LIVE IN TIJUANA.
WILLIAM, THANK YOU.
♪
>> Bret: TONIGHT’S "COMMON
GROUND" SEGMENT FOCUSES ON THE
END OF PANDEMIC RELATED ASYLUM
RULES, TITLE 42.
THIS EVENING WE TALK WITH THREE
BORDER TOWN MAYORS ABOUT HOW
THEY ARE PREPARING, WHAT THEY’RE
SEEING ON THE GROUND.
JOINING US TONIGHT ARE MAYOR
LEAH MACAW OF SARA VISTA,
ARIZONA.
MAYOR DAWN McGLORIFY LYNN OF
UVALDE, TEXAS.
MAYOR JAVIER OF McCALL EN,
TEXAS APPRECIATE YOU TAKING A
MOMENT.
LET ME START WITH YOU MAYOR
MACAW.
WHAT ARE YOU SEEING AND WHAT ARE
YOU FEELING ARE YOUR PEOPLE
WORRIED WHAT ABOUT AT 12:00
A.M.?
>> THANK YOU, SIR. FIRST, I APPRECIATE YOU LETTING
FIRST, I APPRECIATE YOU LETTING
US BE ON CAMERA AND, SIR, WE ARE
POSITIONED 20 MILES NORTH OF THE
PORT OF ENTRY.
WHAT WE ARE SEEING NOW IS WE
HAVE MIGRANTS THAT ARE AT THE
BORDER.
THERE ARE ABOUT 100 IN THE DAY.
100 IN THE MORNING AROUND 60 IN
THE AFTERNOON.
AND THEY ARE BEING TRANSPORTED
TO TUCSON STRAIGHT OUT OF NOCO.
WE AS A CITY OF SERVICE.
WE DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES OR
THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT
MIGRANTS BEING DROPPED HERE IN
SIERRA VISTA.
AND THERE ARE NO MIGRANTS BEING
DROPPED HERE IN OUR TOWN.
BUT THERE ARE BEING -- THEY ARE
BEING TRANSPORTED UP TO TUCSON,
WHICH IS ABOUT 60 MILES AWAY
GOING TO OUR NORTH-NORTHWEST.
>> Bret: MAYORS IN TEXAS, MAYOR,
WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN
McALLEN.
>> IT’S TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
OF COURSE HERE WE HAVE BEEN
DEALING WITH THIS SITUATION FOR
OVER A DECADE FORTUNATELY A LOT
OF THE ISSUES HAVE GONE FOR
SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR EXAMPLE EAGLE
PASS AND OF COURSE WE DON’T WISH
THAT ON ANYBODY.
HERE WE GO AGAIN BROWNSVILLE IS
PRETTY MUCH I WOULD SAY AT
CAPACITY RIGHT NOW.
ONCE 4 # 2 IS LIFTED WE WILL GET
INTO ISSUES THEN.
WE ARE EXPECTING THE POSSIBILITY
OF A FEW HOW SAND WITHIN A
COUPLE OF DAYS AND WE PRETTY
MUCH PREPARED FOR THAT.
WE HAVE CATHOLIC CHARITIES AND
WE KNOW CAN HANDLE ABOUT 1500 WE
SET UP FOR 2,000.
WE ARE EXPECTING TO HAVE BY
TODAY ABOUT 2,000 AT OUR CAMP.
SO WE ARE RAPPING UP AND TRYING
TO INCREASE OUR CAPACITY TO
ABOUT 5,000.
THIS IS NOT OUR PROBLEM.
IT’S NOT A MUNICIPAL ISSUE.
IT’S A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE
BUT, OF COURSE, WE WILL DO WHAT
WE GOT TO DO TO KEEP OUR
COMMUNITY SAFE.
>> Bret: THAT’S STRESSING A LOT
OF TOWNS AND CITIES ALONG THE
BORDER.
MAYOR McLAUGHLIN, ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT HAS BEEN TALKED
ABOUT IN RECENT DAYS ARE THESE
MASS RELEASES WE HAD THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
SECRETARY AND SENATORS ON
CAPITOL HILL TALKING ABOUT THAT.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> WE COULD SEE VERY INTRODUCED
CROWDED AS WE ARE NOW.
WE COULD SEE VERY CROWDED BORDER
PATROL FACILITIES.
I CANNOT STRAIN ON PERSONNEL AND
FITTINGS.
WE KNOW HOW TO MANAGE THROUGH
SUCH STRAIN.
AS DIFFICULT AS IT WILL BE.
>> STREET RELEASES ARE JUST WHAT
YOU WOULD THINK THEY ARE.
THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT COME
IN FINGERPRINT THEM, GET A NAME
AND INFORMATION, THEY SEND THEM INTO THE COUNTRY AND ASK THEM TO
INTO THE COUNTRY AND ASK THEM TO
TURN THEM SELVES IN TO AN ICE
AGENT THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO
PICK.
>> Bret: MAYOR, THIS DOES NOT
SEEM TENABLE OVER THE LONG-TERM.
>> THEY TELL US THEY HAVE
CONTROL AND ALL OF THAT CAN I
TELL YOU RIGHT NOW OUR SECTOR IN
UVALDE THAT PROBABLY 75% OF OUR
BORDER PATROL, THEY ARE NOT ON
THE BORDER.
THEY ARE IN THESE PROCESSING
PLACES.
THE BORDER IS WIDE OPEN.
AND RIGHT NOW THEY ARE TELLING
US THEY ARE NOT GOING TO RELEASE
ANYBODY HERE.
