SAYS
SAYS IT'S
SAYS IT'S ENCOUNTERING ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED THIRTY UNACCOMPANIED MINORS EVERY
SINGLE DAY ALONG OUR BORDERS AS
MIGRANTS ARE STREAMING INTO THE
UNITED STATES NOW THERE IS SUCH
AN INFLUX AT THE BORDER THE
BITD ADMINISTRATION IS OPENING
SIX EMERGENCY HOUSING
FACILITIES. THERE ARE A COUPLE
OF SITES IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
THAT YOU SEE HERE AND THEN THE
SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER
THAT WILL ALSO HOST
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN POSSIBLY
AS EARLY AS THIS COMING WEEKEND
.THEY'RE GETTING IT SET UP.
THE AVERAGE STATE FOR A CHILD
WILL BE ABOUT A MONTH. THAT'S
ACCORDING TO COUNTY OFFICIALS
AND THEY'RE GOING TO KEEP THEM
HERE UNTIL THEY'RE CONNECTED
WITH FAMILY ALREADY HERE IN THE
US OR UNTIL OUR CASE GETS HEARD
OVERALL THERE ARE ABOUT SIXTEEN
THOUSAND UNACCOMPANIED MINORS
AT VARIOUS SITES ACROSS THE US
RIGHT NOW. PRESIDENT BIDEN DOES
SAY HIS ADMINISTRATION IS
WORKING ON A PLAN WHILE THE GOP
POINTING BACK AT THE WHITE
HOUSE AND THEY'RE URGING MEDIA
ACCESS TO THOSE SHELTERS.
CUSTOMS BORDER AND PROTECTION
TELLS CBS NEWS IT'S PROCESSING
MANY MIGRANT FAMILIES BUT SOME
ARE BEING RELEASED WITHOUT
NOTICES TO APPEAR IN COURT. SO
THIS MORNING WE HAVE SAN DIEGO
UNION TRIBUNE'S KATE MORRISSEY
JOINING US SHARING THE STORIES
OF ASYLUM SEEKERS. YOU'VE BEEN
DOING THIS SINCE TWENTY
SIXTEEN. IT'S GOOD GOOD TO HAVE
YOU ON THIS MORNING, KATE. GOOD
MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANK
YOU FOR HAVING SO YOU KNOW
YOU'VE EXPERIENCED AND YOU'VE
BEEN THERE AND HAVE TALKED TO
SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEKING
ASYLUM. IN FACT LAST WEEK YOU
WERE IN ONE AT A TENT CAMP
THERE. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US
ABOUT THAT? WHAT ARE THESE
FAMILIES GOING THROUGH? YEAH,
SO A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE AT
THE BORDER NOW HAVE ALREADY
BEEN IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING
TO BE HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH A NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT POLICIES THAT
HAPPENED UNDER THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION. THEY'VE BEEN
STUCK IN MEXICO FOR A YEAR,
SOMETIMES TWO YEARS EVEN AND
TRYING TO TO ACCESS THE
BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS TO
REQUEST PROTECTION IN OUR
COUNTRY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'VE
MET FAMILIES FROM HONDURAS.
THERE WAS ONE FAMILY IN THE
TENT CAMP WHO MADE THEIR WAY
THROUGH MEXICO WITH THE MOTHER
AND CHILDREN BRAIDING HAIR IN
ORDER TO MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO
CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY AND TO
EAT AND THEY FLED EXTORTION AND
VIOLENCE THERE IN THEIR COUNTRY
AND ENDED UP AT THE BORDER IN
THE TENT CAMP BECAUSE WHERE
THEY WERE STAYING IN TIJUANA
WAS ALSO DANGEROUS AND THEY
WERE THEY WERE BEING THREATENED
BY SORT OF DIFFERENT DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATIONS IN THE TIJUANA
AREA. AND SO THE FOLKS IN THE
CAMP HAVE REALLY GOTTEN TO A
POINT WHERE THEY THEY FEEL LIKE
IT'S THEIR THEIR ONLY OPTION
AND THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY
HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE TO GO TO
WAIT ANYMORE. SO WHAT WE'RE
SEEING IS THIS THE SORT
OF PEOPLE PEOPLE COMING NOW TO
THE CAMP EVEN EVEN STILL IT'S
GROWING. YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST
WENT DOWN THERE A FEW WEEKS AGO
THERE WERE MAYBE 50 TENTS. NOW
OVER TWO HUNDRED TENTS I WOULD
ESTIMATE MAYBE FIFTEEN HUNDRED
PEOPLE. I MET A WOMAN WHO TOLD
ME I DON'T HAVE PAPER EVIDENCE
OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME IN MY
COUNTRY. MY BODY IS MY EVIDENCE
AND SHE STARTED MOVING HER
CLOTHING AROUND TO SHOW ME
THESE GIANT SCARS ALL OVER HER
BODY INCLUDING WHERE SHE SAID
BULLETS WENT IN AND OUT OF HER
BODY FROM FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS
TRYING TO KILL HER. AND SO
THESE FOLKS HAVE THIS REALLY
DIFFICULT, DIFFICULT STORIES.
