RIGHT NOW.
I’M COMING TO YOU THIS MORNING
LIVE FROM MISSION, TEXAS.
THE EPICENTER OF THE ONGOING
BORDER CRISIS, THE RIO GRANDE
VALLEY.
WE ARRIVED YESTERDAY AND HIT THE
GROUND RUNNING.
TAKING A TOUR WITH U.S. BORDER
PATROL TO SEE THE REALITIES OF
WHAT IS TAKING PLACE.
AS YOU KNOW, 172,000 MIGRANTS
COMING TO THE BORDER IN THE
MONTH OF MARCH ALONE.
THAT WAS UP FROM 100,000 IN
FEBRUARY.
ON OUR TOUR, WE ENCOUNTERED SOME
HARROWING SIGHTS, A GROUP OF
MIGRANT WOMEN FROM GUATEMALA
FOUND WANDERING IN THE BRUSH.
WE LEARNED HOW DRUG AND HUMAN
TRAFFICKERS ARE FLOODING THE
REGION.
SUPERVISOR ALVAREZ, TELL US
WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
>> WE’RE IN A SMALL TOWN OF
BENITAS, TEXAS, WEST OF
McALLEN, TEXAS.
WE BROUGHT YOU HERE TO GET A
VIEW OF THE RIVER, HOW CLOSE IT
IS TO MEXICO.
MARIA: WHAT KIND OF NARCOTICS
VOLUME ARE YOU SEEING?
>> HERE IN THIS SECTOR, WE
ACCOUNT FOR 40% OF ALL NARCOTICS
SEIZURE BETWEEN THE PORTS OF
ENTRY.
MARIA: WHAT ABOUT THE HUMAN
TRAFFICKING, THE SMUGGLERS
TAKING PEOPLE ACROSS.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT, WHAT KIND OF
VOLUME ARE YOU SEEING THERE?
>> OKAY.
SO LAST YEAR WE SAW 90,000
ENTRIES, 90,000 THE ENTIRE YEAR.
THIS YEAR WE’RE ALREADY CLOSE TO
200,000.
MARIA: THEY’RE COMING HERE IN
BOATS AND, WHAT, SWIMMING?
HOW ARE THEY GETTING AYOU CROSS?
>> RIGHT NOW, THERE’S A HIGH
LIKELY CHANCE THAT THERE’S A
SMUGGLER IN THAT BRUSH JUST
ACROSS US.
THIS IS A REAL POPULAR SPOT.
WHAT THEY’LL DO IS THEY’LL PAY A
SMUGGLER.
WHEN I MEAN THEY, THE SMUGGLER,
THE CARTELS, THEY PAY THESE
KIDS.
USUALLY THEY’RE JUVENILES.
TO STAY IN THE TREES ALL DAY AND
THEY’RE JUST SCOUTING.
THAT’S WHAT THEY CALL SCOUTING.
THEY’RE VIEWING WHERE THE AGENTS
ARE AT.
I’M SURE THEY’RE CALLING THERE’S
AN AGENT FURTHER DOWNRIVER.
THERE WAS AN AGENT HERE.
ANOTHER TACTIC WE’LL SEE RIGHT
NOW, LARGE GROUPS OF FAMILIES
AND UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN.
THEY’LL CROSS THEM, 50, 100
PEOPLE AT A TIME, 150 WE’VE SEEN
AT ONE TIME.
OKAY.
MARIA: HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN
WALKING?
>> ONE HOUR.
THEY GOT TURNED OUGHT.
THAT’S THE PROBLEM.
SMUGGLING LEAVES THEM.
THEY GET LOST IN THE BRUSH.
IT’S ABOUT TO GET DARK.
WHO KNOWS HOW LONG THEY’LL STAY
OUT HERE.
MARIA: THEY WERE WITH SMUGGLERS
AND HE DROPPED THEM OFF.
>> HE DROPS THEM OFF ON THE
RIVER BANK AND THEY SAY JUST
WALK.
MARIA: WHERE ARE THEY FROM?
>> ALL FROM GUATEMALA.
MARIA: YOU’RE GOING TO NEW
JERSEY.
YOU’RE GOING TO NEW HAMPSHIRE.
>> NORTH CAROLINA.
MARIA: NORTH CAROLINA.
>> INDIANA.
MARIA: YOU’RE GOING TO INDIANA.
HOW ARE THEY GOING TO GET THERE?
>> THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD.
MARIA: HOW MUCH?
HOW MUCH?
>> NOBODY COMES.
MARIA: NO HELP?
JUST CAME HERE FROM GUATEMALA.
SUPERVISOR ALVAREZ, THERE WAS A
PLAN AT ONE POINT TO CONNECT THE
WALL.
>> RIGHT.
WITH THE NEW BORDER WALL
CONSTRUCTION, THERE WAS FUNDING
TO -- THE PLAN WAS TO BUILD THE
WALL AND A EVENTUALLY CONNECT
ALL OF THIS SECTION.
