AT STAKE HERE, NOT ONLY AT THE
BORDER, BUT BEYOND.
MAYOR, GOOD TO HAVE YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
IT’S NICE TO BE HERE, THANK YOU
FOR THIS.
NEIL: NO, THANK YOU FOR JOINING
US, MAYOR.
IF TITLE 42 GOES AWAY, MAYOR,
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU AND
YOUR TOWN AND THE AREA?
>> OKAY.
GOOD MORNING, FIRST OF ALL, I’M
MAYOR PRO TEM FOR EAGLE PASS.
IT JUST MEANS THAT, AS YOU CAN
SEE, YOU JUST SAID NOW, THE
INFLUX OF PEOPLE COMING IN.
YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT
TITLE 42 IMMIGRATION, YOU KNOW,
TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS, ONE
IS RELATED TO HEALTH REASONS
AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU
KNOW, BUT I’M AN EDUCATOR AND
IN EDUCATION WE SAY USE ALL THE
TOOLS YOU HAVE, ALL THE TOOLS
IN THE TOOLBOX AND IF THAT’S
ALL WE HAVE TITLE 42 TO USE IT
AS A TOOL, LET’S PLEASE USE IT,
LET’S NOT REMOVE IT KEEP IT
THERE SO WE CAN PUT A HOLD, TRY
TO SLOW DOWN THE INFLUX OF
IMMIGRATION COMING IN.
NEIL: HAVE YOU, MAYOR, HAD A
CHANCE TO REACH THE WHITE HOUSE
OR THOSE AT THE WHITE HOUSE
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING
THIS AS YOU JUST SAID, FOR THE
TIME BEING TO REMOVE IT WOULD
BE BAD?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT?
NO, WE HAVEN’T HAD A CHANCE TO
GO OVER THERE.
MATTER OF FACT, I AT TIMES
SUGGEST THAT TO THE MAYOR, TO
THE CITY MANAGER, JUDGE,
ANYBODY WHO WOULD WANT TO MAKE
IT OVER HERE, AND MAYBE IT’S
TIME FOR US TO GO OVER THERE,
AND ASK THEM TO SEE WHAT’S
HAPPENING DOWN THERE.
NEIL: GOT IT.
BUT HE HAS NOT COME DOWN TO THE
BORDER.
THE PRESIDENT -- THE
VICE-PRESIDENT DID ONCE AND
WENT ON TO SAY SHE WAS GOING TO
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM I
BELIEVE BY GOING TO GUATEMALA,
THAT’S IT.
DOES THAT BOTHER YOU?
>> EXACTLY, YOU CAN’T TAKE CARE
OF WHAT’S INSIDE OF YOUR HOUSE
IF YOU DON’T CARE OF YOUR HOUSE
FIRST.
WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THIS
BEFORE WE CAN TAKE CARE OF
ANYBODY ELSE.
NEIL: THE FACT THAT THEY’RE NOT
COMING DOWN, THERE IS NO
INDICATION THAT THERE’S
PLANNING A VISIT.
WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU WITH OR
WITHOUT TITLE 42, IT’S GOING TO
REMAIN A PROBLEM AND A
WORSENING ONE.
>> PRETTY MUCH IT TELLS US THAT
THE BORDERS ARE BEING IGNORED.
YOU KNOW, IT IS BAD BECAUSE WE
ARE U.S. CITIZENS AND ALSO WE
LIVE IN THE BORDER.
A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THE
POPULATION IS HISPANIC AND
UNFORTUNATELY IT SENDS A HUGE
MESSAGE FOR US, WE’RE ARE BEING
TOTALLY IGNORED AT THE BORDER
AND THAT’S NOT WHAT THE U.S.
SHOULD BE ABOUT.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT, WE HEAR THIS A
LOT, MAYOR, FROM REPUBLICANS.
I KNOW YOU’RE MAYOR PRO TEM,
BUT YOU STAND OUT MANY AMONG
MANY BECAUSE YOU HEAR DEMOCRATS
SAYING THIS, DO YOU RUN INTO
FELLOW DEMOCRATS WHO PREFER YOU
NOT BEING SAYING THIS?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT’S
DIFFERENT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE IN THE
COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE
FAMILY FOR BRINGING LIGHT TO
THIS ISSUE AND I’M SURE THEY’RE
NOT HAPPY WITH IT AND IT’S
OKAY, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE
DAY, IT’S HAPPENING, IT’S HERE
AND YOU KNOW, IT IS WHAT IT IS.
SO, YES, IF ANY OF MY FRIENDS
OR CO-WORKERS OR ARE UPSET, I’M
SORRY, IT IS WHAT IT IS, WE
NEED THE HELP, WE NEED THIS
TITLE 42 TO REMAIN IN PLACE AS
AN EDUCATOR, WE USE ALL THE
TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX, SO ALL
I’M SAYING I KNOW THAT
IMMIGRATION AND TITLE 42 ARE
DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT YOU KNOW
WHAT, IF THAT’S THE ONLY TOOL
THAT WE HAVE AND ALL WE CAN USE
RIGHT NOW PLEASE KEEP IT IN
PLACE.