AND I MEAN YOU DO HEAR A LOT
OF TIMES GOING THROUGH EVEN
TENT CAMPS, STAYING IN SHELTERS
HERE IN THE US ALL OF THAT IS
STILL BETTER THAN WHAT THEY
WERE GOING THROUGH. THE DANGERS
THEY WERE FACING, YOU KNOW,
SOUTH OF OUR BORDER. SO RIGHT
NOW WHAT'S WHAT'S THE IDEA HERE
BECAUSE PRESIDENT BIDEN IS AT
THE HELM. IS THERE YOU KNOW,
THIS IDEA THAT THEY CAN COME
NOW'S YOUR CHANCE, JUST GO
YOU'LL GET TAKEN CARE OF OR
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING? I THINK
IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN
THAT. I THINK THERE'S THERE'S
AN AMOUNT OF MISINFORMATION AND
MISCOMMUNICATION HAPPENING
AMONG MIGRANTS WHEN I TALK TO
THE FOLKS IN THE CAMP, YOU
KNOW, THEY TOLD ME THEY HEARD
THAT THE BORDER WAS GOING TO
OPEN ON FEBRUARY 19TH AND THAT
DAY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
STARTED PROCESSING PEOPLE FROM
A VERY SPECIFIC PROGRAM. THE
REMAIN IN MEXICO PROGRAM WHICH
ONCE AN ASYLUM SEEKER HAD COME
INTO THE UNITED STATES THEY
WERE SENT BACK TO MEXICO WITH
COURT HEARINGS SO THEY WOULD
CONTINUE CROSS BACK AND FORTH
ACROSS THE BORDER UNTIL THEY
THEY HAD FINISHED THEIR COURT
CASE. AND SO FOR ANYONE WHOSE
CASE WAS STILL OPEN, THOSE
FOLKS ARE NOW BEING SORT
OF SLOWLY PROCESSED IN AT
SEVERAL PORTS OF ENTRY ALONG
THE BORDER WITH THE HELP FROM
THE UN REFUGEE AGENCY AND SO
FOLKS WHO ARE NOT IN THAT
PROGRAM HEARD THAT THAT WAS
HAPPENING AND THOUGHT THAT
THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING FOR
THEM AS WELL. AND SO PART
OF THAT IS IS WHAT'S LED TO TO
SOME OF THE MISCOMMUNICATE IN
JUST THIS MISUNDERSTANDING
ABOUT WHAT WHAT WAS ACTUALLY
HAPPENING THAT DAY. AND I THINK
WE ALSO SAW A LOT OF PROMISES
THAT THERE WOULD BE FURTHER
CHANGE BUT THERE HASN'T BEEN A
LOT OF ANNOUNCEMENT OR
TRANSPARENCY ABOUT A TIMELINE
FOR FOR WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN FOR
ANYONE ELSE WHO'S WAITING. AND
SO I THINK WE'RE ALSO SEEING
SORT OF AN INCREASING
DESPERATION WITHOUT ANY SORT
OF CONCRETE CONCRETE IDEA
OF WHEN THAT MIGHT END. AND SO
PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO MAKE A
DECISION IN THIS MOMENT WITH
THE INFORMATION THAT THEY HAVE
ABOUT WHAT THEIR CHANCES ARE
AND WHAT THEIR OPTIONS ARE. AND
YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS HOW THEY'RE
BEING TREATED EVEN AT THE
BORDER, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN? I
MEAN IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S A
LOT OF INCONSISTENCIES THAT YOU
NOTICED ON THAT CAMP
ESPECIALLY. YES. WELL, I THINK
,YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW IF YOU'RE
NOT IN THE REMAIN IN MEXICO
PROGRAM AND YOU DECIDE THAT YOU
NEED ACCESS TO THE ASYLUM
SYSTEM NOW THE ONLY WAY TO DO
THAT IS BASICALLY TO CROSS
BETWEEN PORTS OF ENTRY EITHER
ACROSS THE FENCE OR THROUGH THE
RIVER DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU
ARE ALONG THE BORDER OR THROUGH
THE BECAUSE THERE'S THERE'S A
LOT OF DIFFERENT TERRAIN ALONG
THE BORDER BUT COMING ACROSS IN
THAT MANNER BUT THAT THAT HAS A
BUNCH OF RISKS NOT NOT THE
LEAST OF WHICH IS THE
POSSIBILITY OF INJURY OR DEATH
JUST BECAUSE CROSSING IN THAT
WAY IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. ON
TOP OF THAT YOU HAVE THIS
LEFTOVER POLICY FROM THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION HAS CONTINUED
THAT THAT ROSE UP DURING THE
PANDEMIC THAT BASICALLY SAYS
BORDER OFFICIALS CAN
IMMEDIATELY EXPEL PEOPLE EITHER
TO MEXICO OR THEIR HOME
COUNTRIES. KATE, I DON'T
INTERRUPT. I KNOW THERE'S SO
MUCH MORE TO DISCUSS, BUT WE