>> SISTER NORMA, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR JOINING ME THIS MORNING
AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU
DO.
>> THANK YOU, STEPHANIE.
>> I WANT TO BRING IN FORMER
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN FROM
TEXAS, WILL HERD, HIS FORMER
DISTRICT STRETCHED FROM THE
BORDER.
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND ALEJANDRO
MAYORKAS SENT THE SAME MESSAGE.
DON’T COME NOW.
WE NEED MORE TIME.
WHAT’S YOUR REACTION?
>> THAT’S STILL SOMEWHAT
AMBIGUOUS.
WHAT THEY SHOULD BE SAYING IS WE
WILL NOT TOLERATE ILLEGAL
IMMIGRATION ASK WHAT I WISH THEY
WOULD SAY, I AM GOING TO
ANNOUNCE A SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE TO THE NORTHERN
TRIANGLE TO FINALLY ADDRESS SOME
OF THE ROOT CAUSES CAUSING SOME
OF THE PUSH FACTORS, AND WE KNOW
WHAT THE CAUSES HAVE BEEN FOR
THE LAST DECADE OR SO.
THAT’S POVERTY, VIOLENCE AND A
LACK OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY.
IF WE HAD A SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE NORTHERN
TRIANGLE THEY CAN START WORKING
ON A MARSHAL PLAN FOR THAT
REGION.
THAT SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE
SHOULD ALSO BE WORKING WITH OUR
INTELLIGENCE SERVICES TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE’RE DISMANTLING
THESE CARTEL HUMAN SMUGGLERS WHO
ARE PROFITING ON THESE
INDIVIDUALS AND THEY’RE MAKING A
LOT OF MONEY.
THIS IS BIG BUSINESS AND WE’RE
DOING -- THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITIES MAKE THIS AN
INTELLIGENCE PRIORITY TO ADDRESS
THIS BE PROLEMM.PROBLEM.
AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT
LOCAL COMMUNITIES ON THE GROUND
THAT ARE DEALING WITH THIS
CRISIS HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT
THEY NEED TO DEAL WITH THIS.
THESE ARE SMALL COMMUNITIES THAT
HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THE
GLOBAL PANDEMIC FOR A YEAR.
WE’RE STILL RECOVERING FROM THE
STORM THAT HIT TEXAS WHERE WE
SAW A LOSS OF POWER AND WATER
FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
WE ARE STILL DEALING WITH THAT
ISSUE, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE TO
REMEMBER WHEN WE HAVE CHILDREN
IN OUR CUSTODY, WE SHOULD TREAT
THEM LIKE OUR CHILDREN.
WE DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES FOR
THE VOLUME THAT ARE COMING OVER.
THIS IS A COMPLEX PROBLEM, BUT
THE PROBLEMS HAVEN’T CHANGED IN
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND
MULTIPLE ADMINISTRATIONS AND
MULTIPLE CONGRESSES HAVE
ADDRESSED THIS, OH, AND BY THE
WAY, LET’S FIX AND STREAMLINE
LEGAL IMMIGRATION SO THAT IF
PEOPLE WILL COME BE PRODUCTIVE
MEMBERS OF SOCIETY THEY CAN DO
IT IN THE LEGAL WAY AND THAT
STARTS BY APPLYING BACK HOME.
>> CONGRESSMAN, I THINK YOU JUST
EXPLAINED WHY FORMER IS IN FRONT
OF THE WORD CONGRESSMAN.
I’M GUESSING YOU DON’T AGREE
WITH THIS.
40 FORMER CONGRESS MEMBERS THAT
BIDEN’S SUSPENSION OF TRUMP’S
BORDER WALL FUNDING AND ITS
CONSTRUCTION WAS UNLAWFUL.
THEY SAY BIDEN DOING THIS IS
WHAT FUELED THE CRISIS.
I’M GUESSING YOU SAY ABSOLUTELY
NOT.
>> WELL, THAT LETTER WOULD HAVE
BEEN NICE WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP
TRIED TO TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM
OUR MILITARY BASES AND VA
FACILITIES AND PUT IT IN A
DIFFERENT PLACE THAT WASN’T
APPROPRIATED BY CONGRESS.
SO PART OF THE REASON THERE’S A
FRUSTRATION BY THE PUBLIC
TOWARDS WASHINGTON AND TO OUR
ELECTED OFFICIALS IS VIDEO AND
THE AUDIO DOESN’T ALWAYS MATCH
WHAT PEOPLE SAY AND WHAT PEOPLE
DO ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT
THINGS.
BORDER SECURITY IS IMPORTANT.
WE SHOULD BE USING TECHNOLOGY.
WE SHOULD BE INCREASING THE PAY
OF BORDER PATROL.
WE SEE NOW WHAT BORDER PATROL
HAS TO DO.
THEY’RE HAVING TO TAKE CARE OF
KIDS.
THEY’RE HAVING TO ALSO CHASE BAD
PEOPLE.
THERE ARE FOLKS MOST RECENTLY
THAT ARE ON THE TERRORIST WATCH
LIST TRYING TO COME INTO OUR
BORDER AND THEY NEED TECHNOLOGY
AND THEY NEED TO HAVE A SMART
WALL TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING
THAT’S COMING BACK AND FORTH
ACROSS OUR BORDER.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS AN ISSUE
THAT BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE
HAVE TRIED TO USE AS A POLITICAL
BLUDGEON RATHER THAN TRYING TO
FIX THE ISSUE AND THE DEMOCRATS
WILL TRY TO PUSH THROUGH
IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION WHERE
THERE ARE PLENTY OF REPUBLICANS
THAT ARE WILLING TO WORK ON THIS
ISSUE, BUT THEY WANT TO CONTINUE
TO USE THIS AS A POLITICAL
BLUDGEON.
IT’S UNFORTUNATE.
WE’RE NOT TRYING TO SOLVE THE
PROBLEM BECAUSE THIS IS A
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS.
>> IT REQUIRES A LOT OF
LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS AND MANY
THAT YOU JUST LAID OUT, BUT
GIVEN THE HURDLES FOR THOSE
LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS ISSUE RIGHT
NOW TO GET THIS SHORT-TERM
CRISIS UNDER CONTROL, WHAT DO
YOU THINK THE BEST STRATEGY IS?
>> THE BEST STRATEGY IS I HOPE
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND I WAS HOPING
WHEN HE WAS TALKING WITH GEORGE
STEPHANOPOULOS HE WOULD HAVE
SAID WE WILL ANNOUNCE SOMEONE
WHO WILL WORK AND BE THERE ON
THE GROUND.
WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT
IN EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA AND
HONDURAS, THESE THINGS CALLED
WELCOME CENTERS AND THESE WERE
LOCATIONS THAT ALL OF THE
RESOURCES THAT THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS WERE AND WE STAND
THOSE BACK UP BECAUSE THIS IS A WAY THAT WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE
WAY THAT WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE
TO EXPATRIATE FOLKS BACK TO
THEIR HOME COUNTRY.
IT WAS BACK IN 2017, THIS IS ONE
WAY THAT FAMILIES GET REUNITED
WITH FAMILIES BACK HOME WHERE
THEY’RE FROM AND THEY HAVE A
BETTER CHANCE OF CONNECTING
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN WITH
FAMILY MEMBERS THAN WHAT WE DO
HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
SO I THINK THAT’S SOMETHING THAT
IMMEDIATELY NEEDS TO HAPPEN.