>>> THERE ARE TWO DELEGATIONS AT
THE BORDER THIS AFTERNOON.
DEMOCRATS, LED BY TEXAS
CONGRESSMAN JOAQUIN CASTRO ARE
VISITING THE HHS FACILITY WHICH
PROVIDES TEMPORARY CARE FOR
UNACCOMPANIED MINORS.
REPUBLICANS, MEANWHILE, 19 OF
THEM, LED BY SENATORS CRUZ AND
CORNYN ARE TOURING THE RIO
GRANDE AND LOOK HOW THEY’RE
DOING IT, ARMED TO THE TEETH
WITH BULLETPROOF VESTS.
LET’S BRING IN NBC’S JACOB
SOBOROFF.
JACOB, I WILL LET -- I WILL READ
TO EVERYONE BETO O’ROURKE’S
TWEET ON THIS.
ADDRESSED TO SENATOR TED CRUZ.
YOU’RE IN A BORDER PATROL BOAT
ARMED WITH MACHINE GUNS.
THE ONLY THREAT YOU FACE IS
UNARMED CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
WHO ARE SEEKING ASYLUM AS WELL
AS THE OCCASIONAL HECKLER.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A CRISIS
TO COS PLAY SENATOR FOR, I’M
HAPPY TO POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION.
JACOB, THIS IS TRULY A TALE OF
TWO PARTIES AS IT CONCERNS THE
BORDER.
WHO HAS THE BETTER STRATEGY?
>> Reporter: WELL, THE DEMOCRATS
ARING LOOING AT WHAT’S ACTUALLY
GOING ON.
I MEAN, I THINK IT’S FAIR TO
SAY.
AND REPUBLICANS, WHAT THEY’RE
DOING IS PREPOSTEROUS IF YOU ASK
ME.
I HAVE STOOD -- IT’S NOT
DANGEROUS, BY THE WAY.
I’VE STOOD ON THAT DOCK.
I’VE TALKED TO THOSE TEXAS
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
AGENTS.
I HAVE SEEN THOSE BOATS AND
STOOD WITHIN FEET, INCHES OF
THEM, MYSELF.
THEY’RE NOT MEANT FOR PATROLLING
THE RIVER TO LOOK FOR
UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT CHILDREN
SEEKING ASYLUM.
THEY’RE MEANT TO INTERDICT DRUG
SMUGGLERS, AND THE IDEA THAT
THEY WOULD GO OUT THERE JUST
LOOKING AT THEM AND APPROACH
YOUNG MIGRANTS, THE OBVIOUS
THING IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
THEY ARE GOING TO TERRORIZE THE
CHILDREN WHO ARE COMING HERE TO
SEEK ASYLUM IN THE NAME OF A
PHOTO OP, AND I SAY IT’S
DANGEROUS BECAUSE THESE CHILDREN
AND MINORS ARE COMING HERE TO
SEEK ASYLUM, WHICH IS THEIR
LEGAL RIGHT, NOT ONLY UNDER
INTERNATIONAL LAW BUT UNDER
UNITED STATES LAW, AND IF THESE
REPUBLICANS REALLY WANT TO FIND
A SOLUTION TO WHAT IS THE TRUE
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AT THIS
MOMENT, AT THIS HOUR, AT THIS
MINUTE, THEY WOULD SPEND TIME
FIGURING OUT HOW TO GET KIDS OUT
OF BORDER PATROL CUSTODY WHERE
THEY SHOULDN’T BE AND PUT THEM
OVER TO HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES SO THEY CAN HAVE THE
EXPERTISE OF A CHILD WELFARE
WORKER TAKE CARE OF THEM.
>> YOU KNOW, I, TOO, HAVE BEEN
ON THAT BORDER IN McALLEN,
TEXAS, ON THE RIO GRANDE AND
IT’S INNER TUBES THAT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT THAT ARE COMING
ACROSS THE BORDER.
>> PEOPLE GO THERE AND THEY RIDE
SKI DOOS IN THE WATER, ALEX.
