BRIAN: PROGRESS AT THE
BORDER AS APPREHENSIONS DROP
FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT
MONTH.
AINSLEY: CUSTOMS AND BORDER
PROTECTION IN JULY THEY
ENCOUNTERED 82,000 PEOPLE
ALONG THE U.S. MEXICO
BORDER.
THAT'S A DROP FROM 21% FROM
THE MONTH BEFORE.
THE OFFICIALS ARE CREDITING
MEXICO FOR HELPING WITH THE
CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL
IMMIGRATION.
PETE: JOINING US NOW ACTING
DIRECTOR OF CITIZENSHIP AND
IMMIGRATION SERVICES KEN
CUCCINELLI.
KEN, THANKS FOR BEING HERE
THIS MORNING.
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
>> MY PLEASURE.
PETE: PUT THOSE NUMBERS IN
CONTEXT FOR US.
THEY STILL SEEM HIGH FOR A
LOT OF PEOPLE.
WHAT DO YOU GIVE CREDIT TO
THE DROP FOR?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THIS
DROP ASK A RESULT OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP KEEPING HIS
PROMISES ON IMMIGRATION
UNFORTUNATELY HE HASN'T
GOTTEN HELP FROM CONGRESS IN
DOING THAT AS WE HAVE BEEN
REQUESTING FOR SOME TIME
NOW.
HE CONTINUES TO USE EVERY
TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX AND YOU
MENTION MEXICO.
THIS PRESIDENT HAS DEALT
WITH MEXICO IN A WAY
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM
ANY OF HIS PREDECESSORS
REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT.
AND HE HAS SUCCEEDED.
WE ARE GETTING COOPERATION
FROM MEXICO THAT WE HAVE NOT
GOTTEN BEFORE.
THEY ARE PATROLLING THEIR
OWN SOUTHERN BORDER MORE
VIGOROUSLY THAN BEFORE.
WE ALSO HAVE THE REMAIN IN
MEXICO PROGRAM WHERE TENS OF
THOUSANDS YOU HAVE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE COME ACROSS OUR
BORDER ILLEGALLY HAVE HAD TO
WAIT IN MEXICO FOR THEIR
ASYLUM HEARINGS SO THEY
DON'T GET RELEASED INTO THE
INTERIOR OF THIS COUNTRY.
SO PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
DIFFERENT PATH OF DEALING
WITH THIS IS SUCCEEDING.
AND WE ALSO HOPE THAT WITH
THE FIRST STEPS IN THE
GUATEMALA COOPERATION
AGREEMENT, MOVING THAT
FORWARD AGAIN BECAUSE THE
PRESIDENT HAS DEALT WITH THE
NORTHERN TRIANGLE COUNTRIES
DIFFERENTLY THAT THAT OFFERS
MORE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP
REDUCING THESE NUMBERS.
BRIAN: ALL RIGHT.
SO THE NUMBERS ARE GOING
DOWN BUT THEY ARE STILL
EXTRAORDINARILY HIGH.
BUT DO YOU NOTICE THE
DEMOCRATIC DELEGATION WAS IN
GUATEMALA YESTERDAY WHAT DO
YOU HOPE THEY SEE OR HEAR?
ARE YOU ENCOURAGED OR
DISCOURAGED THAT THEY ARE
THERE.
>> I'M ALWAYS ENCOURAGED
WHEN I SEE ATTEMPTS TO FIND
FACTS AND TRUTH IN THIS
DEBATE.
AS YOU ALL KNOW AND HAVE YOU
TALKED ABOUT IT ON YOUR
SHOW, A LOT OF RHETORIC
FLIES AROUND.
BUT THERE ARE SOME BASIC
FACTS THAT ARE HARD TO
ESCAPE.
AND YOU MENTIONED JUST WHILE
THIS LAST MONTH'S NUMBERS
ARE AN IMPROVEMENT, THEY ARE
STILL CRISIS LEVEL.
82,000 PEOPLE COMING ACROSS
THAT SOUTHERN BORDER EXCEEDS
ANY MONTH FOR YEARS EXCEPT
FOR THE LAST FOUR MONTHS.
AND SO WE STILL HAVE A LOT
OF WORK TO DO.
THINGS WE HAVE BEEN ASKING
CONGRESS TO DO, INCLUDING
THE CONGRESSMAN DOWN THERE
IN THE NORTHERN TRIANGLE
COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE
SPEAKER HERSELF.
AND THEY HAVE TAKEN ZERO
ACTION ON THIS STUFF.
NOTHING.