NEIL: SO, MAYOR, A NUMBER OF
YOUR COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN
CRITICAL OF GOVERNOR ABBOTT’S
APPROACH TO PROCESS THOSE WHO
ARE TAKEN AT THE BORDER, USED
TO BE PROCESSED, PAPER WORK IN
TEXAS, AND SENT THEM ON TO
WASHINGTON D.C. AND OTHERS ON
PLANES TO NEW YORK CITY AND
ELSEWHERE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?
I BELIEVE JEN PSAKI IN THE
WHITE HOUSE CALLED IT A STUNT,
A POLITICAL STUNT.
WHAT DO YOU CALL IT?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT?
I’M NOT A POLITICIAN, I’M A
PUBLIC SERVANT OF THE CITY.
I’M GOING TO TELL YOU
FORTUNATELY FOR SOME,
FORTUNATELY OR OTHERS, HE’S
DONE MORE FOR US, AT THE END OF
THE DAY IT IS WHAT IT IS, AND
IF HE’S SENDING THOSE PEOPLE TO
WASHINGTON OR NEW YORK, MAYBE
THAT WILL BRING ATTENTION TO
WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING ON DOWN
HERE.
NEIL: SO, AS A MAYOR, AND
YOU’RE WATCHING THIS,
REGARDLESS OF YOUR PARTY
AFFILIATION, AND YOU HEAR THE
FOCUS ON THE BORDER IS MUCH ADO
-- THEY DON’T SAY NOTHING
THERE, BUT IT’S NOT NEARLY AS
BAD AS IT’S PORTRAYED.
A COUPLE OF INTERVIEWS WE’VE
HAD, MA’AM, YOU’VE PAINTED A
PRETTY BLEAK PICTURE, THAT’S
PRETTY BAD.
SO, WHO IS RIGHT?
>> WELL, IF YOU COME DOWN HERE
AND YOU SEE PEOPLE JUMPING INTO
THE RIVER AS IF THERE WERE FISH
IN THE WATER, WOULD YOU SAY,
YES, IT IS.
I DON’T THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE
INFORMED, A LOT OF
MISINFORMATION OUT THERE.
AND I DON’T THINK THAT PEOPLE
REALIZE TO GET ASYLUM IN THE
UNITED STATES IS EXTREMELY
HARD.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS LOOKING
MORE LIKE A BUSINESS AND
SOMEBODY’S PROFITING A LOT OF
MONEY FROM THIS, AND I CAN TELL
YOU IT’S NOT EAGLE PASS.
SO I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS GOING
ON, I’M NOT I GUESS PRIVY TO A
LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ARE
GOING ON UP THERE, BUT I’M JUST
SPEAKING FROM MY HEART AND
SPEAKING ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON
IN MY COMMUNITY AND I CAN TELL
YOU WHAT’S GOING ALONG ON THE
WHO HE WILL BORDER NOT JUST
EAGLE PASS.
IF PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO TALK
ABOUT, IT’S OKAY, IT’S THEIR
CHOICE.
IT IS WHAT IT IS.
YOUR CAMERAS DOWN BY THE RIVER
SEE IT ON A DAILY BASIS, 300,
250 PEOPLE, SEVEN PEOPLE DROWN
TWO DAYS AGO.
I’M SORRY, A THREE-YEAR-OLD
BABY HOW COULD THAT BE
HAPPENING AND THE PEOPLE ARE
THINKING WE CROSS, WE STAY
THERE.
WE KNOW THAT’S NOT THE WAY IT
IS, THE UNITED STATES IT’S A
COUNTRY WHERE THERE’S A
POLICIES IN PLACE AND YOU BREAK
THEM THESE PEOPLE WILL BE
ILLEGAL THE REST OF THEIR
LIVES.
AND FEW WILL BE ABLE TO STAY
LEGALLY IN THE UNITED STATES.
LIKE I SAID, A LOT OF
MISINFORMATION AND THINGS THAT
NEED TO BE SAID AND ARE NOT
BEING SAID FOR WHATEVER REASON.
IT SEEMS LIKE WE DON’T WANT TO
ABANDON ANYBODY ANYMORE SO WE
DON’T SAY THINGS THE WAY WE
SHOULD SAY.
SO, YOU KNOW, I REALLY DON’T
KNOW.
I’M JUST SPEAKING FOR MYSELF
AND WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MY
COMMUNITY.
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS A LOT
OF PEOPLE THAT ARE THE
KNOWLEDGEABLE.
EAGLE PASS, WE GET PHONE CALLS,
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH
THE PEOPLE WALKING THE STREETS
AND STAYING HERE.
IT’S BEYOND OUR CONTROL.
WE DON’T DO THAT, WE DO LOCAL
BUSINESS, THIS IS FEDERAL, THIS
IS FEDERAL AND SOMETHING THAT
SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF
MANY, MANY YEARS AGO,
IMMIGRATION REFORM AND ALL
THAT, AGAIN, I’LL SAY 42,
IMMIGRATION, REFORM DIFFERENT
THINGS, BUT GO AND IN HAND THE
END.
DAY, PLEASE, LET’S LEAVE THAT
TOOL THERE, UTILIZE IT, LET’S
NOT DO AWAY WITH IT BECAUSE
RIGHT NOW IT’S NOT THE TIME.
NEIL: MAYOR, THANK YOU VERY,
VERY MUCH.
GOOD OF YOU TO TAKE THE TIME.
YOLANDA RAMON, THE DEMOCRATIC
MAYOR PRO TEM RIGHT NOW DEALING