BORDER IN EAGLE PASS, TEXAS.
THANK YOU, MATT.
WE GO TO CHAD WOLF FOR
PERSPECTIVE ON THIS , THE
FORMER SECRETARY OF
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
AS I MENTIONED THERE ARE NEW
NUMBERS I WANT TO GET INTO IN
JUST A MOMENT BUT FIRST YOUR
GENERAL REACTION TO WHAT MATT IS
REPORTING AS HE SAID IT WAS
ANOTHER BUSY WEEKEND A ALONG THE
BORDER, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
WHAT YOU JUST SAW?
>> I THINK WHAT THOSE IMAGES
AND NUMBERS TELL YOU IS THAT
IT’S MORE OF THE STATUS QUO
ALONG THE BORDER UNFORTUNATELY
THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION
CONTINUES TO HAVE, HAS SELF-
INFLICTED A CRISIS ON THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND THAT
BORDER AND THEY ARE DOING VERY
LITTLE TO CHANGE THE DYNAMICS
DOWN THERE.
207,000 ILLEGAL APPREHENSIONS IN
ONE MONTH ALONE IS JUST
ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH.
THIS REPRESENTS THE SIXTH MONTH
IN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
WHERE WE’VE BEEN OVER 200,000
ILLEGAL APPREHENSIONS.
YOU HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY BACK
TO MARCH OF 2000 TO FIND ONE
MONTH OVER 200,000 AND SO WHAT
IT TELLS YOU IS THEIR STRATEGY
IS BROKEN, BUT UNFORTUNATELY,
THEY AREN’T CHANGING TACTICS OR
COURSE, AND WE’RE GOING TO
CONTINUE TO SEE MONTHS LIKE THIS
AND OTHER MONTHS THAT WE
HAVE HAD CONTINUING TO GO UNLESS
THEY TRY TO ACTUALLY ENFORCE
BORDER SECURITY ALONG THAT
BORDER.
CONNELL: TO ADD TO WHAT YOU’RE
SAYING THE FISCAL YEAR 2022 IS
NOW ON PACE TO SHATTER THE
RECORD FROM 2021 IN TOTAL
ENCOUNTERS THAT NUMBER THAT YOU
ALLUDED TO BUT ALSO WHEN YOU DIG
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO IT WE
SEE AN INCREASE IN NOT ONLY
TERRORIST SIGHTINGS BUT
CERTAINLY UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN
THOSE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO GO UP,
ILLEGAL DRUG SEIZURES THOSE
NUMBERS CONTINUE TO GO UP.
WHAT WOULD THE TACTICAL MOVE BE
HERE?
WHAT WOULD THE CHANGE OF COURSE
YOU SAY IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN
BE IN THE SHORT-TERM?
>> WELL IT’S ACTUALLY ENFORCING
THE LAWS HOLDING PEOPLE
ACCOUNTABLE FOR CHOOSING TO
BREAK THE LAW AND COME ACROSS
THAT BORDER ILLEGALLY.
IT’S THINGS LIKE CONTINUING
CONSTRUCTION ALONG THAT BORDER
WALL SYSTEM.
IT’S REINSTITUTING THE REMAIN IN
MEXICO PROGRAM, THE ASYLUM
COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND
THERE’S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT
THEY CAN DO THAT WILL DISRUPT
THE CARTELS OPERATIONS THERE
WHICH ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS
MAKING MONEY AND IF THAT MEANS
SMUGGLING THOUSANDS OF
INDIVIDUALS ACROSS THAT BORDER
EVERY SINGLE DAY BECAUSE EVERY
PERSON THAT CROSSES THAT BORDER
IS PAYING CARTELS SOMEWHERE
BETWEEN FIVE AND $10,000.
