WELCOME BACK. JOINING ME NOW IS NBC’S JACOB
SOBOROFF AND JULIA AINSLEY.
WELCOME, BOTH.
WELCOME, BOTH. JULIA, YOU’VE BEEN CHECKED ON A
NEW COURT FILING AGAINST THE
ACLU ON BEHALF OF CHILDREN AND
SEPARATED FAMILIES.
SEPARATED FAMILIES. TELL US WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.
>> SO, ANDREA, THIS IS THE
RESPONSE THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS
FOR A PETITION THAT THE ACLU
SAID THEY NEED ABOUT SEVEN DAYS
AFTER THESE FAMILIES ARE
REUNIFIED SO THEY CAN GET TO
THEM AND EXPLAIN THEIR LEGAL
RIGHTS BEFORE THEY HAVE TO MAKE
THE TOUGH CHOICE BETWEEN WHETHER
OR NOT TO LEAVE WITHOUT THEIR
CHILDREN OR WITH THEIR CHILDREN.
THEY WOULD LEAVE WITHOUT IN
ORDER TO ALLOW THEM TO SEEK
ASYLUM.
ASYLUM. WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS SAYING
HERE IS THEY CAN’T GIVE THE ACLU
THAT SEVEN DAYS BECAUSE THEY’RE
SHORT ON RESOURCES AND SPACE AND
THEY FRANKLY DON’T THINK THE
JUDGE CAN TELL THEM TO HOLD OFF
ON ORDERS OF DEPORTATION.
SO WE’RE LIKELY TO SEE ALL THAT
COME TO A HEAD TODAY, WHEN THE
TWO PARTIES COME BEFORE THE
JUDGE AT 6:00 P.M. EASTERN.
>> NOW, JACOB, I’M REALLY
CONFUSED ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE
WE’VE BEEN GETTING DENIALS FROM
ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE, BUT THE
FACT IS, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING GIVEN THE
HORRIBLE CHOICE, SOPHIE’S
CHOICE, IF YOU WILL, OF LEAVING
THEIR KIDS HERE OR TAKING THEIR
KIDS AND LEAVING BUT GIVING UP
THEIR RIGHT TO HEARINGS AND
ASYLUM.
ASYLUM. >> AND IN SOME CASES, ANDREA,
THAT CHOICE IS NOT ONE THAT’S
EVEN BEEN APPARENT, ACCORDING TO
THE ACLU, TO THE PARENTS WHEN
THEY’RE GETTING THESE FORMS TO
SIGN AWAY THEIR RIGHTS AND
ESSENTIALLY ELECT TO BE
SELF-SEPARATED AND DEPORTED
AWAY, AGAIN, FROM THEIR
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. LET’S PUT THIS INTO A MUCH
LARGER CONTEXT.
LARGER CONTEXT. WE’RE ONLY TWO DAYS AWAY FROM
THE GOVERNMENT-MANDATED DEADLINE
TO REUNITE ALL 2,551 CHILDREN
THAT THE GOVERNMENT SAYS WERE
SEPARATED FROM THEIR PARENTS.
WE KNOW THAT 917 OF THEM, A HUGE
NUMBER, HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEEMED
INELIGIBLE TO BE REUNITED IN THE
FIRST PLACE.
FIRST PLACE. I THINK THAT’S 35, 34% OF ALL OF
THE MIGRANTS, THE CHILDREN THAT
CAME TO THE UNITED STATES AND
WERE SEPARATED BY THIS TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION POLICY.
ADMINISTRATION POLICY. SO NOW THE CHALLENGE IS, WHAT
HAPPENS TO ALL DIFFERENT KINDS
OF SUBSETS OF THESE PARENTS AND
CHILDREN?
CHILDREN? WE KNOW THAT 463 OF THEM AS OF
YESTERDAY, AND WE SHOULD
PROBABLY GET AN UPDATED NUMBER
FROM THE HEARING AS JULIA WAS
MENTIONING TODAY, MAY HAVE
ALREADY BEEN DEPORTED
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU CAME HERE
WITH YOUR CHILD, THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION SEPARATED YOU,
AND YOU’RE ALREADY BACK IN YOUR
HOME COUNTRY?
HOME COUNTRY? YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE
REUNIFIED, THAT’S FOR YOUSURE, W
YOUR CHILD IN THE UNITED STATES.
>> JULIA, WHAT’S SO
INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO ME IS THERE
WAS NO SYSTEM IN PLACE TO
IDENTIFY KIDS AND PARENTS TO
EACH HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OR THE
SAME WRIST BAND, WHATEVER YOU
WANT TO SAY, AT THE POINT OF
SEPARATION, THAT THAT WAS NOT IN
PLACE WHEN THIS ZERO TOLERANCE
POLICY WAS FIRST ANNOUNCED.
NOW THAT IT’S BEEN DONE, AND
THAT THESE KIDS HAVE BEEN SENT
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND THEIR
PARENTS IN SEPARATE HOLDING
FACILITIES, SO WHY THEY DIDN’T
KEEP THEM ALL IN THE SAME REGION
IS ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, BIG
QUESTION.
QUESTION. >> SURE.
>> SURE. >> HOW CAN THEY SAY THAT
CHILDREN -- THAT PARENTS SHOULD
HAVE TO MAKE THIS DECISION ABOUT
GIVING UP THEIR RIGHT TO ASYLUM?
ISN’T THE RIGHT TO ASYLUM
EMBEDDED IN OUR LAW, EMBEDDED IN
TREATIES, EMBEDDED IN THE GENEVA
CONVENTION?
CONVENTION? >> IT IS TRUE, ANDREA.
I’M SURE YOU SAW SECRETARY
NIELSEN SPEAKING TO PETER
ALEXANDER IN ASPEN.
>> THAT’S WHY I’M ASKING.
HER ANSWERS WERE COMPLETELY,
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, MUDDLED.
THEY WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE.
PETER KEPT TRYING TO NAIL HER
DOWN ON IT.
>> THAT’S TRUE, WE ALL SAW IT
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. THE ONLY PARENTS THEY CAN
GUARANTEE WILL BE REUNITED ARE
THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY IN I.C.E.
CUSTODY.
CUSTODY. THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN RELEASED
INTO THE UNITED STATES WHILE
THEY SEEK ASYLUM ARE THOSE WHO
HAVE BEEN FORCED TO DEPORT.
THOSE PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER
REALLY IN WHAT THEY WOULD
CONSIDER AN ELIGIBLE CLASS.
WE’LL SEE ALL OF THAT BE DEBATED
IN THE NEXT 48 HOURS IN COURT.
BUT IT SEEMS THAT THEY DON’T
REALLY HAVE A SYSTEM.
AND WHEN PETER PRESSED HER ON
IT, SHE SAID, WE’RE JUST TRYING
TO MOVE AS EX PE AMBITIOUSPEDITI
CAN.
CAN. BUT SHE WOULD NOT COMMIT TO THE
TIMELINE OF THURSDAY.
THERE’S A NEW FORM THAT THE ACLU
IS ASKING THESE PARENTS TO SIGN
BEFORE THEY DEPORT SO THEY
REALLY UNDERSTAND ALL THEIR
RIGHTS.
RIGHTS. ONE OF THE OPTIONS THEY CAN
CHOOSE IS TO SPEAK TO A LAWYER
SO THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHETHER
OR NOT THEY STILL HAVE AN ASYLUM
CASE THAT’S PENDING.
AS WE SAW BEFORE WITH THE OLD