S.
S. >>> 700 MIGRANT CHILDREN WHO ARE
SEPARATED FROM THEIR PARENTS AT
THE SOUTHERN BORDER ARE
CURRENTLY BEING HOUSED RIGHT
HERE IN NEW YORK.
THAT’S ACCORDING TO STATE’S
GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO.
GOVERNOR CUOMO JOINS ME NOW.
GOVERNOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
BEING HERE. YESTERDAY YOU TOURED A FACILITY
RIGHT HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?
>> WELL, FIRST THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME, STEPHANIE.
I THINK YOU’RE PREVIOUS GUEST
SAID WE’RE LOOK AT THEATER.
I THINK IT’S ACTUALLY WORSE THAN
THAT.
THAT. THIS IS A MALONGE OF GOVERNMENT
DECEPTION AND SCAMS AND UGLY
POLITICS.
POLITICS. THE ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY THAT
GENERAL KELLY THOUGHT WOULD KEEP
PEOPLE FROM COME TOGETHER BORDER
WAS JUST A PHENOMENAL MISTAKE
AND CAUSED CHILDREN TO BE SENT
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
THE EXECUTIVE ORDER WAS A SCAM.
IT WASN’T THE REVERSAL AT ALL.
IT’S -- YOU CAN’T EFFECT THAT
EXECUTIVE ORDER LEGALLY.
AND THIS 20,000 CAMP IDEA IS
ALSO ILLEGAL AND BIZARRE.
THE ONE THING WE DO NOW IS YOU
HAVE 2,500 CHILDREN SCATTERED
AID ROUND THE COUNTRY WHO ARE
HIGHLY TRAUMATIZED, THEY’RE IN
STATE FOSTER CARE FACILITIES.
OUR STATE HAPPENS TO HAVE A
LARGE NUMBER OF THEM BECAUSE WE
HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF FOSTER
CARE FACILITIES.
CARE FACILITIES. AND I’M TRYING TO FIND OUT FROM
THE HHS WHERE THEY ACTUALLY PUT
THE CHILDREN IN MY STATE BECAUSE
I HAVE THE CONSTITUTIONAL
RESPONSIBILITY OF HELPING --
>> WHY DON’T YOU KNOW?
>> BECAUSE HHS WON’T TELL US
WHERE THEY PUT THE CHILDREN,
WHICH IS JUST UNCONSCIENCEABLE
TO ME.
TO ME. I’M OFFERING STATE ASSISTANCE AT
NO COST, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE,
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES TO HELP
THESE TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN AND
THEY WON’T EVEN TELL ME WHERE
THEY ARE.
THEY ARE. SO WE’RE TRYING TO DO IT THE
OTHER WAY AROUND BY KEKT
CONTACTING FACILITIES, FINDING
OUT WHERE THE CHILDREN ARE.
I VISITED SOME YESTERDAY.
AND YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE THE
TRAUMA AND SHOCK OF THESE
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. THEY APPEARED AT THE BORDER WITH
THEIR PARENT, THEY WERE ALL
EXCITED TO ENTER AMERICA, AND
THE NORTHWEST
THE NORTHWEST THE NEXT THING THEY KNOW THEY’RE
SEPARATED FROM THEIR PARENTS,
SENT TO A STATE THEY’VE NEVER
HEARD OF, THEY DON’T SPEAK THE
LANGUAGE NOW THEY’RE IN THE
MIDDLE OF A FOSTER CARE SETTING.
SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN SENT FROM
FOSTER CARE FACILITIES TO
INDIVIDUAL FOSTER CARE HOMES,
WHICH IS EVEN MORE TRAUMATIC AND
THERE ARE FEWER SERVICES
PROVIDED.
PROVIDED. SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE’RE
GETTING EVERY SERVICE WE CAN TO
THESE CHILDREN JUST ON A
HUMANITARIAN LEVEL.
HUMANITARIAN LEVEL. I MEAN, THIS IS NOT A CRISIS --
>> WHY IS IT THAT YOU’RE UNABLE
TO GET IN INFORMATION FROM HHS?
I DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT.
THEY’RE SENDING THEM TO YOUR
STATE.
STATE. WOULDN’T THEY WANT TO COORDINATE
WITH YOU?
WITH YOU? WHEN YOU ASK FOR THIS
INFORMATION AND ACCESS, HELP US
UNDERSTAND THEIR RATIONAL IN
TURNING YOU DOWN.
