITTEE MEMBER, CARLOS
GIMENEZ.
CARLOS, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FIRST OF
ALL ABOUT THE LATEST POSSIBILITY
OF A RUSSIAN INVASION?
>> WHAT WE HEARD BACK IN
CONGRESS A COUPLE WEEKS AGO WAS
THAT THE RUSSIANS WERE REALLY
WAITING FOR THE GROUND TO
FREEZE.
THERE IS ONLY A COUPLE TIMES OF
THE YEAR WHERE RUSSIAN TANKS CAN
REALLY OPERATE IN THAT SECTOR IN
THAT AREA.
NOW IN THE WINTER AND THEN ALSO
IN THE DEAD OF SUMMER WHEN IT IS
REALLY DRY AND SO WE’RE
EXPECTING IS THAT THE RUSSIANS
ARE GOING TO WAIT FOR THE GROUND
TO FREEZE SO THEIR TANKS CAN
OPERATE AND THAT WILL BE THE
TIME WHEN THE RUSSIANS, YOU
KNOW, WILL INVADE IN FACT IF
THEY’RE GOING TO BE INVADING.
DAVID: WHAT KIND OF INVASION ARE
WE LOOKING AT?
OF COURSE IN 2014 THEY TOOK
CRIMEA AND PORTS, ET CETERA, BUT
THIS TIME MIGHT THEY TO ALL THE
WAY TO THE CAPITAL?
>> THEY MAY.
YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE BEEN
THREATENING, THEY REALLY WANT I
BELIEVE INSTILL SOME KIND OF A
PUPPET GOVERNMENT IN THE
UKRAINE, SOMEBODY THAT WILL TURN
AWAY FROM, FROM THE WEST AND
NATO AND TURN TOWARDS YOU KNOW,
TO RUSSIA.
AND SO, YEAH, THEY MAY JUST DO
THAT.
REALLY ALL DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH
THE RUSSIANS REALLY FEAR NATO,
HOW MUCH THE RUSSIANS REALLY
FEAR PRESIDENT BIDEN AND FROM
WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS DONE SO
FAR IN HIS FIRST YEAR NOT SURE
THERE IS MUCH TO FEAR FROM
PRESIDENT BIDEN.
HE TOLD US THAT HE WASN’T GOING
TO LEAVE ANY AMERICANS AND ANY
ALLIES IN AFGHANISTAN.
THAT WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN
I THINK IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO
WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN
THE UKRAINE.
DAVID: YEAH.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IT ALSO
AFFECTS OUR RELATIONS WITH CHINA
AND OTHER THREATS THAT WE HAVE,
IRAN AND SO FORTH.
YOU KNOW I HAVE TO BE HONEST, A
LOT OF AMERICANS, IT IS MORE
ANECDOTAL THAN IT IS VERIFIED BY
POLLS, A LOT OF AMERICANS SEEM
MORE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR OWN
BORDER THAN THEY DOT BORDER IN
RUSSIA AND UKRAINE, PARTICULARLY
BECAUSE THE FLOW IS, IF ANYTHING
INCREASING AND THE DEGREE TO
WHICH A LOT OF THESE ILLEGAL
IMMIGRANTS ARE BEING TRANSPORTED
AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE
PARTICULARLY DISTURBING,
PARTICULARLY THESE NIGHT-TIME
EXCURSION THAT HAVE BEEN CAUGHT
ON VIDEOTAPE.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT ALL
OF THIS?
>> YEAH I THINK THEY’RE
ABSOLUTELY 100% CORRECT.
I THINK WE HAD CLOSE TO TWO
MILLION ENCOUNTERS.
THAT IS JUST THE PEOPLE WE KNOW.
WE’RE TRYING TO CROSS THE
BORDER.
MOST WERE ALLOWED TO GET INTO
THE UNITED STATES.
THEY COMPLETELY UNDID WHAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP, THE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF PRESIDENT
TRUMP BASICALLY HAD THE BORDER
UNDER CONTROL, NOT ONLY IS IT
ABOUT PEOPLE, BUT ALSO ABOUT THE
GUNS AND THE DRUGS THAT ARE
FLOWING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN
BORDER THERE IS MORE FENTANYL
BEEN CAPTURED THIS YEAR, ENOUGH
TO KILL ALL AMERICANS SEVEN
TIMES OVER.
I KNOW THAT WE’VE HAD ABOUT
100,000 AMERICANS DIE OF DRUG
OVERDOSES THIS LAST YEAR.
JUST THINK ABOUT THAT.
YOU KNOW, THAT WE’VE ARE
ALLOWING THIS SOUTHERN BORDER TO
BE WIDE OPEN, WIDE OPEN TO
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, BUT ALSO
WIDE OPEN TO ILLEGAL GUN TRADE,
WIDE OPEN TO ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE
THAT IS KILLING THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS AND WHAT
DOES BIDEN DO ABOUT IT?
NOTHING.
ACTUALLY HE IS HELPING THEM.
SO IT’S ABSOLUTELY MIND BOGGLING
WHAT THIS PRESIDENT IS DOING AND
OF COURSE YOU DO HAVE THE
SITUATION IN UKRAINE.
THEY’RE BOTH SERIOUS BUT I TEND
TO AGREE WITH THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE THAT THE SITUATION AT THE
SOUTHERN BORDER IS DEFINITELY IN
A CRISIS, A CRISIS OF OUR OWN
MAKING.
DAVID: THERE IS A VERY WHY THE
CRISIS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER
EXISTS.
WHY THEY’RE NOT DOING MORE TO
TIGHTEN UP THE BORDER.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY BECAUSE THEY
WANT TO BRING IN MORE LATIN
AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS.
YOU’RE LATIN AMERICAN IMMIGRANT.
THE PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL RATING
AMONG LATIN AMERICANS HAS GONE
WAY DOWN, IT HAS NOT ONLY
AFFECTED HIS APPROVAL BUT THE
ENTIRE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
IF THAT IS HIS INTENTION, IT IS
NOT HELPING, IT IS NOT WORKING
SO WHY ARE THEY CONTINUING WITH
THIS SORT OF NON-POLICY AT THE
BORDER?
>> LOOK I REALLY DON’T KNOW.
THE ONE THING THAT I WAS
THINKING ABOUT THE OTHER DAY
WHAT HAPPENED IN NEW YORK CITY
WHERE NOW RESIDENTS GET VOTE,
NOT JUST CITIZENS GET TO VOTE.
MAYBE THEY WANT TO EXPAND THAT
TO STATES IN NATIONAL ELECTIONS.
I DON’T KNOW.
I THINK THAT MAY BE A KEY TO IT
ALL BUT LOOK, LATINS, HISPANICS,
WE ARE HERE, THE ONES THAT ARE
TOTALLY AGAINST WHAT IS GOING ON
WE GOT HERE LEGALLY, OKAY?
WE DIDN’T USE ILLEGAL
IMMIGRATION TO GET INTO THE
UNITED STATES, AT LEAST THE BULK
OF US DIDN’T.
WE UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON.
ALSO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS
THREATENING OUR SAFETY.
WE HAVE SEEN STORIES HOW ILLEGAL
IMMIGRANTS ARE RUNNING AROUND
THE COUNTRY AND SOME ARE
COMMITTING PRETTY HEINOUS CRIMES
AND ALSO THEY’RE ALSO COMPETING
FOR THE JOBS WE WANT IN MANY
CASES.
IT’S NOT, IT IS NOT SURPRISING
TO ME THAT, THAT HISPANICS ARE
YOU KNOW, FLOODING TO THE GOP.
FINALLY THEY GET TO SEE THAT
REALLY WE STAND FOR THEIR
PRINCIPLE.
HISPANICS, WE ARE HARD-WORKING,
WE WANT THE RULE OF LAW.
THAT IS WHY WE CAME HERE.
DAVID: RIGHT.
>> WE ARE ALSO PEOPLE OF FAITH
AND THOSE ARE THE, YOU KNOW THE
PRINCIPLES THAT -- IS BASED ON.
DAVID: YOU ALSO ESCAPED, YOU
YOURSELF ESCAPED COMMUNIST CUBA
AND KNOCK LOG JUANS, VENEZUELAS,
THE SAME THING, ESCAPING
ECONOMIC POLICIES THAT DROVE
THEIR COUNTRY INTO THE GROUND.
YOU SETTLED WHAT IS KNOWN AS
LITTLE HAVANA IN THE MIAMI AREA.
HOW MANY FOLKS, HOW MANY OF YOUR
CONSTITUENTS WORRY WHAT THEY
ESCAPED FROM IS THE KIND OF
ECONOMIC POLICIES IS WHAT SOME
WANT THE COUNTRY TO GO TOWARD?
>> YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
THERE.
LOOK IN MY PARTICULAR DISTRICT
WE HAD A 21 POINT SWING TO THE
RIGHT FROM 2016 TO 2020 AND I
THINK A LOT OF IT, MOST OF IT
HAD TO DO WITH ECONOMIC POLICIES
AND ALSO THE FEAR THAT THIS
COUNTRY IS MOVING TOWARDS THE
MODEL YOU SEE IN VENEZUELA AND
NICARAGUA, UNFORTUNATELY IN
CUBA.
WE REJECTED THAT.
WE LEFT THOSE COUNTRIES FOR A
REASON.
WE LEFT THOSE COUNTRIES TO COME
HERE FOR FREEDOM.
WE’RE SEEING SOME OF THOSE
FREEDOMS BEING PUT IN JEOPARDY.
WHEN YOU HAVE CENSORSHIP, WHEN
YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN CONGRESS
OPENLY SAYING THAT THEY’RE
SOCIALISTS, THAT THEY ADMIRE
THOSE REGIMES IN NICARAGUA AND
VENEZUELA AND CUBA, WE GOT A
PROBLEM.
WE GOT A PROBLEM HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
DAVID: WE DO.
>> MAYBE THE REASON WE’RE HERE
IS TO SAVE THE UNITED STATES
FROM WHAT HAPPENED TO US IN OUR
COUNTRY.
THAT WOULD BE ONE OF MY GOALS,
ONE OF MY FOLKS IN CONGRESS.
DAVID: I DON’T THINK ANYBODY
FEARS THE SOCIALIST TURN THAT
THIS COUNTRY IS TAKEN MORE THAN
PEOPLE WHO HAVE ESCAPED
SOCIALISM AND SEEN WITH THEIR
OWN EYES AND VERY OFTEN THEIR
OWN BLOOD THE RESULTS OF THOSE