ALSO THE CHAIR OF FAMILIES
BELONG TOGETHER.
AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT OF NATIONAL
DOMESTIC WORKERS ALLIANCE.
WHAT IS THE REALITY OF WHAT IS
HAPPENING TO MIGRANTS UNDER
TITLE XLII?
>>42?
>> TITLE 42 IS THIS 1920s LAW
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP INVOKED IN
ORDER TO SEAL THE BORDER UNDER
HIS ADMINISTRATION.
IT BASICALLY LIMITS THE ABILITY
OF ALMOST ANYBODY WHO THAT IS
TRY TO SEEK ASYLUM IN THE UNITED
STATES OR COME IN THROUGH AN
IRREGULAR WAY FROM ENTERING.
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THEY ARE PUT
THROUGH AN EXPEDITED COURT
PROCEEDING WHERE THEY DON’T HAVE
OPPORTUNITIES THEY WOULD
OTHERWISE HAVE TO GO BEFORE A
JUDGE TO PLEAD THEIR CASE AND
REQUEST TO ENTER THE COUNTRY.
ORIGINALLY THIS POLICY APPLIED
TO ALL MIGRANTS TRYING TO CROSS
THE BORDER AND PRESIDENT BIDEN
HAS SINCE CHANGED THAT.
HE’S ALLOWING IN UNACCOMPANIED
MINORS EXCLUSIVELY.
THEY’RE NOT BEING EXPELLED UNDER
TITLE IVII.
THERE’S SO MUCH TALK IN THE
COUNTRY ABOUT THE LARGE TALK OF
UNACCOMPANIED MINORS CROSSING
THE BORDER.
WHAT I’M HEARING FROM ADVOCATES
WHO WORK IN THOSE AREAS ARE
FAMILIES ARE COMING TO THE
UNITED STATES BORDER TOGETHER,
BUT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THIS
ORDER EXISTS IN PLACE NOW,
THEY’RE LETTING CHILDREN ACROSS
THE BORDER ALONE KNOWING IF THEY
CAME AS A FAMILY AND PRESENTED
THEMSELVES, THEY WOULDN’T GET
IN.
SO IT’S ACTUALLY THESE ADVOCATES
ARGUE CONTRIBUTING TO THE NUMBER
OF UNACCOMPANIED MINORS THAT ARE
OVERWHELMING FACILITIES LIKE THE
ONES YOU’RE SHOWING RIGHT NOW.
>> JESS, ARE YOU HEARING WHAT
CAITLYN IS HEARING?
WHERE, THEN, DOES THAT LEAVE THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION?
>> I’M ABSOLUTELY HEARING WHAT
CAITLYN IS HEARING.
I WOULD COMPLETELY AGREE, COUNT
MYSELF AMONG THOSE ADVOCATES
SAYING THAT TITLE 42 IS
CONTRIBUTING TO THE CHALLENGES
WE HAVE WITH UNACCOMPANIED
MINORS AT THE BORDER.
I WOULD SAY THAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE A LOT OF
AWESOME THINGS ON IMMIGRATION.
IT IS A LITTLE BIT PERPLEXING
WHY THEY CONTINUE TO KEEP TITLE
42 GIVEN THAT WE KNOW IT IS
STARTING TO CONTRIBUTE TO ONE OF
THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGES.
WE HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING THAT
FAMILIES BELONG TOGETHER, TO END
TITLE 42 IMMEDIATELY,
PARTICULARLY BECAUSE IT HAS A
DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON
HAITIAN MIGRANTS WHO’VE BEEN
VERY HURT BY TITLE 42 AND WE’RE
VERY WORRIED ABOUT.
WE THINK THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HAS EVERYTHING
THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO STOP
THIS RIGHT NOW, INCLUDING THE
FACT THAT THE CDC AND OTHERS --
THE OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS
HAVE WRITTEN TO THE CDC AND
OTHERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY
KNOW THAT THIS HAS NO PUBLIC
HEALTH BASIS.
ANYONE WHO SAYS TITLE 42 IS
ABOUT PULGTBLIC HEALTH IS
ABSOLUTELY WRONG.
>> IN MARCH THERE WERE OVER
18,000 UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT
CHILDREN CROSSING THE BORDER.
THAT IS A RECORD NUMBER.
THERE WERE STRUGGLES TO HOUSE
THEM.
THAT BECOMING IS ONE OF THE
BIGGER ISSUES HERE IN YOUR
LATEST FOR THE "ATLANTIC" YOU
WRITE IN PART THAT THE ISSUE IS
NOT THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
IS UNABLE TO HANDLE LARGE
NUMBERS OF CHILDREN CROSSING THE
BORDER, IT’S BEEN UNWILLING TO
SPEND THE MONEY REQUIRED BECAUSE
OF A CONCERN ABOUT OPTICS.