>> NO RESPONSE AND, IN MY
OPINION, NO RATIONAL.
I WAS FORMERLY IN THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT, I WAS A CABINET
SECRETARY, I WAS SECRETARY OF
HUD.
HUD. I’VE WORKED WITH THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT AS GOVERNOR ON STORMS
CRISES, HEALTH CRISES.
NORMALLY THERE’S COORDINATION.
WHY HHS WOULD SEND CITIZENS --
CHILDREN INTO FACILITIES THAT
THE STATE REGULATES AND
CERTIFIES, I REGULATE THOSE
FACILITIES AND THEY WON’T EVEN
TELL ME WHERE THEY’RE SENDING
THEM.
THEM. I SENT HHS A LETTER, I CALLED
HHS, I SAID I WANT TO PROVIDE
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES BECAUSE
THESE CHILDREN ARE TRAUMATIZED.
I SPOKE TO THEM YESTERDAY.
THESE ARE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE
IN SHOCK.
IN SHOCK. THE FACILITIES THAT HAVE THEM
WILL SAY THERE’S A VERY HIGH
LEVEL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA
AND PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAUMA.
SOME ARE DEPRESSED, SOME
ANXIOUS, SOME ARE CRYING, THEY
CAN’T SLEEP.
CAN’T SLEEP. SO THEY NEED HELP.
FORGET EVERYTHING ELSE.
FORGET THE POLITICS AND THE
GARBAGE AND THE LUNACY OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. HELP THE CHILDREN.
>> WHEN YOU WERE AT THE
FACILITY, DOES IT SEEM LIKE
THERE’S A PROCESS IN PLACE FOR
REUNIFICATION?
REUNIFICATION? WHUS BAUS WHEN I LOOK.
PRESIDENT OR FIRST DAUGHTER
IVANKA’S TWEETS, IT’S LIKE OKAY,
ZERO TOLERANCE IS OVER, TIME FOR
EVERYBODY TO GET BACK TOGETHER
BUT I CAN’T SEEM TO FIND A
PROCESS OR A POLL?
I DOING-- POLICY IN DOING THAT.
WHEN YOU AREA AT THE FACILITY TO
THE EMPLOYEES OR CHILDREN KNOW,
OKAY, IT’S OVER WE’RE GETTING
BACK TOGETHER NOW?
>> FIRST OF ALL, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE
LEGALLY TO REUNITE THE CHILD AND
THE PARENT BY.
BY LAW THEY CANNOT PUT THE CHILD
IN A DETENTION FACILITY AND THE
GOVERNMENT IS STILL KEEPING THE
PARENTS IN A DETENTION FACILITY.
SO YOU CANNOT UNITE THEM WITH
THE PARENT.
THE PARENT. WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT
REUNIFICATION, THEY’RE TALKING
ABOUT TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER
FAMILY MEMBER IN THIS COUNTRY,
AN AUNT, AN UNCLE OR SOMETHING,
AND SEE IF THAT RELATIVE WILL
TAKE IN THE CHILD AND THEN
EITHER WAIT FOR THE DECISION ON
THE PARENT AND IF THE PARENT
GETS DEPORTED THE CHILD GETS
DEPORTED WITH THE PARENT OR THE
CHILD STARTS AN ASYLUM
PROCEEDING, A LEGAL ASYLUM
PROCEEDING THAT I SPOKE TO A
YOUNG MAN WHO’S BEEN WAITING
OVER ONE YEAR FOR ASYLUM.
SO IT’S -- THE WHOLE SITUATION
IS CHAOTIC AND WHEN THEY TALK
ABOUT REUNIFICATION, THEY’RE NOT
REALLY TALKING ABOUT
REUNIFICATION WITH THE PARENTS
UNLESS THEY TAKE THE PARENT OUT
OF DETENTION.
OF DETENTION. THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT EXTENDED
FAMILY MEMBERS.
FAMILY MEMBERS. THAT’S ALL THIS COMES DOWN TO.
THEY’RE EVEN HAVING TROUBLE
CONNECTING THE CHILD TO THE
PARENT FOR COMMUNICATION.
I SPOKE TO ONE YOUNG PERSON
WHO’S BEEN THERE FOR MONTHS,
SPOKE TO THEIR PARENT ONCE
BECAUSE THEY’RE TRYING TO FIND
OUT WHERE THE PARENT IS, WHAT
DETENTION CENTER AND AS YOU
DISCUSSED THERE ARE SEPARATE
DETENTION CENTERS WITH SEPARATE
RULES.
RULES. SO YOU HAVE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO
AREN’T EVEN IN CONTACT WITH
THEIR PARENT, FORGET
REUNIFICATION WITH AN EXTENDED
FAMILY MEMBER.
FAMILY MEMBER. >> SO, GOVERNOR, WHAT CAN YOU
DO?
DO? ANYTHING?
ANYTHING? >> WELL, WHAT I CAN DO IS
DESPITE HHS AND THEY’RE LACK OF
COOPERATION, WHICH I THINK IS
REPUG
REPUG REPUGNANT TO THE MISSION OF HHS.
IT WAS THE ADMINISTRATION THAT
WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING YOUNG
PEOPLE, WE’RE NOW WORKING
THROUGH THE AGENCIES THAT HAVE
ACTUALLY RECEIVED THE CHILDREN.
AND TO ADD A FURTHER
COMPLICATION, SOME OF THE FOSTER
CARE AGENCIES HAVE SENT CHILDREN
TO PRIVATE FOSTER CARE HOMES RUN
BY INDIVIDUAL PARENTS, ET
CETERA.
CETERA. SO WE HAVE TO TRACK THAT ALL
DOWN AND THEN I WANT THE STATE
TO BE PROVIDING THE SUPPLEMENTAL
SERVICES THAT THESE CHILDREN
NEED BECAUSE THE TRAUMA THEY
HAVE COVERED IS REAL, OUR HEALTH
COMMISSIONER SAYS IT, EVERY
HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SAYS IT, AND
LET’S AT LEAST GET THEM THE
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND
COUNSELING AND SUPPORT SERVICES
THEY NEED TO REDUCE THE TRAUMA
THEY’RE SUFFERING.
THEY’RE SUFFERING. AND WE WILL BE DOING THAT BY
CONTACTING INDIVIDUAL AGENCIES.
BUT IT SHOULDN’T BE THIS HARD
WHERE I HAVE TO CALL OVER 100
AGENCIES TO FIND OUT WHERE THE
CHILDREN ARE.
CHILDREN ARE. AND BY THE WAY, WHEN THE
CHILDREN ARE PLACED IN A STATE
FACILITY, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
PLACES A GAG ORDER ON THE STATE
FACILITY SO THE STATE FACILITY
CAN’T EVEN SAY WHAT CHILDREN
THEY HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. I MEAN, WHY WOULD YOU TRY TO
HIDE THESE CHILDREN IN PRIVATE
FACILITIES ALL ACROSS THE
COUNTRY RATHER THAN SAYING TO A
STATE, HERE’S OUR SITUATION,
WE’RE SENDING "X" NUMBER OF
CHILDREN TO YOUR STATE, PLEASE
HELP PROVIDE THEM SERVICES.
WHEN DOES HUMANITY KICK IN AND
WHERE IS THE PRESIDENT USED THE
WORD COMPASSION THERE AT A
PUBLIC RELATIONS EVENT WITH
PEOPLE GO TO THE BORDER, WE’RE
CONCERNED.
CONCERNED. YOU’RE CONCERNED?
YOU’RE CONCERNED? SHOW YOUR CONCERN.
THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT.
TELL ME WHERE THE CHILDREN ARE
SO I CAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE
SERVICES.
SERVICES. AND WHY THEY WOULDN’T DO THAT
MEANS THEY’RE USING THESE
CHILDREN AS PAWNS TO MAKE A
POLITICAL POINT.
POLITICAL POINT. WE’RE MACHO ON IMMIGRATION,
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE OUR STRONG
BORDERS.
BORDERS. IT’S ALL POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
INCOMPETENCE.
INCOMPETENCE. THEY CAN’T EVEN DO, STEPHANIE,
WHAT THEY SAY THEY WANT TO DO.
YOU CAN’T SET UP FAMILY
DETENTION CENTERS.
DETENTION CENTERS. THAT’S THE LAW.
AND UNTIL THEY CHANGE THE LAW,
WE’RE GOING TO KEEP SEEING THIS
AND THE PIPELINE OF CHILDREN
WILL CONTINUE.