IT’S A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE GO TO
HAVE BARBECUES AND HANG OUT IN
THE PARK AND HAVE A GOOD TIME
WITH THEIR FAMILY AND THE IDEA
THAT 19 U.S. SENATORS WOULD SHOW
UP AND GET IN A GUN BOAT IS --
IT’S DANGEROUS BECAUSE OF THE
MESSAGE THAT IT SENDS ABOUT
WHO’S COMING INTO THIS COUNTRY,
THAT YOU NEED TO APPROACH
MINORS, CHILDREN, FAMILIES ARMED
WITH WHAT I THINK -- I’M NOT A
GUN PERSON, BUT .30 CALIBER
MACHINE GUNS?
IT IS PREPOSTEROUS.
>> BUT IT’S SORT OF THE POINT,
THOUGH, RIGHT?
IT IS TO SUGGEST THAT THESE
PEOPLE ARE MORE DANGEROUS.
IT’S VERY RARELY THAT YOU HEAR A
REPUBLICAN, A REPUBLICAN SENATOR
EVEN SAY THE WORD, CHILDREN, IN
THE CONTEXT OF THE BORDER CRISIS
BECAUSE THAT REMINDS THE PUBLIC
THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
CHILDREN HERE, NOT ARMED DRUG
LORDS STORMING THE U.S. BORDER.
AND YET, JACOB, ONE WONDERS
ABOUT THE POLITICAL STRATEGY
HERE AND WHETHER IT ACTUALLY
WORKS FOR REPUBLICANS IN TERMS
OF ANIMATING THEIR BASE.
I MEAN, I GUESS THE QUESTION IS,
ON ONE HAND, YOU HAVE A UNIFIED
REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT IS
CONVINCED ITS BRETHREN THIS IS
AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO THE
UNITED STATES AND OUR WAY OF
LIFE AND ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU
HAVE DEMOCRATS WHO DON’T HAVE
QUITE THE SAME UNIFIED MESSAGE
AND WHO ARE GENUINELY,
APPARENTLY, TRYING TO SOLVE THE
PROBLEM BUT THAT IS NOT AS NEAT
AND TIDY AND NARRATIVE AND IN
THAT WAY, I WONDER IF IT COULD
BE POLITICALLY PERILOUS.
>> I DO THINK IT’S A PROBLEM,
PROBLEMATIC FOR THE FATE OF THE
OVERALL COMPREHENSIVE
IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL AND ALSO
EVEN IF MORE NARROW BILLS
BECAUSE THERE IS MASS CONFUSION
BEING STOKED BY REPUBLICANS
AROUND THE ISSUE OF WHO, YOU
KNOW, REALLY, OUR CONVERSATION
ABOUT IMMIGRATION REFORM IS
ABOUT.
THERE’S A CONVERSATION ABOUT
REFORMING THE IMMIGRATION AND
ASYLUM SYSTEM AT THE BORDER TO
MAKE IT MORE FAIR AND SAFE AND
HUMANE AND ORDERLY AS SECRETARY
MAYORKAS SAYS AND THE PRESIDENT
SAID YESTERDAY AT THE PRESS
CONFERENCE AND THERE’S AN
ENTIRELY SEPARATE CONVERSATION
THAT OF COURSE IS INTERRELATED,
BUT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT DISTINCT
PEOPLE, LIKE FARM WORKERS
GETTING A PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP
OR THE 11 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HERE AND
CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY FOR
YEARS.
DECADES IN MANY CASES, GETTING A
PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP.
AND THAT IS DIFFERENT, AND IT IS
DISTINCT FROM ASYLUM-SEEKING
CHILDREN AT THE BORDER AND THE
CONDITIONS THAT THEY ARE IN AND
WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO
DO ABOUT THAT, AND I DO THINK
THAT THE CLEARER THAT THEY CAN
BE AND PART OF THAT IS, AGAIN,
YOU KNOW, I WANT TO MENTION
AGAIN, TODAY, OPENING THE
FACILITIES FOR REPORTERS,
ESPECIALLY LOCAL REPORTERS WHO
KNOW THESE AREAS, WHO ARE THERE,
WHO DON’T HAVE TO TRAVEL, YOU
DON’T HAVE AS MANY COVID
CONSIDERATIONS, TO GET IN AND
SEE WITH THEIR OWN EYES IS WHY
IT’S IMPORTANT SO THE
ADMINISTRATION CAN SHOW WHAT IT
IS THEY WANT TO CHANGE ABOUT THE
ASYLUM SYSTEM TO PRESERVE WHAT