TELL US MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU
HEARD ON THAT FRONT, CAITLYN?
>> SURE.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO
DO IN MY MOST RECENT STORY WAS
JUST POINT OUT FOR PEOPLE WHO
MIGHT BE FOR THE FIRST TIME NOW
HEARING ABOUT THESE LARGE
NUMBERS OF CHILDREN CROSSING THE
BORDER ALONE AND THEY MIGHT BE
VERY SURPRISED BECAUSE IT
CERTAINLY SOUNDS LIKE AN
OVERWHELMING NUMBER AND IT IS,
AS YOU POINT OUT, BREAKING SOME
RECORDS.
HOWEVER, I’VE BEEN COVERING
IMMIGRATION SINCE THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION AND THIS IS NOT
BY ANY STRETCH THE FIRST SURGE
OF UNACCOMPANIED MINORS THAT
WE’VE HAD.
AND WE DON’T HAVE MORE CHILDREN
IN FEDERAL CUSTODY THAN WE’VE
EVER HAD BEFORE.
AND SO I WANTED TO POINT OUT
THAT IN THESE PRIOR SURGES I’VE
COVERED, 2012 IS WHEN ONE BEGAN
AND 2014 IT PEAKED.
WE HAD ANOTHER IN 2016, ANOTHER
IN 2019.
EACH TIME I’VE SAT DOWN WITH
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS AND
SAID, YOU KNOW -- AND THEY HAVE
LAMENTED TO ME THE FACT THAT
THEIR FACILITIES ARE OVERWHELMED
AND THEY’RE HAVING TO ABANDON
THEIR REGULAR WORK AS LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND TURN
THEIR OFFICES INTO PLAY ROOMS
FOR KIDS AND BUY CRACKERS RATHER
THAN DOING THE WORK THEY’RE
TRAINED TO DO.
AND SO I’VE ASKED, WELL, WHY IS
IT THAT THIS IS STILL THE CASE
WHEN WE HAD THIS MANY SURGES,
HOW ARE WE STILL UNPREPARED AS A
COUNTRY TO DEAL WITH THEM?
THE ANSWER I’VE GOTTEN IS
THERE’S A FEELING IF WE WERE TO
BUILD VERY LARGE FACILITIES THAT
WERE FITTED SPECIFICALLY FOR
CHILDREN, THAT WOULD SEND A
MESSAGE OF WELCOMING AND
ENCOURAGING MORE MIGRATION.
THERE’S A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND
PROBLEMS WITH THAT TYPE OF
THEORY.
IT’S BASICALLY A DETERRENCE
IDEOLOGY THAT’S BEEN DISPROVEN A
NUMBER OF TIMES, BUT IT’S ONE
THAT CONTINUES TO HOLD THE
UNITED STATES BACK FROM
INVESTING IN A WAY THAT WOULD
PREVENT, AGAIN, THE CONDITIONS
THAT WE’RE ALL LOOKING AT RIGHT
NOW.
>> AND JESS, WHERE DOES THAT
LEAVE ADVOCATES LIKE YOURSELF?
>> YOU KNOW, WE’VE BEEN CALLING
FOR THE END OF NOT ONLY FAMILY
SEPARATION, BUT ALSO FAMILY
DETENTIONS AND DETENTION OF
MINORS EVER SINCE IT STARTED
FOLLOWING MANY YEARS OF WHO’VE
BEEN CALLING FOR THIS.
WE BELIEVE DEEPLY THAT IT’S
POSSIBLE TO WELCOME PEOPLE WITH
DIGNITY AND RESPECT AND, IN
FACT, THAT WOULD ACTUALLY SOLVE
A LOT OF OUR IMMIGRATION
PROBLEMS.
I THINK THAT PEOPLE THINK IT’S
AN INTRACTABLE POLICY.
DPRINGS IS
IMMIGRATION IS SOLVE AND
BELIEVE WE CAN CREATE A FAIR
SYSTEM IF WE ABANDON THIS IDEA
THAT PEOPLE NEED TO BE DETERRED.
THAT’S NOT NOW MIGRANTS MAKE
DECISIONS WHETHER OR NOT TO COME
TO THE UNITED STATES.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IN FACT,
THE FACT THAT THEY’RE COMING AT
ALL IS REALLY EVERYTHING WE NEED
TO KNOW.
THE ONLY ONE THAT YOU WOULD MOVE
AND PACK UP AND TRAVEL THOUSANDS
OF MILES AND LEAVE YOUR HOME AND
FAMILY, ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS
IS BECAUSE THE ALTERNATIVE IS NO
ALTERNATIVE.
SO WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHY
PEOPLE COME HERE, WHAT ARE THE
FACTORS IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES,