JACQUI: JONATHAN HUNT AT THE
BORDER FOR US, THANK YOU.
GRIFF.
GRIFF: WE HAVE NOW FOX NEWS
POLLING ON THIS SHOWING THAT
ONLY 35% OF AMERICANS APPROVE
OF PRESIDENT BIDEN’S HANDLING
OF IMMIGRATION.
FOR MORE ON THE SITUATION AT
OUR SOUTHERN BORDER, LET’S
BRING IN FORMER ACTING HOMELAND
SECURITY SECRETARY CHAD WOLF.
MR. SECRETARY, THANK YOU FOR
TAKING TIME WITH THE
DEVELOPMENTS WITH SECRETARY
MAYORKAS WHO HAS A JOB YOU ONCE
HELD, SAYING ONE THING BEHIND
CLOSED DOORS IN TERMS OF
ADMITTING THE CRISIS.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF IT?
>> I WOULD SAY THE COMMENTS ARE
REALLY ASTONISHING AND WHAT IT
SHOWS HE SAYS ONE THING TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AND TO CONGRESS
AND SOMETHING SEPARATELY BEHIND
CLOSED DOORS TO HIS LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.
I THINK THAT’S CERTAINLY NOT
THE RIGHT WAY TO COMMUNICATE.
YOU NEED TO BE UPFRONT WITH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE IN DESCRIBING
CRISIS GOING ON THERE AND HOW
IT’S IMPACTING AND WHAT THE
SYSTEM CAN TAKE AND WHAT IT
CANNOT TAKE.
IT’S CERTAINLY UNSUSTAINABLE.
WE’VE BEEN SAYING THAT FOR
SEVEN MONTHS.
WE KNEW THAT, WE’VE BRIEFED THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION COMING IN
AND GOING TO EXPLODE IF THEY
TOOK DOWN CERTAIN POLICIES.
THIS WAS ALL AVOIDABLE, BUT
THEY DID CERTAIN POLITICAL
THINGS.
GRIFF: CHAD AND YOU MENTIONED
THAT YOU BRIEFED THE
ADMINISTRATION AND WARNED THEM
OF PROBLEMS AND THEY RECENTLY
AS THIS WEEK BLAMED WHAT THEY
INHERITED THAT YOU GAVE THEM.
>> AGAIN, IT’S QUITE REMARKABLE
SOME OF THEIR COMMENTS THEY
WILL SAY.
THEY’VE BLAMED EVERYONE.
THEY’VE BLAMED THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, HURRICANES THAT
TOOK PLACE IN THE NORTHERN
TRIANGLE COUNTRIES OVER FIVE
YEARS AGO.
THEY’VE BLAMED EVERYONE BUT,
BUT THEMSELVES AND THE STEPS
THEY’VE TAKEN.
WE GAVE NEM A SECURE BORDER AND
A PLAY BOOK, A MENU OF OPTIONS
FOR THE BEHAVIOR WE NOW SEEN
HAS EXEXPLODED AT THE BORDER.
LIKE THE REMAIN IN MEXICO
PROGRAM, A COURT NOW ORDERED
THEM IN COME RESPECTS TO
REINSTATE BECAUSE IT WORKS, AND
THE COURT RECOGNIZED THAT THEY
TOOK THAT AWAY WITHOUT ANY
RATIONAL THOUGHT, SIMPLY FOR
POLITICAL REASONS.
SO I THINK THAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION AND DHS HAVE A
LOT TO ANSWER FOR.
AS FAR AS THE SURGE THAT WE’RE
SEEING DOWN THERE ON THE BORDER
AND ALONG WITH THAT, THE COVID
POSITIVITY RATES THAT WE SEE
ALONG THAT BORDER, I THINK
THERE NEEDS TO BE AN
INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT THEY
KNEW, WHEN THEY KNEW IT AND HOW
THIS UNFOLDED OVER THE LAST
SEVEN MONTHS.
WELL, YOU PUT YOUR FINGER ON
SOMETHING THERE, CHAD.
LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW
UNPRECEDENTED.
WE’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE
THIS.
THE NUMBER OF APPREHENSIONS IN
JULY DOESN’T TELL THE FULL
STORY, IF YOU LOOK THERE ALMOST
19,000 UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN.
ALMOST 83,000 ARE FAMILY UNITS.
THE ONLY THING CLOSE TO COMPARE
IT TO MARCH OF 2000, 22,000,
MANY OF THOSE WERE SINGLE
MEXICAN ADULTS COMING FOR A JOB
AND ADD TO IT COVID.
HOW SIGNIFICANT IS AND UNIQUE
IS THIS CRISIS?
>> WELL, IT’S VERY SIGNIFICANT.
IT’S THE LARGEST AND MOST
SERIOUS CRISIS I THINK THE
COUNTRY HAS EVER EXPERIENCED.
THERE ARE SIMILAR NUMBERS THAT
YOU CAN POINT TO GOING ALL THE
WAY BACK TO 2000, AS YOU HAVE.
BUT WHAT MAKES THIS CRISIS
INFINITELY MORE DIFFICULT ARE
THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES AND
MINORS THAT WE ARE SEEING
TODAY.
WHICH MAKES IT THAT MUCH MORE
DIFFICULT TO REMOVE THOSE
INDIVIDUALS.
YOU CAN DO IT, WE SHOWED THAT
YOU COULD DO IT ON THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION AND THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION CHOOSING NOT TO
IMPLEMENT SOME OF THE POLICIES.
IN 2000 IT WAS LARGELY SINGLE
ADULTS AND TODAY WE’RE SEEING,
YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF FAMILY UNITS AND MINORS
WHICH MAKES THIS CRISIS THAT
MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO ADDRESS.
>> MR. SECRETARY, I WANT TO ASK
YOU JUST IN THE LAST 30 SECONDS
OR SO, THAT WE HAVE ABOUT THE
NEW DHS WARNING PUT OUT BEFORE,
AS WE APPROACH THE 9/11,
20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, BUT IT
ALSO, EVEN, BRINGS UP PEOPLE
THAT MAY NOT WANT TO GET
VACCINATED OR WEAR A MASK, THEY
SAY, AS PERCEIVED GOVERNMENT
RESTRICTIONS.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THIS
WARNING?
WELL, I THINK THAT DHS IS
OVERUTILIZING THE BULLETIN.
I THINK THEY’VE ISSUED THREE OF
THEM IN A THREE-MONTH PERIOD
AND WARN ABOUT THE ANNIVERSARY
OF 9/11.
I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS
VERY MINDFUL ABOUT THAT AND
MINDFUL ABOUT A CERTAIN ATTACKS
THAT COULD OCCUR AROUND THAT
ANNIVERSARY, ONCE YOU START
TALKING ABOUT COVID MEASURES
AND OTHER THINGS IN THAT
BULLETIN, I BELIEVE IT WATERS
IT DOWN.
PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO PAY
ATTENTION TO IT AS THEY SHOULD
IF YOU CONTINUE TO ISSUE THESE
EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS.
SO, I THINK IT’S RIGHT TO TALK
ABOUT THE ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11
AND BE ON GUARD WITH THAT AND
OTHER MEASURES, I PERSONALLY
PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE
INCLUDED THOSE IN THAT HOMELAND