YOU HAVE TO DISRUPT THEIR
BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND YOU HAVE
TO DO THAT WITH EFFECTIVE AND
SMART POLICY DECISIONS AND
OPERATIONS AND THE ONE THING
THAT THE CARTELS WANT IS
PREDICTABILITY AND THE ONE THING
THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS GIVEN
THEM OVER THE COURSE OF 17
MONTHS IS THAT PREDICTABILITY.
THEY HAVE NOT DONE ONE THING
DIFFERENT ALONG THAT BORDER AND
THAT’S WHY WE CONTINUE TO SEE
THESE ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH
NUMBERS.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE HARD DECISIONS,
HAVE YOU TO HAVE LEADERSHIP TO
DO IT AND THERE’S SIMPLY NOT
CHOOSING TO DO THAT, STICKING
THEIR HEAD IN THE GROUND SAYING
WELL I HOPE THIS GOES AWAY AND
IT’S SIMPLY NOT GOING AWAY.
IT WON’T GO AWAY ON ITS OWN.
CONNELL: WE NEVER HEAR ANY MORE,
HARDLY EVER IS A REAL DISCUSSION
IN WASHINGTON ABOUT IMMIGRATION
BILL OR COMPROMISE ON
IMMIGRATION.
IT USED TO BE EVERY FEW MONTHS
YOU’D HEAR SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
OF COURSE IT WOULD FALL APART
AFTER THAT, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE
THERE BE SOMETHING THERE.
IF YOU TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY, BIG
BUSINESS BUT ALSO SMALL BUSINESS
, TALKING TO FARMERS
ABOUT THIS A FEW MONTHS BACK
THEY WILL TELL YOU THEY’D LIKE
TO SEE MORE LEGAL IMMIGRATION.
THEY LIKE TO GET MORE TALENT AS
THEY SAY TO COME INTO THE
COUNTRY.
THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF A
DEAL HERE, INCREASED BORDER
SECURITY, BECAUSE WE HAVE A BIG
WORKER SHORTAGE IN THIS COUNTRY
SO THAT MORE LEGAL IMMIGRATION
COULD HAPPEN.
WE NEVER HEAR IT THOUGH, DO WE?
>> WELL I THINK THAT’S RIGHT.
I THINK THERE’S A NUMBER OF
THINGS WE COULD PROBABLY BE
TALKING ABOUT AND FIND SOME
COMMON GROUND AND SOLUTIONS ON,
UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK THOUGH
OVER THE LAST 17 MONTHS WHAT HAS
BEEN ABUNDANTLY CLEAR IS YOU
CAN’T HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS IF
YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE A WIDE OPEN
BORDER AND WHY DO I SAY THAT?
WHY WOULD YOU DISCUSS H 2A AND H
2B, AND ALL THESE OTHER VISAS
THAT ALLOW INDIVIDUALS TO COME
IN BUT YOU HAVE TO VET THEM TO
COME IN WHEN THE BORDER IS WIDE
OPEN WHEN THOSE INDIVIDUALS
DON’T GO THROUGH THAT VETTING
PROGRAM AND SIMPLY WALK ACROSS
THE BORDER AND BE RELEASED INTO
THE UNITED STATES SO YOU HAVE TO
SECURE THE BORDER FIRST AND
FOREMOST, AND THEN YOU CAN TALK
ABOUT THE LEGAL WAYS TO BRING IN
TEMPORARY WORKERS INTO OTHER
PARTS OF THE LABOR FORCE, BUT
UNLESS THE LEFT REALLY WANTS TO
GET SERIOUS AND TALK ABOUT HOW
DO WE ENFORCE BORDER SECURITY
ALONG THAT BOARD ERAS WELL AS IN
THE INTERIOR OF THE COUNTRY AND
REMOVE INDIVIDUALS THAT DON’T
HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT TO BE HERE,
ALL THE OTHER STUFF IS JUST
WINDOW DRESSING.
IT’S GOING TO BE VERY HARD TO
FIND A COMPROMISE.
CONNELL: CHAD WOLF FORMER