EARN $1000, INSTEAD SHE’S
CHARGED WITH TWO FELONIES.
AISHAH: THANKS SO MUCH.
GRIFF: WE ARE JOINED BY MAYOR
DOUGLAS NICHOLS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
GREAT REPORTING FROM EAGLE
PASS, TEXAS, YOU MENTIONED THE
PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID THAT THERE
WASN’T GOING TO BE ANY BUILDING
OF NEW WALLS.
THAT’S AN UNDERSTATEMENT, LET
US PLAY FOR YOU EXACTLY WHAT HE
SAID.
LISTEN.
>> President Biden: THERE WILL
NOT BE ANOTHER FOOT OF WALL
CONSTRUCTED IN MY
ADMINISTRATION.
I WILL MAKE SURE WE HAVE BORDER
PROTECTION BUT IT WILL BE BASED
ON MAKING SURE WE USE HIGH TECH CAPACITY TO DEAL WITH IT.
CAPACITY TO DEAL WITH IT.
AT PORTS OF ENTRY.
GRIFF: THEY ARE BUILDING ONTO
THE TRUMP WALL.
>> I THINK IT’S A VERY
PRACTICAL MOVE, SOMETHING WE’VE
BEEN ADVOCATING FOR A YEAR AND
1/2 SO GREAT THAT IT IS GOING
TO BE HERE IN A FEW MONTHS
ALTHOUGH I DO BELIEVE, I’M
HEARING A RUMOR THAT IT WON’T
LOOK LIKE THE TRUMP WALL, IT
WILL BE MORE OF A DIFFERENT
TYPE OF BARRIER, BUT A POSITIVE
BARRIER IN ANY CASE WILL BE A
DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT FOR THAT
SECTION OF BORDER, A LOT OF
PEOPLE COMING THROUGH, 50% OF THE TRAFFIC COMES TO THAT ONE
THE TRAFFIC COMES TO THAT ONE
AREA.
GRIFF: IS THE ADMIN A STATION
QUIETLY TRYING TO REALIZE THEY
HAVE A CRISIS ON THEIR HANDS
AND NEED TO DO SOMETHING AND
FINALLY LISTENING TO BORDER
PATROL OFFICIALS WHO SAY
INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS?
>> ANYBODY LOOKS AT THESE
NUMBERS CAN’T SAY EVERYTHING IS
FINE.
YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THESE
NUMBERS ARE HISTORICAL, ANYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY OF
ANYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY OF
HISTORY SO WHAT NEEDS TO BE
DONE IS WHAT IS STARTING TO GET
DONE BUT DECADES BEFORE, THIS
WASN’T A PARTISAN ISSUE, THIS
WAS A PRACTICAL ON THE GROUND
ISSUE SO HOPEFULLY THE
ADMINISTRATION IS TAKING THE
POLITICS OUT OF IT, WHAT IS
NEEDED FOR THE BORDER.
GRIFF: YOU ARE IN THAT SECTOR
THE THIRD BUSIEST IN THE
NATION, 35 MIGRANT DEATHS, NOT
MADE PUBLIC BY BORDER PATROL
BUT ONE THAT I HAVE FROM MY
BORDER PATROL SOURCES AND IT
DOESN’T SEEM TO BE GETTING ANY
BETTER.
>> THE NUMBER IS HIGHER BECAUSE
IT DOESN’T INCLUDE THOSE WHO
PASSED AWAY IN THE CITY LIMITS
WHICH WE RESPONDED TO WITH
BORDER PATROL.
IT IS A HUGE ISSUE AND HAVING
SOMETHING GOING IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION, IT IS A FIRST STEP.
THERE ARE MANY MORE STEPS THAT
NEED TO GET DONE BUT WITHOUT
THIS FIRST STEP WE WANT TO GO GET TO THE OTHER ONE SO THIS IS
GET TO THE OTHER ONE SO THIS IS
MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
GRIFF: YOU’VE ENCOUNTERED
265,000 MIGRANTS THIS FISCAL
YEAR BUT HERE IN WASHINGTON
WHERE I AM, DC MAYOR MURIEL
BOWSER IS CALLING IT A
COMMUNITARIAN CRISIS AFTER
RECEIVING JUST 4000 MIGRANTS
HERE IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL,
HERE’S WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY
ABOUT CALLING IN THE NATIONAL
GUARD.
>> WE NEED SPACE AND WE NEED
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SO I
ASKED THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE
GUARD AS LONG AS WE NEED THE
GUARD TO DEAL WITH THE
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS THAT WE
EXPECT ESCALATE.
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE CROSSING
THE BORDER SEEKING ASYLUM WE
EXPECT TO GO UP.
GRIFF: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
THIS?
>> IT IS GREAT THEY ARE JOINING
THE CONVERSATION, THIS IS
SOMETHING WE’VE AND TALKING
ABOUT FOR YEAR AND A HALF AND TO FINALLY HAVE OTHER MAYORS
TO FINALLY HAVE OTHER MAYORS
THAT UNDERSTAND, BEGINNING TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IMPACT IS,
WASHINGTON DC IS MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE AND THEIR CONCERN ABOUT
4000 PEOPLE, WE GET 5000 PEOPLE
IN A WEEK THROUGH THE YEAR THE
AREA AND WE ARE ONLY A
COMMUNITY OF 100,000 PEOPLE.
AFTER FINALLY GETTING THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS A
BIGGER ISSUE THAN LITTLE TOWNS
ALONG THE BORDER IS A GREAT
THING.
GRIFF: THESE ARE MIGRANTS THAT
HAVE BEEN DROPPED OFF, SLEEPING
THERE, A SAD HUMANITARIAN
CRISIS INDEED, THE MAYOR IS
RIGHT POINTING TO THE FACT THAT
THIS IS A FEDERAL
RESPONSIBILITY, THE
MINISTRATION IS ABDICATING THAT
SPOT ABILITY.
>> I BELIEVE THEY ARE BUT NOT
IN WASHINGTON DC, THEY ARE
DOING THAT AT THE BORDER, TO
WAIT 5 OR 6 YEARS FOR A JUDGE,
THERE NEEDS TO BE A CHANGE THAT
STOPS THE PROCESS OTHERWISE ALL
WE ARE DOING IS CONTINUING THE
PROCESS OF TRAFFICKING THE
CARTELS START SO THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO FIND WAYS,
ENFORCING THE LAWS THAT ARE ON
THE BOOKS WOULD HELP STOP THE
TRAFFIC FROM HAPPENING AND END
UP IN A SITUATION LIKE
WASHINGTON DC.
GRIFF: THE OTHER THING THEY ARE
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF, OPEN
BORDER, PUSHING DRUGS
PARTICULARLY FENTANYL ACROSS,
WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN YOUR
AREA?
>> SINCE BORDER PATROL IS
GETTING BACK TO BORDER
PROTECTION ACTIVITY WE ARE
SEEING AN INCREASE IN THE
NUMBER OF APPREHENSIONS,
SMUGGLERS AS WELL AS ACTUAL
DRUGS BUT THERE’S STILL
DRAMATIC NUMBER OF TRAFFICKING
THAT IS PROBABLY NOT, POSSIBLY
GETTING INTO THE INTERIOR OF
THE UNITED STATES.
GRIFF: A THOUSAND NONE GOT