GOT TO BRING THOSE THINGS DOWN AND WE’VE GOT TO ALLOW COMMERCE TO COME THROUGH AND MAKE
BUSINESS UNITED STATES.
>> ALL RIGHT. SO WHAT YOU’RE
LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW IS A LIVE
LOOK AT UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
LITERALLY WALKING OVER. FROM
YET. IT HAS BEEN A GUEST TO
EAGLE PASS RIGHT NOW. WE SEE
ABOUT 4 OR 5 UNDOCUMENTED
IMMIGRANTS FROM WHERE I’M
STANDING
THEY’RE STANDING KIND OF IN THE
MIDDLE RIGHT NOW. I’M NOT SURE
EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE SEEING.
ALL TRY TO EXPLAIN AS BEST
THEY’RE HANGING ON TO A PILLAR.
BUT THIS IS EXACTLY THE ISSUE
THAT THE CHIEF OF POLICE FOR
EAGLE PASS WAS TALKING ABOUT.
THE GOVERNOR DPS. THEY’RE
OVERWHELMED. THERE YOU SEE ONE
OF THEM ACTUALLY TRYING TO DEFY
THE CURRENT OF THE RIO GRANDE
IN TRYING TO MAKE IT OVER TO
THE U.S.. THESE ARE LIVE IMAGES
THAT YOU’RE WATCHING AGAIN,
THIS GROUP COMING FROM BE IT
HAS A RIGHT KNEE. GET US TRYING
TO SWIM THERE OVER TO SWIM
THEIR WAY OVER TO EAGLE PASS ON
THIS SIDE ON THE TEXAS SIDE,
YOU HAVE AT LEAST 2, 3, TEXAS
MILITARY WAITING FOR THEM OVER
HERE.
AND YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE
CONSTANTINE, A WIRE THAT DAY
THAT TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT
HAS BEEN.
PLACING THROUGHOUT THE BORDER.
WE’RE TALKING MILES, BUT THAT’S
NOT STOPPING THIS GROUP
EARLIER. I MEAN, YOU SAW THOSE
IMAGES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
STORY THAT WAS AROUND 02:00PM
TODAY. AND REALLY THAT GROUP
HAS BEEN STANDING BY. SO THIS
IS WHY THE MILITARY ALSO ON
THE TEXAS SIDE STANDING BY TO
SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
AND I HAVE LOST SIGHT OF THEM.
YOU DO SEE TEXAS MILITARY
STANDING BY. STEVE, ALL SEND IT
BACK TO YOU. AT LEAST YOU STAY
WITH ME FOR A SECOND BECAUSE I
WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE’RE
WATCHING LIVE PLAY OUT HERE
MEAN?
>> THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO
OBVIOUSLY ARE TRYING TO EVADE
AUTHORITIES. I MEAN, THEY JUST
WANT TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE
AND AND TRY TO ASK FOR AND THE
SEA, RIGHT? I MEAN, THEY’RE
THEY’RE TRYING TO JUST ACROSS
THE RIVER. THEY DON’T CARE IF
THE IF THE CONCERTINA WIRE IS
THEIR WAR OPERATION LONESTAR
AUTHORITIES ARE THERE. THEY
WANT TO GIVE THEMSELVES UP TO
AUTHORITIES.
>> MIKE, RIGHT. SO A COUPLE OF
YES, THAT IS CORRECT. A COUPLE
OF FEET FROM WHERE WE’RE
STANDING IS ACTUALLY WHERE
TEXAS MILITARY WILL WALK OVER
THESE UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
TO HAND THEM OVER 2 BORDER
PATROL FOR THEM TO BE PROCESSED
AND THEN THAT’S WHEN THEY CAN
ACTUALLY THEY MEANING THESE
MIGRANTS ARE ABLE TO PLEAD
THEIR CASE. NOW, OF COURSE,
THERE ARE CASES WHERE THEY DO
MAKE IT AROUND THIS PARTICULAR
AREA AND THEY DO MAKE A RUN
FOR IT. THEY DON’T WANT TO TURN
THEMSELVES IN AND THEN THAT’S
WHEN YOU SEE THE ISSUE OF THE
SASH HOUSES. I SPOKE TO THE
CHIEF AND HE SAYS STASH HOUSES
HERE IN EAGLE PASS ARE A BIG
ISSUE. THEY ARE OVERWHELMED.
BUT YOU HAVE BOTH SIDES IN THIS
CASE. WHAT WE’RE SEEING IS
THEY’RE TRYING TO SWIM OVER
TO EAGLE PASS. AND YES, WHAT IT
LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW IS THAT
THEY WILL TURN THEMSELVES OVER
TO AUTHORITY AND RIGHT NOW WE
SEE THE CURRENT. I MEAN, THIS
IS DECEIVING IN SOME PARTS.
IT’S IT LOOKS CALM. BUT THAT
UNDER TOW COULD SWEEP HIM AWAY
AT ANY TIME, STEVE. WELL, AND
THAT’S WHAT THAT’S WHAT I WAS
NOTICING, TOO, IS THEY WERE
CLINGING ON TO A COOLER FOR THE
BRIDGE THERE FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE THERE AT
ONE POINT AND IN MAKING A QUICK
SWIM FOR YOU. AND YOU POINTED
OUT JUST DAYS AGO ABOUT HOW
>> THIS EVENING THE RIO GRANDE
IS. AND I’VE BEEN DOWN THERE
MYSELF WHERE YOU CAN BE SHALLOW
IN SOME PLACES AND IT JUST
DROPS OFF.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AND THIS IS WHAT
WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON.
ANY TIME WE COME OVER HERE,
THESE THE WATER CROP, THIS RIO
GRANDE AREA, THE WATER CROSSING
IS REALLY LOW ALREADY. WE HEAR
ONE OF THE VOTES FOR BORDER
PATROL NEARBY. SO MORE ACTIVITY
ANYTIME YOU SEE THESE GROUPS
TRYING TO MOVE THEIR WAY
THROUGH SOME THE WATER HITS THE
MAT WAIST LEVEL. I’M NOT SURE
IF YOU’RE ABLE TO SEE THAT FROM
WHERE WE’RE STANDING. I CAN
MAKE A BETTER IDEA OF THAT.
BUT AGAIN, IT’S JUST IT’S
UNCLEAR WHAT CAN HAPPEN AT ANY
MOMENT IN THIS IS THE RISK THAT
THESE PEOPLE TAKE AND, YOU
KNOW, SOMETIMES THERE’S KIDS
INVOLVED IN THIS CASE. WE DON’T
SEE ANY YOUNG PEOPLE. YES,
YOUNG MEN, BUT THANKFULLY AT
THIS POINT, NO CHILDREN AND NOT
ONLY THAT THE STRENGTH IN THE
WATER COULD BE DECEIVING IN
THIS SCENARIO, BUT MAYBE THE
ENTIRE SCENE THAT PEOPLE ARE
WATCHING PLAY OUT MIGHT BE
DECEIVING BECAUSE IT LOOKS SO
CALM.
>> AS WE TALKED ABOUT, THIS
IS A GROUP COMING OVER TRYING,
OF COURSE, THEIR BEST, AS YOU
SAID TO DEFY THAT CURRENT.
BUT THEY’RE RIGHT THERE IN
FRONT OF AUTHORITIES. AND IT
LOOKS AS THOUGH THEY PLAN TO
PRESENT THEMSELVES TO
AUTHORITIES. THEY KNOW THAT
THEY ARE GOING TO BE CAUGHT ON
THE OTHER SIDE. AT LEAST YOU
YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN
RECENT WEEKS THERE ON THE
BORDER. I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE
MET WITH MIGRANTS WHO WERE
TAKEN TO PLACES LIKE THE
CATHOLIC CHARITIES, RESPITE
CENTER IN MCALLEN, SHARING WITH
YOU. THEIR STORIES ABOUT WHY
THEY FLED THEIR COUNTRIES TO
TRY TO MAKE IT INTO THE U.S..
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA IN A
SCENARIO LIKE THIS WHERE PEOPLE
ARE CROSSING WITH THE INTENT
TO TURN THEMSELVES OVER TO
AUTHORITIES. WHAT ARE THE NEXT
STEPS FOR THEM? WHAT WILL
LIKELY HAPPEN ONCE THEY ARE
WITH CUSTOMS AND BORDER
PROTECTION?
THE FIRST THING THEY’RE GOING
TO BE PROCESSED. THEY HAVE
THIS.
>> DATABASE THAT HAS EXPANDED
OVER THE YEARS. SO IF THEY HAVE
TRIED TO SEEK ASYLUM AT THE INN
IN PREVIOUS YEARS, IF THEIR
FAMILY MEMBER OVER HERE IN THE
STATES HAVE HAD IT HAVE WANTED
TO REQUEST THEM TO COME OVER IN
A LEGAL ROUTE. ALL OF THAT CAN
HELP AUTHORITIES PROCESS THEM
IN A FASTER WAY. USUALLY WHAT
WE SEE IS ONCE THEY TURN
THEMSELVES OVER, BORDER PATROL
IS REALLY QUICK TO TELL THEM TO
TAKE OFF ANY SHOE LACES, ANY
BELTS THAT THEY MAY HAVE ON
THEM? JUST ANYTHING THAT COULD
SERVE AS A WEAPON THERE,
ALTHOUGH THAT’S PUT INTO A
ZIPLOC BAG. USUALLY THAT’S
TURNED OVER TO THEM ONCE
THEY’RE LET GO ONCE THEY’VE
BEEN PROCESSED IN THAT LEGAL
ROUTE THROUGH BORDER PATROL
AND THEN COMES, YOU KNOW, MAYBE
SOME DAYS OF WAITING RIGHT NOW.
IT’S UNCLEAR HOW MUCH TIME IT
REALLY TAKES FOR THIS
PROCESSING THROUGH BORDER
PATROL TO WORK BECAUSE THEN WE
DO HEAR THAT THEY’RE
OVERWHELMED AT MANY OF THESE.
CENTERS, RIGHT? AND THEN AFTER
THAT IS WHEN THEY’RE ABLE TO
BE RELEASED TO ORGANIZATIONS
LIKE CATHOLIC CHARITIES, WHICH
IS USUALLY WHEN THEY GET THEIR
FIRST CHANCE TO FINALLY LET
THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS KNOW THAT
THEY’VE MADE IT OVER TO THE
UNITED STATES IN A SAFE MANNER.
BUT WHEN I TALK TO THEM, YOU
KNOW, I ASKED HIM WHY AND SOME
DO MENTION THE VIOLENCE.
A LOT OF THEM DO. BUT SOME
MOMS, DADS TO THEIR BASIC NEED
IS TO BE ABLE TO FEED THEIR
CHILDREN. SO AGAIN, I WAS
TRYING TO KEEP AN EYE OUT TO
SEE IF WE SEE ANY LITTLE ONES.
USUALLY THEY’LL JUST, YOU KNOW,
CARRY THEM. FORTUNATELY, THAT’S
NOT THE CASE WITH THIS WITH
THIS GROUP. ANOTHER THING THAT
I WANT TO POINT OUT WHERE WE’RE
STANDING IS WHERE TEXAS
MILITARY DEPARTMENT IS AS WELL
TO MY RIGHT. NOT VERY FAR.
THAT’S WHERE BORDER PATROL IS.
SO THESE GROUPS KNOW EXACTLY
WHERE TO TURN THEMSELVES IN.
THEY DIDN’T DO A STRAIGHT SHOT
LIKE THEY THEY KIND OF MOVE
DIAGONALLY TO THE RIGHT.
AND AGAIN, THAT’S TO BE ABLE
TO TURN THEMSELVES OVER TO
BORDER PATROL. YOU’RE NOT ABLE
TO SEE THAT STATION.
THROUGH A LOT OF FROM WHERE
WE’RE STANDING BECAUSE OF THE
HIGH BRUSH. BUT IT’S JUST PAST
THAT BRIDGE OF RAILROAD TRACKS
TO MY RIGHT.
>> YEAH. AND THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT WE SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE
TALK TO PEOPLE IN EAGLE PASS
AND DEL RIO AND SMALL
COMMUNITIES LIKE THAT. IT’S
SOMETHING THAT
THEY SEE EVERY DAY. WHAT WE
JUST SHOWED YOU LIVE RIGHT HERE
DURING THE 6 O’CLOCK NEWS.
CERTAINLY THE HUMAN FACE OF
WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT ALONG
OUR BORDER ON LIVE TELEVISION.