AND WE AREN'T TRULY GOING TO
GET OUR ARMS AROUND THIS
PROBLEM FOR THE LONG TERM
UNTIL CONGRESS CLOSES SOME
OF THOSE ASYLUM LOOPHOLES
THAT WE HAVE BEEN ALL BUT
BEGGING THEM TO DO.
AINSLEY: KEN, WHAT ABOUT
THIS NASHVILLE MAYOR.
HIS NAME IS DAVID BRILEY.
AND HE WAS BLASTING THE
PRESIDENT FOR IMMIGRATION
RAIDS IN HIS AREA.
HE RELEASED A VIDEO ONLINE
SPANISH LANGUAGE VIDEO HOW
TO AVOID ICE.
TELLING THEM NOT TO OPEN THE
DOORS UNLESS AN AGENT HAS AN
ORDER SIGNED BY A JUDGE.
DON'T SIGN ANY PAPERS BEFORE
SPEAKING TO A LAWYER, AND
THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO
REMAIN SILENT?
>> WELL, WHEN WE HAVE
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AIDING
AND ABETTING PEOPLE IN
VIOLATING OUR LAWS WE HAVE
FALLEN TO A PRETTY BAD
PLACE.
IT ISN'T JUST THIS MAYOR.
WE HAVE SEEN IT IN LOS
ANGELES, IN ONE OF THE
BIGGEST CITIES OF THE
COUNTRY WE HAVE SEEN THIS
SAME SORT OF BEHAVIOR.
THE REALITY IS AND A LOT OF
AMERICANS DON'T KNOW THIS
OVER A MILLION PEOPLE HERE
ILLEGALLY HAVE GONE ALL OVER
THE DUE PROCESS PIPELINE.
BELIEVE ME, WE PROVIDE A LOT
OF DUE PROCESS FOR FOLKS AND
STILL HAVE FEDERAL ORDERS
FOR THEIR REMOVAL, AND THEY
REFUSE TO OBEY THEM.
SO, IF YOU ARE ICE, IF YOU
ARE MATT AL BANS, THE ACTING
DIRECTOR OF ICE, YOU HAVE
ENORMOUS TASKS IN FRONT OF
YOU JUST WITH PEOPLE ALREADY
THROUGH THE COURT PROCESS,
THE ADJUDICATION TO
DETERMINE THEY SHOULDN'T BE
HERE ANY LONGER.
THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE WE
NEED TO REMOVE.
MAYOR'S LIKE THAT ONE IN
TENNESSEE DON'T HELP.
PETE: SPEAKING OF ENFORCING
THE LAW AND REMOVAL, DOWN IN
MISSISSIPPI THERE WAS A
SERIES OF RAIDS ON POULTRY
PROCESSING PLANTS.
ULT MATILY 640 WORKERS
DETAINED.
WE JUST LEARNED THAT 300 OF
WHICH WERE RELEASED.
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF SPIN
AND HYPERBOLE ABOUT THESE
ACTIONS.
TELL US WHAT THE CONTEXT IS
AND WHY THEY HAPPEN.
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, ICE
HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED
THEIR ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
OVER THE LAST YEAR.
THIS YEAR OVER THE LAST
YEAR.
LITERALLY 2, 3, 4, FIVE
TIMES.
AND THEN SOME.
AND WHAT YOU SAW IN
MISSISSIPPI WAS AN OPERATION
INVOLVING SEVEN LOCATIONS
WITH THREE EMPLOYERS WHO
ICE'S INVESTIGATIONS
DEMONSTRATED WERE BREAKING
THE LAW BY HIRING ILLEGAL
ALIENS INSTEAD OF AMERICAN
CITIZENS.
AND MIND YOU, MISSISSIPPI IS
A HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
THAN THE REST OF THE
COUNTRY.
THIS IS NOT A SITUATION
WHERE THERE IS NO ONE ELSE
AVAILABLE.
WE ALSO HAVE THE H 2 PROGRAM
VISA PROGRAM FOR LEGALLY
PRESENT ALIENS TO
PARTICIPATE IN EMPLOYMENT.
THAT ISN'T WHAT WAS
HAPPENING HERE.
THAT'S WHY ICE WAS BUSTING
THESE FOLKS.
AND THEY HAVE LITERALLY WERE
USING HUNDREDS OF ILLEGALS
TO DO THEIR WORK, TO BEAT
OTHER PEOPLE IN THEIR
BUSINESS.
SO THEY WERE CHEATING HERE.
AND THEY ARE BEING HELD
ACCOUNTABLE NOW THANKS TO
ICE.
BRIAN: ALL RIGHT, KEN,