OFFICIALS EXPRESSING WORRY OVER A STUNNING NEW REPORT OVER
CONDITIONS IN DETENTION
FACILITIES THAT HOLD MIGRANTS.
THE CDC REPORTING ON A
LARGE-SCALE OUTBREAK OF MUMPS.
ALMOST 900 CASES ACROSS 19
STATES, PLUS DOCTORS AND
STAFFERS WERE INFECTED.
THE MAJORITY OF PATIENTS GOT THE
MUMPS WHILE IN I.C.E. CUSTODY.
ONE PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSOR TOLD
BUZZFEED THAT BASED ON CDC’S
DATA, AN I.C.E. DETAINEE HAD
ROUGHLY AT LEAST A 4,000-FOLD
GREATER RISK OF GETTING MUMPS
THAN A NON-DETAINEE A IN THE
UNITED STATES AT LARGE.
THIS COMES AFTER MONTHS OF
REPORTS OF CROWDED AND
UNSANITARY DETENTIONS FOR
DETAINEES AND AS A NEW FRONT IS
OPENING IN THE IMMIGRATION
FIGHT.
FIGHT. ACTIVISTS ARE SOUNDING AN URGENT
ALARM OVER A NEW TRUMP POLICY TO
DEPORT SEVERELY ILL MIGRANTS.
NOT FROM DETENTION CENTERS, BUT
PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE FOR
CRITICALLY NEEDED MEDICAL
ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. AND TODAY, DOZENS OF DEMOCRATIC
LAWMAKERS SENT A LETTER TO TOP
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS
ABOUT THIS NEW POLICY, ASKING
THEM TO TURN OVER DOCUMENTS
WITHIN TWO WEEKS.
SO HERE’S THE QUESTION.
WHY THESE PATIENTS.
MANY OF THEM CHILDREN ARE BEING
TARGETED, DESPITE TRUMP HAVING
CLAIMED HIS REAL IMMIGRATION
CONCERN WAS THE QUOTE, INVASION
FROM CRIMINALS AND GANGS.
>> THIS IS AN INVASION.
WHEN YOU SEE THESE CARAVANS
STARTING OUT WITH 20,000 PEOPLE,
THAT’S AN INVASION.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT AN INVASION
OF OUR COUNTRY WITH ALL TYPES OF
CRIMINALS AND GANGS.
PEOPLE HATE THE WORD THEINVASION
BUT THAT’S WHAT IT IS, AN
INVASION OF CRIMINALS AND DRUGS
AND PEOPLE, AND IN MANY SOME
CASES, IN MANY CASES, YOU HAVE
KILLERS AND MURDERERS COMING IN.
>> TRUMP WARNING OF GANGS, BUT
THE NEW POLICY IS AFFECTING
PEOPLE LIKE THIS 5-YEAR-OLD BOY.
HIS NAME IS SAMUEL COSTA.
HE’S FROM BRAZIL.
AND IS CURRENTLY GETTING
ROUND-THE-CLOCK SPECIALIZED
ROUND-THE-CLOCK SPECIALIZED MEDICAL CARE IN THE U.S. FOR A
CONDITION AFFECTING HIS INTERNAL
ORGANS.
ORGANS. HIS FAMILY SAYS HE CANNOT GET
THIS TREATMENT IN BRAZIL.
BUT EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE
FAMILY RECEIVED THIS LETTER
TELLING THEM TO LEAVE THE U.S.
WITHIN 33 DAYS.
I WANT TO BRING IN MADELEINE
CRONAN, THE ATTORNEY FOR THE
FAMILY YOU SEE HERE.
SAMUEL IS SITTING ON HIS
MOTHER’S LAP, SIRLENE AND
DANIELLE SALES IS DANIEL’S
COUSIN.
COUSIN. FIRST, HOW IS SAMUEL DOING
TODAY?
TODAY? >> SAMUEL IS DOING ALL RIGHT
TODAY.
TODAY. THANK YOU FOR ASKING.
>> YOU ARE A U.S. CITIZEN.
>> I AM.
>> I AM. >> HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR
SAMUEL TO BE ABLE TO STAY HERE
IN THE U.S.?
>> FOR SAMUEL TO STAY HERE, IT
KEEPS PRETTY MUCH HIS LIFE.
HIM LEAVING THE COUNTRY, HE
WOULDN’T HAVE THIS SPECIALIZED
TREATMENT THAT HE HAS RIGHT NOW,
THAT HE’S CURRENTLY HAVING, AND
THE HEALTH TREATMENT THAT HE’S
HAVING HERE RIGHT NOW.
>> SO LITERALLY, THIS IS FOR HIM
WHAT HE ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO STAY
ALIVE.
ALIVE. >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> MADELEINE, WHAT HAPPENED
HERE?
HERE? WHAT DID THE LETTER SAY ABOUT
WHY SAMUEL WOULD HAVE TO GO?
>> WELL, THERE ACTUALLY WAS NO
REASON OR ANALYSIS GIVEN IN THE
LETTER.
LETTER. WE SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION, A
DETAILED APPLICATION ABOUT WHY,
WHAT HIS CONDITION IS, AND THE
SERIOUSNESS OF IT.
AND WE JUST GOT THIS BOILERPLATE
LETTER THAT SAYS, YOU HAVE 33
DAYS TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY OR BE
PUT IN DEPORTATION.
SO THERE WAS NO ANALYSIS.
IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A BOILERPLATE
LETTER.
LETTER. >> WOW.
>> WOW. SO YOU SAY HIS LIFE IS AT RISK
HERE AND YOU GET BACK BASICALLY
A BOILERPLATE.
A BOILERPLATE. >> CORRECT.
>> CORRECT. NO PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT SINCE
THEN, EITHER.
THEN, EITHER. >> I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN WORKING
WITH THE ACLU AND OTHER GROUPS
TO TRY TO BRING ATTENTION TO
THIS, SO THIS, OBVIOUSLY, ISN’T
JUST IMPACTING SAMUEL.
HOW BROAD A PROBLEM COULD THIS
BE?
BE? >> WELL, THERE ARE NO FIXED
NUMBERS ON HOW MANY CASES THERE
ARE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES,
BUT I’VE HEARD IT’S UP TO A
THOUSAND CASES.
THOUSAND CASES. SO, UP TO A THOUSAND ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. I HAVE MET WITH A COUPLE OF
OTHER NEW PEOPLE THAT I SAW THIS
WEEK THAT ARE FACING THE SAME
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. GREAT, GREAT HUMANITARIAN
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. >> SO THEY ALSO GOT LETTERS
SAYING YOU HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT
OF DAYS AND THEN YOU HAVE TO
LEAVE THE COUNTRY.
>> YES.
>> YES. AND THEY PRESENTED THESE LETTERS
THINKING THEY WERE ALONE IN
ISOLATION, THAT FOR SOME REASON
THEY ALONE WOULD GET THESE
LETTERS.
LETTERS. NOT KNOWING IT WAS A BLANKET
SITUATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>> DANIELLE, HOW LONG COULD
SAMUEL GO ON WITHOUT TREATMENT?
IS IT SOMETHING THAT HE
ABSOLUTELY NEEDS EVERY SINGLE
DAY?
DAY? >> SAMUEL RECEIVES HIS
NUTRITION, HIS MEDICINE, HIS --
EVERYTHING THAT HE NEEDS THROUGH
A CENTRAL LINE TO HIS HEART.
THAT TAKES 12 HOURS DAILY BY TWO
MACHINES, USING TWO MACHINES.
SO THAT’S WHAT HE NEEDS EVERY
SINGLE DAY.
SINGLE DAY. >> WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE FOR
YOU?
YOU? WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE FOR HIS
MOM AND FOR HIS FAMILY, EVER
SINCE THIS LETTER CAME IN?
CAN YOU EVEN PUT INTO WORDS THE
EMOTIONAL TOLL THIS IS TAKING ON
YOU?
YOU? >> I WISH WE COULD HAVE WORDS TO
DESCRIBE WHAT WE’RE FEELING, BUT
I THINK THAT CURRENTLY THERE’S
NO WORDS FOR ME TO DESCRIBE
EXACTLY WHAT EVERYTHING HAS BEEN
GOING ON, NOT ONLY WITH HIS
MOTHER, BUT WITH EVERYBODY
AROUND US, THE FAMILY, THE
FRIENDS AND EVERYBODY WHO HAS
BEEN SUPPORTING US THIS PAST FEW
MONTHS AND THIS PAST FEW YEARS
THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING
THROUGH.
THROUGH. >> MADELEINE, I JUST WANT TO
CLARIFY, IF SOMETHING CAN’T BE
DONE, IF YOU’RE EFFORTS THROUGH
THE ACLU AND OTHERS ARE
UNSUCCESSFUL, WHAT ARE YOUR
OPTIONS?
OPTIONS? IS IT POSSIBLE CONGRESS COULD
GET INVOLVED?
GET INVOLVED? I MEAN, WE HEARD THAT THEY HAVE
WRITTEN A LETTER.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
>> WELL, WE KNOW THAT HE CAN’T
LEAVE.
LEAVE. SO THAT 33 DAYS IS JUST
IMPOSSIBLE.
IMPOSSIBLE. WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE ARE WORKING
IN EXPLORING ALL LEGAL OPTIONS.
WE HAVEN’T HEARD ANYTHING FROM
ACTING DIRECTOR CUCCINELLI.
THIS POLICY HAS BEEN IN PLACE
SINCE THE MID-70s.
IT’S A COMPLETE AND ABRUPT
REVERSAL OF THIS LONGTIME
POLICY.
POLICY. SO OTHER THAN THAT, THIS IS A
LAST EFFORT BY FAMILIES TO
EXPOSE THEMSELVES AND TO REQUEST
HELP, BECAUSE OF A DIRE
SITUATION.
SITUATION. AND NOW IT’S COMPLETELY BEEN
DONE AWAY WITH.
AND OTHER THAN LEGAL ACTION,
IT’S ASKING THE IMMIGRATION
SERVICE, BY PUTTING A REAL FACE
TO THIS PROBLEM TO GO BACK TO
THE LONG-STANDING POLICY OF
DEFERRED ACTION AND HUMANITARIAN
CASES.
CASES. >> WELL, MADELEINE CRONIN, THANK
YOU SO MUCH.
AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS, WOULD
NOT BE HIGH ON THE PRIORITY LIST
FOR A SICK LITTLE BOY AND HIS
FAMILY TO COME ON TELEVISION AND
HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT
IT’S SO IMPORTANT AND WE THANK
YOU.
YOU. AND OF COURSE, WE’RE SENDING A
BIG HUG TO SAMUEL, WHO IS A
BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL BOY.
AND WE HOPE YOU’LL KEEP IN TOUCH
WITH US AND LET US KNOW HOW
THINGS ARE GOING.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> LET ME BRING BACK IN
VICTORIA DEFRANCESCO SOTO.
I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY
HERE OR WHAT QUESTION TO ASK
YOU.
YOU. WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO WHAT YOU
JUST HEARD?
JUST HEARD? >> CRUELTY AND AGONY, THAT’S MY
INITIAL REACTION, CHRIS.
BUT I -- YOU KNOW, I THINK WHY
IS THIS HAPPENING?
I’M ASKING MYSELF, HOW COULD WE
HAVE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT.
AND THEN I GET MY ACADEMIC HAT
BACK ON AND SAY, WAIT, WE SAW
THIS COMING.
