U.S. PORTS FROM JULY.
THAT STOCK UP 6%, NORWEGIAN
CRUISE LINES.
>>> LISTEN TO THIS, EEL LOON
MUSK WILL DONATE 10 MILLION TO
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS AND DOWNTOWN
BROWNSVILLE FOR REVITALIZATION.
WE HAVE THE MAYOR OF
BROWNSVILLE.
MAYOR, THANKS FOR JOINING US.
HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO ELON MUSK
ABOUT THIS.
>> GOOD MORNING, ASHLEY.
NO, I HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO
SPEAK TO ELON MUSK.
WE REACHED OUT BOTH MYSELF AND
CITY ADMINISTRATION TO SIT DOWN
TO HAVE A CONVERSATION TO KNOW A
LITTLE BIT MORE, REALLY FIGURE
OUT WHAT IT IS HE PLANS TO DO
WITH THIS GIFT AND WHETHER THERE
IS ANYTHING SPECIFIC HE WOULD
LIKE TO SEE DONE.
REALLY JUST ANXIOUSLY AWAITING
DETAILS SO FAR.
ASHLEY: YEAH.
WAS THIS A COMPLETE SURPRISE TO
YOU?
>> A COMPLETE SURPRISE.
I FOUND OUT I THINK WHEN
EVERYBODY ELSE FOUND OUT.
HE TWEETED THIS EARLY IN THE
MORNING.
I STARTED GETTING CALLS AND TEXT
MESSAGES.
I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF SOME
WORK.
REALLY TRIED TO FIGURE IT OUT.
SAW THAT HE MENTIONED THE
DETAILS WOULD BE FORTHCOMING.
THAT IS REALLY WHAT WE’RE
WAITING FOR.
THIS TOTALLY CAUGHT ALL OF US BY
SURPRISE AND IT WAS A FOOD
SURPRISE.
ASHLEY: VERY GOOD.
I’M SURE THERE IS LOTS YOU CAN
DO WITH THE MONEY.
>> OH, MY GOSH, BROWNSVILLE,
TEXAS, SECOND MOST IMPORTANT
CITY IN TEXAS BESIDES
SAN ANTONIO.
SPACEX HAS DONE SOME GOOD STUFF.
QUITE A FEW PEOPLE COMING INTO
BROWNSVILLE RIGHT NOW.
AVERAGE HOME VALUE HAS GONE UP.
A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING
IN DOWNTOWN, REALLY BOOMING OVER
THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.
HOPEFUL WE’LL SEE MORE PROGRESS
WITH MR. MUSK’S INFUSION OF
CAPITAL HERE.
ASHLEY: VERY GOOD INDEED.
MAYOR, IF YOU COULD STAY RIGHT
THERE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE
GROWING CRISIS AT THE BORDER.
BROWNSVILLE CLOSE TO THE BORDER.
NOT JUST A SURGE OF MIGRANTS, A
NEW REPORT REVEALS MORE DRUGS
ARE BEING SMUGGLE ACROSS THE
BORDER.
ALEX HOGAN IS IN THE TEXAS TOWN
TOWN OF MACK ALLEN.
HOW MUCH DRUGS ARE BEING
SMUGGLED OVER?
REPORTER: QUITE A BIT.
2600 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA WORTH
NINE MILLION DOLLARS.
THERE IS A INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF
FENTANYL.
FROM THE 2019 TO 2020 FISCAL
YEAR, THE AMOUNT OF FENTANYL
BLEW UP 600%.
THIS YEAR THEY CONFISCATED
NEARLY DOUBLE WHAT THEY FOUND IN
2020.
SO FAR IN 2021 THE DEA IN THE
RGV SEIZED 666 POUNDS OF
COCAINE, 75 POUNDS OF HEROIN.
4840 POUNDS OF NEGOTIATE AND
26,000 POUNDS MARIJUANA.
BORDER AGENTS SAYS THERE IS VERY
CLEAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
MIGRANTS AND MULES WITH DRUGS.
THEY CAN TELL BY THE SIZE OF
THEIR BAGS, ROUTES THEY TAKE AND
BODY POSE TURE.
INCREASE OF PEOPLE CROSSING THE
BORDER PULLED MORE RESOURCES
AWAY, CAUSING MORAL CONE
INTEREST BAND TO GET INTO THE
COUNTRY.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT CHAD WOLF
SPOKE ABOUT ON
"SUNDAY MORNING FUTURES."
>> WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT THE
CARTELS AND THE SMUGGLERS AND
TRAFFICKERS ARE VERY
SOPHISTICATED AND THEY LISTEN
TOE PUBLIC PRONOUNCEMENTS.
THEY KNOW OUR POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES.
REPORTER: HERE IS A LIVE LOOK AT
THE RGV WITH THE FOX FLIGHT
TEAM.
ADMINISTRATION SPECIAL ENVOY FOR
THE NORTHERN TRIANGLE WILL
TRAVEL TO GUATEMALA ON THURSDAY
TO ADDRESS WHAT THEY CALL A
CRISIS IN CENTRAL AMERICA,
HOPING TO GET TO THE ROOT CAUSE
WHY HIS DOOR RICK NUMBERS OF
MIGRANTS ARE FLEEING THEIR
COUNTRIES TO COME TO THE U.S.
THE DEA SAYS THE INFLUX OF
MIGRANTS HAS TAKEN AWAY
RESOURCES, ALLOWING SOME OF
THESE DRUG SMUGGLERS TO GO BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT UNNOTICED.
ASHLEY?
ASHLEY: ALEX, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
VERY INTERESTING AND DISTURBING.
LET’S BRING IN THE MAYOR OF
BROWNSVILLE, MAYOR.
YOU’RE RIGHT ON THE BORDER.
WE’VE SEEN COVID RATES RISE
AMONG MIGRANTS IN YOUR CITY.
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO COMBAT
THAT?
>> ACTUALLY, ASHLEY OVER THE
LAST FEW WEEKS WE’VE SEEN THE
NUMBERS GO DOWN.
WE’RE SEEING POSITIVITY RATE OF
MIGRANTS AROUND 7 TO 8%.
OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS WE’VE
SEEN POSITIVITY RATE OF 4 OR 5%.
PRETTY MUCH IN LINE WHAT WE’RE
SEEING WITH THE REST OF THE
COMMUNITY, ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT
LOWER THAN THE STATES.
THAT IS REALLY A CONCERN FOR OUR
RESIDENTS.
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHETHER
MIGRANTS ARE TESTING POSITIVE.
WE PUT OUT THE INFORMATION AS
MUCH AS WE CAN TO LET THEM KNOW
WHAT IS HAPPENING.
10 DAYS AGO, FRIDAY, THE
MARCH 26th, DHS, THE
DEPARTMENT HOMELAND SECURITY
TOOK OVER THE COVID TESTING FROM
THE CITY OF BROWNSVILLE.
THE CITY HAD TAKEN ON ITSELF TO
TEST MIGRANTS COMING INTO
BROWNSVILLE BUT HHS ACTUALLY
TOOK IT OVER ABOUT 10 DAYS AGO.
IT HAS BEEN GOING REALLY WELL.
WE’RE SEEING PROBABLY IN
BROWNSVILLE 200 MIGRANTS COMING
IN PER DAY ON AVERAGE.
SO JUST DOING OUR BEST TO GET
THEM IN, GET THEM OUT, GET THEM
PROCESSED.
ASHLEY: IF I, IF I BELIEVE, I’M
CORRECT YOU CAME OUT IN SUPPORT
OF THE BIDEN-HARRIS TICKET.
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH HOW THE
ADMINISTRATION IS HANDLING THE
CRISIS?
>> YOU KNOW, ASHLEY, THERE IS A
LOT OF GOOD THINGS THAT ARE
HAPPENING AND THERE ARE SOME
THINGS THAT ARE CONCERNING.
WE’RE SEEING FAMILIES SEPARATED
TOWARDS THE TAIL END OF THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEING
REUNITED AGAIN I THINK IS
POSITIVE.
I THINK THEY’RE WORKING ON SOME
LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS IN IN
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA.
WE HEARD ABOUT THAT OVER THE
LAST WEEK OR TWO, I THINK WILL
BE A MAJOR POSITIVE.
WE SHOULD CONTROL THE FLOW IN
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, I
THINK THAT SOLVES A BIG PORTION
OF THIS.
THERE ARE THINGS CONCERNING,
RIGHT?
WE’RE SEEING INCREASED NUMBERS.
STILL NOT THE NUMBERS WE’RE
SEEING IN JULY, 2019, SOMEWHERE
SUMMER OF JULY OF 2019 DURING
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
IN BROWNSVILLE, WE’RE SEEING 4
OR 500 PEOPLE A DAY.
WE’RE SEEING LESS THAN THAT.
WE’RE SEEING NUMBERS GO UP OVER
LAST MONTH OR SO.
I’M IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE
ADMINISTRATION LETTING THEM KNOW
WHAT OUR RESOURCES ARE, WHAT OUR
CAPACITY IS.
MAKING SURE WE DON’T GET
OVERWHELMED.
ASHLEY: MAYOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.