BUT, RIGHT NOW, EAGLE PASS IS
GETTING 20 BUSES A DAY.
DEL RIO, I THINK, IS SITTING AT
ABOUT 1700 RIGHT NOW.
THEY ARE RIGHT AT CAPACITY. AND SO WHEN THEY HIT THAT
AND SO WHEN THEY HIT THAT
CAPACITY TOWFNS LIKE MY H. WE
DON’T HAVE A BUS THAT’S NOT FULL
BECAUSE IT’S COMING FROM EAGLE
PASS.
>> LOOK AT THE STATS TITLE 42 STTS BISEK TORE, DEL RIO,
STTS BISEK TORE, DEL RIO,
TUCSON, RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND
YOU SEE HOW MANY EXPELLED.
NOW THAT THAT’S EXPIRING IT
TAKES A MAJOR TOOL OUT OF THE
TOOLBOX.
>> YES, SIR.
AND I AGREE WITH MAYOR
McLAUGHLIN.
THE ISSUE IS THAT OUR BORDER
PATROL AGENTS ARE NOW INSIDE
THEIR PROCESSING FACILITY.
PROCESSING THE MIGRANTS COMING
INTO THE U.S.
THAT LEAVES OUR BORDER WIDE
OPEN.
JUST TALK WITH OUR SHERIFF THIS
MORNING WE STILL HAVE A PROBLEM
WITH LOAD DRIVERS AND FENTANYL
COMING ACROSS THE BORDER.
WE HAD CHASES YESTERDAY THAT
OVERTURNED VEHICLES HERE IN
SOUTH OF SIERRA VISTA.
WE STILL HAVE THAT PROBLEM THAT
JUST IS JUST COMPOUNDING, AND WE
STILL JUST IT’S JUST A CRISIS,
SIR. I CAN HEAR THE FRUSTRATION
IN YOUR VOICE I KNOW THE
COMMUNITIES, ALL OF THEM ARE
FEELING IT.
MAYOR WE, DO YOU FEEL THERE IS A
SENSE IN WASHINGTON THAT PEOPLE
ARE HEARING YOU?
TODAY THE HOUSE PASSED THIS BILL
BUT IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IT IS
GOING TO GO ANY PLACE IN THE
SENATE.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE FROM
WASHINGTON?
ACTUALLY WHAT WE WANT TO SEE IS
ACTION OF COURSE.
I HAVE SAID IT BEFORE AND I
RUFFLED FEATHERS, IT DOESN’T
MATTER IT.
HAS TO BE EITHER PARTY DO
SOMETHING.
BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES THEY USE
THIS ISSUE MORE OF A SOCIAL
ISSUE TO DIVIDE PEOPLE TO RAISE
MONEY AND KNOW IT’S AFFECTING
THE COMMUNITIES.
I SAID IT EVEN YEARS AGO THAT
MAYBE IT WASN’T AFFECTING TOO
MUCH PEOPLE OR COMMUNITIES IN
THE NORTH.
BUT THEY PASS THROUGH THE BORDER
AREAS AND GO NORTH.
AND NOW THEY ARE REALIZING YOU
HAVE THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK, THE
MAYOR OF CHICAGO NOW TALKING
ABOUT IT WHEN BEFORE THEY NEVER
DID.
SOMETHING WE SAW WAY BEFORE AND
OUR FEDERAL OFFICIALS SHOULD
HAVE SEEN IT WAY BEFORE, TOO.
>> Bret: MAYOR McLAUGHLIN,
FRANKLY A MATTER OF MONEY.
SOME OF THESE TOWNS AND I DON’T
KNOW ABOUT YOURS SPECIFICALLY
THE RESOURCES ARE JUST DRYING
UP.
>> THEY ARE DRYING UP.
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT BEFORE NOON
TODAY BEFORE NOON TODAY, WE HAD
FIVE HIGH-SPEED CHASES THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR COMMUNITY.
TWO OF THEM WRECKED TWO WRECKED.
EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
GOING TO THAT.
FOOT TRAFFIC COMING THROUGH
CUTTING FENCES.
I GO TO COFFEE EVERY MORNING
WITH A GROUP OF RANCHERS AND ALL
THEY SHOW IS SHOW ME THEIR CAMS
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMING
THROUGH AND CUTTING THEIR
FENCES.
ALL OF THIS THEY TELL US THE
BORDER IS SECURE AND NOT OPEN.
WE DON’T HAVE ANYBODY THERE TO
CATCH ANYBODY.
>> Bret: MAYOR MACAW, FINAL WORD
HERE, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE?
>> WE WANT TO SEE MORE SUPPORT
ON THE BORDER, SIR.
BOTTOM LINE.
WE NEED SUPPORT DOWN HERE,
FEDERAL AGENTS TO GUARD OUR
BORDER MAKE SURE WE DON’T HAVE
HIGH-SPEED CHASES THROUGH MY
TOWN OR FENTANYL COMING NORTH.
BORDER PATROL OFFICIALS
STATIONED I UNDERSTAND ABOUT
MIGRANTS COMING ACROSS AND
PROCESSING BUT THE BORDER IS
WIDE OPEN.
TALKED TO THE SHERIFF THIS
MORNING.
THE BORDER IS WIDE OPEN.
WE NEED IT CLOSED.
>> Bret: MAYORS, WE APPRECIATE
YOUR TIME AND I KNOW YOU ARE
BUSY.
THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE THAT WE
HAVE BEEN COVERING FOR A LONG
TIME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR