25 MIGRANTS WAITING TO SET
FOOT IN THE UNITED STATES
FINALLY DID SO, TODAY.
THEY ARE THE FIRST TO BE
RELEASED FROM THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION'S REMAIN IN
MEXICO POLICY, WHICH FORCE
PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM TO STAY
IN MEXICO UNTIL THERE
IMMIGRATION COURT HEARINGS HERE
IN THE U.S. THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HAS NOW REVERSED
THAT POLICY.
INDIVIDUALS ARE REQUIRED TO
TEST FOR COVID-19 BEFORE
ENTERING THE UNITED STATES.
PRESIDENT BIDEN IS HOPING
TO DO SOMETHING NO PRESIDENT
HAS ACCOMPLISHED IN 35 YEARS,
GET ENCUMBRANCE OF IMMIGRATION
REFORM PASSED BY CONGRESS.
THE PRESIDENT SAYS HIS BILL
WILL FOCUS ON BOARD AND
MANAGEMENT WITH SMART
INVESTMENTS, ADDRESS THE ROOT
CAUSE OF IMMIGRATION FROM
CENTRAL AMERICA AND CREATE AN
EARNED PATH TO CITIZENSHIP FOR
MILLIONS OF UNDOCUMENTED
IMMIGRANTS INCLUDING DREAMERS,
FARMWORKERS, AND TPS HOLDERS.
SENATOR MARCO RUBIO CRITICIZED
THE BILL, CALLING IT A BLANKET
AMNESTY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE
UNLAWFULLY.
JOINING US NOW IS MICHAEL
FERNANDEZ, FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN
AND COALITION.
GOOD OF YOU TO BE WITH US.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME PICK
DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVES AND
IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES LOVE THIS
BILL.
HOWEVER, REPUBLICANS ARE SAYING
THIS WILL BE POTENTIALLY
CATASTROPHIC.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS
IMPASSE?
I AM NEITHER A REPUBLICAN,
NOR A DEMOCRAT, AND I BELIEVE
THAT IT IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION.
THIS CLEARLY IS AN EARNED PATH
FOR THE 11 MILLION PEOPLE IN
THIS COUNTRY, WHO ARE
WHO ARE WAGE EARNERS AND
TAXPAYERS, AND THEY ARE OUR
NEIGHBORS TODAY.
I DO BELIEVE IT IS THE RIGHT
WHETHER IT IS A PERFECT
PROPOSAL OR AN IMPERFECT
PROPOSAL, IT IS A PROPOSAL TO
MOVE FORWARD ON AND WE
SUPPORTED.
HOW, SPECIFICALLY, DOES THE
BILL ADDRESS IMMIGRATION
CHALLENGES WE FACE HERE IN
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT
SOUTH FLORIDA DOES NOT BORDER
ANY FOREIGN COUNTRY.
SOUTH FLORIDA IS MOSTLY
SURROUNDED BY WATER, AND YOU
HAVE NORTHERN STATES JUST ABOVE
US.
SO, THE GREATEST IMPACT FOR US,
IN SOUTH FLORIDA, IS DR.
RECIPIENTS, AS WELL AS THOSE
THAT ARE BENEFITING FROM
TEMPORARY PROTECTIVE SERVICES,
TPS.
THERE ARE 71,000 DR.
RECIPIENTS, CHILDREN WHO CAME
TO THE U.S. BROUGHT HERE BY
THEIR PARENTS, WITHOUT A CHOICE
OF THEIR OWN, THEY HAVE BEEN
RAISED THEIR WHOLE LIFE IN
FLORIDA, OR THE UNITED STATES.
THEY HAVE NO CONNECTIONS TO THE
FORMER COUNTRIES, AND THEY ARE
AS MUCH OF AN AMERICAN AS MY
CHILDREN ARE, BEING RAISED
HERE.
AND, TODAY, THEY ARE TAXPAYERS
OR STUDENTS, THEY ARE
CONTRIBUTORS TO OUR ECONOMY.
THE OTHER ONE IS TEMPORARY
PROTECTIVE SERVICE STATUS.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HERE FOR
10 OR 20 OR 30 YEARS OR MORE,
AND IN THE VAST MAJORITY,
CITIZENS THAT ARE, OR RESIDENCE
WHO ARE LAW-ABIDING RESIDENTS.
70% ARE UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENTS,
IN OUR PANDEMIC RECOVERY.
THEY WORK IN AGRICULTURE, AND
THEY WORK IN HEALTHCARE.
THEY HAVE EARNED IT, AND THEY
NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A CLEAR
PATH IS, AND THEY THINK THEY
NOW HAVE A VISION OF WHAT IS
BEING OFFERED.
THE BILL IS ONE GREAT FIRST
STEP TO REINSTATE HUMANITY AND
IMMIGRATION WHICH HAS BEEN
MISSING WITH THAT HUMAN TOUCH,
FOR SUCH A LONG TIME, IN THE
LAST FOUR YEARS, AT LEAST PICK
UNLIKE PREVIOUS EFFORTS, THE
BILL DOES NOT INCLUDE A LARGE
ENFORCEMENT, BUT IT DOES
INCLUDE INVESTMENT TECHNOLOGY,
INSTRUCTOR, AS WELL AS AGENT
TRAINING.
FAR DIFFERENT THAN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION'S PLAN, AND WHAT
WAS PUT INTO PLACE.
HOW DOES THIS PRESIDENT WHEN
REPUBLICAN BUY-IN?
WELL, IT IS BY SPEAKING TO
THEM AND REACHING OUT TO THEM.
BUT, THEY HAVE TO BE LOGICAL.
BOTH SIDES HAVE TO BE LOGICAL
AND PRAGMATIC.
THE PAST ADMINISTRATION TRIED TO
IMPLEMENT A MEDIEVAL SOLUTION TO
BUILD WALLS.
THAT SOLUTION DID NOT WORK IN
THE MIDDLE AGES, AS WE CAN SEE
THAT CASTLES AND CITIES WERE
OVERRUN BY WHOEVER WAS TRYING
TO TAKE THEM OVER.
THERE ARE MORE COMMON SENSE
SOLUTIONS USING TODAY'S
TECHNOLOGY, TO HELP US DEAL
PERSONNEL AND A PROCESS THAT IS
ACCEPTED BY AMERICANS AS
ACCEPTABLE.
LOOK, I AM A U.S. CITIZEN.
I AM AMERICAN.
MY CHILDREN ARE ALSO CITIZENS
OF THIS COUNTRY.
WE WANT BORDER SECURITY. BUT,
LET US NOT USE A PRIMITIVE
SOLUTION TO IT, LET US LOOK FOR
TOMORROW'S ANSWERS AND INTIMATE
THOSE.
THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATOR,
ONE OF THE BIG HEADLINE MAKERS
OF THE IMMIGRATION POLICY OF
THE SEPARATION OF FAMILIES AT
THE BORDERS.
RECENTLY, PRESIDENT BIDEN
ESTABLISHED A TASK FORCE FOR
THE REUNIFICATION OF THOSE
FAMILIES SEPARATED DURING THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
ARE WE HEARING ANYTHING ABOUT
HOW THIS IS GOING?
ARE PEOPLE BEING BROUGHT BACK
I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING YOU
, IN THE LAST MONTH.
OBVIOUSLY, THE PRESIDENT HAS
BEEN IN OFFICE FOR A SHORT
TIME.
BUT, THIS IS A GREAT FIRST
STEP.
THE TASK FORCE IS MADE UP OF
BOTH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY.
AND, THEY ARE TO COORDINATE THE
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE
FAMILY
IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT
WHAT IS LEGAL SOMETIMES IS NOT
MORAL.
AND, WE HAVE SEEN THIS IN WARS,
WE HAVE SEEN IT IN OTHER
COUNTRIES.
BUT, LAWS ARE PASSED EVEN IN
OUR OWN. SLAVERY WAS LEGAL BUT
WAS NOT MORAL.
THIS SEPARATION OF CHILDREN
FROM FAMILY WAS AN IMMORAL ACT,
AND, THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE
TASK FORCE, IS TO FIND
SOLUTIONS.
GIVE THEM TIME.
THEY HAVE ONLY BEEN AT IT FOR A
SECRETARY ALEJANDRA MY ARCUS
NOW HEADS UP THE DHS.
WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DO YOU
THINK HE WILL HAVE ON
STRATEGIES?
KNOWN HIM PERSONALLY FOR A
NUMBER OF YEARS, AND HE IS A
PRAGMATIC, VERY SMART PERSON,
HE IS NOT A TALKER, HE IS A
DOER PICK.
HE IS THE MAN WHO IMPLEMENT THE
LAST SET OF POLICY IN RECORD
TIME, WITHOUT CRITICISM FROM
EITHER THE REPUBLICAN'S OR
DEMOCRATS.
I THINK THE SECRETARY MY ARCUS
WILL DO A FANTASTIC JOB AND WE
SHOULD BE PROUD, AS CUBAN-
AMERICANS, BUT HE IS ONE OF
OURS.
MICHAEL FERNANDEZ, FOUNDER
AND CHAIRMAN OF THE IMMIGRATION
PARTNERSHIP COALITION, THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
THANK YOU, MY PLEASURE.