THIS COMING. WE HAVE SEEN A CUT TO REFUGEE
AND ASYLUM PROGRAMS IN THE
UNITED STATES LIKE NOTHING WE
HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE.
SO WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA LEFT
OFFICE, WE WERE PROVIDING
110,000 VISAS TO REFUGEES AND
ASYLUMS FOR HUMANITARIAN
REASONS, FOR LIFE-SAVING
REASONS.
REASONS. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IN THE
LAST FISCAL YEAR CUT IT TO
30,000 PEOPLE.
30,000 PEOPLE. THIS IS JUST THAT NEXT STEP AND
EXTREMITY OF DENYING THE
HUMANITY OF FOLKS WHO ARE
IMMIGRANTS.
IMMIGRANTS. BECAUSE, REALLY, THIS IS A
MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, CHRIS.
YOU KNOW, THESE FOLKS CAN NOT
LEAVE BY THEIR OWN ACCORD.
WHEN IS THIS GOING TO HAPPEN?
WHAT I’M WONDERING HERE IS WHAT
ARE THE OPTICS OF THIS GOING TO
BE?
BE? IS THIS GOING TO BE A ZERO
TOLERANCE SITUATION LIKE WE SAW
AT THE BORDER LAST SUMMER,
CHRIS, WHERE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
STANDS UP AND SAYS, NO MORE,
WE’RE NOT GOING TO STAND FOR
THIS.
THIS. BUT THIS IS SUCH AN EXTREME, I
THINK WE’D SEE THAT BACKLASH.
>> WELL, I THINK THE TIMELINE
BEING SO SHORT, AND YOU HAVE TO
GO BACK TO THE ARGUMENT THAT THE
PRESIDENT HAS MADE OVER AND OVER
AND OVER AGAIN.
THAT HIS IMMIGRATION POLICIES
ARE A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE.
LOOK AT SAMUEL, WHAT NATIONAL
SECURITY THREAT DOES HE POSE?
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU SAW THE
COVER OF THE FRONT PAGE OF THE
"NEW YORK TIMES," I THINK IT WAS
YESTERDAY, ANOTHER IMMIGRANT,
MARIA ISABEL BUSAIO WHO HAS A
RARE GENETIC DISEASE TOLD "THE
NEW YORK TIMES," I’VE BEEN
FEELING SUPER SCARED AND
OVERWHELMED.
OVERWHELMED. THE TREATMENT THAT I RECEIVE
KEEPS ME ALIVE.
IS SHE A NATIONAL SECURITY
THREAT?
THREAT? >> I MEAN, THESE ARE THE POLAR
OPPOSITES OF WHAT THE
QUOTE/UNQUOTE BAD HOMOBREBRES AR
THESE ARE CHILDREN, THESE ARE
INNOCENT YOUTH.
INNOCENT YOUTH. AND LET’S TALK ABOUT THE FACT
THAT DEFERRED ACTION IS ALSO
NEED FOR THEIR CARETAKER.
BECAUSE YOU CAN’T LEAVE A #
5-YEAR-OLD BY HIMSELF IN A
HOSPITAL ROOM.
HOSPITAL ROOM. YOU NEED A MOTHER AND A FATHER
THERE.
THERE. THIS FROM EVERY ANGLE IS ONE OF
THE MOST CRUEL POLICIES I HAVE
EVER SEEN.
EVER SEEN. YOU KNOW, I -- I’M SPEECHLESS
WHEN I SAW THIS, THIS POLICY
INTENT BY THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, WHICH BY THE
WAY, CAME WITHOUT A REVIEW
PERIOD.
PERIOD. BECAUSE USUALLY WHEN WE HAVE
RULES PUT OUT FROM THE EXECUTIVE
OFFICE, THERE IS A PERIOD WHERE
THERE’S COMMENT.
THERE’S COMMENT. THERE WAS NONE OF THAT.
>> VICTORIA DEFRANCESCO SOTO,