THIS IS LEGACY WALL THAT WAS
BUILT IN 2008 AND THE PLAN WAS
EVENTUALLY THROUGH FUNDING TO
CONNECT THE ENTIRE SECTOR AND
THEN ALONG THE ENTIRE SOUTHWEST
BORDER.
MARIA: THE CARTELS AND THE DRUG
SMUGGLERS ARE RUNNING THIS AREA.
IF ANYBODY TRIES TO GET ON ANY
OF THESE PATHS TO GET INTO
AMERICA WITHOUT THE DRUG
SMUGGLERS AND THE CARTELS, YOU
COULD BET THOSE PEOPLE ARE IN
HUGE TROUBLE AND THEY WILL FIND
THEM.
I WANT TO BRING IN THE PANEL TO
TALK MORE ABOUT THIS.
DAGEN McDOWELL, I’VE BEEN
WATCHING THE SHOW.
JOE CONCHA, LEE CARTER.
DAGEN, IT’S BEEN INCREDIBLE TO
BE ON THE GROUND HERE.
WE TALKED ABOUT THIS SUBJECT SO
MUCH BUT TO ACTUALLY SEE PEOPLE
COMING ACROSS, HIDING IN THE
BRUSH, IT’S JUST INCREDIBLE.
AND FROM HERE, OBVIOUSLY, DAGEN,
THEY’RE COMING INTO THE INTERIOR
OF OUR COUNTRY.
DAGEN: AND YOU’VE ILLUSTRATED
JUST HOW EASY IT IS.
BUT THIS ISN’T JUST ABOUT THE
ADMINISTRATION IGNORING OUR
IMMIGRATION LAWS AND JUST
OPENING UP THE BORDERS TO
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
BUT IT’S ABOUT THESE
INDIVIDUALS, THESE WOMEN AND
CHILDREN WHO ARE IN DANGER.
IT’S ABOUT HANDING POWER AND
LITERALLY MONEY TO DRUG CARTELS
AND HUMAN TRAFFICKERS.
I JUST -- I’M GOING TO SHUT UP.
I JUST WANT YOU TO KEEP TALKING
ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE SEEN.
MARIA: WELL, THE DRUG CARTELS
ARE CHARGING 5 TO $10,000 IN
ORDER TO GET YOU ACROSS.
IF YOU’RE COMING FROM ANYWHERE
OTHER THAN THE NORTHERN
TRIANGLE, GUATEMALA OR HONDURAS
OR EL SALVADOR IT’S GOING TO BE
MUCH MORE.
IF YOU’RE COMING FROM THE MIDDLE
EAST, IF YOU’RE COMING FROM
ASIA, THEN THE CARTELS WILL
CHARGE YOU SO MUCH MORE.
A THIRD OF THE WOMEN HAVE
REPORTED THAT THEY ARE GETTING
SEXUALLY ABUSED ON THE WAY HERE.
WHEN WE RAN INTO THAT FIRST
GROUP THAT YOU SAW A MINUTE AGO,
THEY WERE SO AFRAID TO DISCUSS
WHO THEY WERE WITH.
THEY HAVE BEEN TOLD WHEN YOU GET
STOPPED, DO NOT MENTION THE
GROUPS THAT BROUGHT YOU HERE.
DON’T TELL THEM YOU WERE WITH HE
ANYONE.
I MEAN, IT’S OBVIOUSLY
RIDICULOUS TO THINK THAT THAT
GROUP, A 17, 18-YEAR-OLD WOMAN
WITH 5-MONTH-OLD BABY IN HER
ARMS GOT HERE ON HER OWN.
I MEAN, THEY ARE GETTING HELP
FROM THE SMUGGLERS AND THEN THEY
ARE PAYING THEM OFF ONCE THEY
GET TO THEIR DESTINATION OR
PAYING THEM OFF IN ADVANCE.
WE SAW A TON OF GARBAGE ON THE
GROUND, THE SMUGGLERS DROP THE
PEOPLE OFF AND THEN THEY GET OUT
OF TOWN.
THEY LEAVE.
THEY GO BACK INTO MEXICO.
AND YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
TRYING TO GET INTO THE INTERIOR
OF AMERICA ARE LEAVING THEIR
STUFF.
WE SAW CHILDREN’S SHOES.
WE SAW CLOTHING.
WE SAW THEIR BRACELETS STREWN
EVERYWHERE.
THEY’RE GETTING BRACELETS FROM
THE SMUGGLERS BECAUSE THAT’S HOW
THE SMUGGLERS ARE TRACKING THEM.
SO YOU GET A BRACELET AND THAT
WILL TELL PEOPLE WHAT GROUP
YOU’RE WITH, WHAT SMUGGLING
GROUP YOU’RE WITH.
IT WILL TELL THEM IF YOU’RE PAID
UP OR NOT.
AND THEN ONCE PEOPLE GET INTO
AMERICA, THEY GET TO TEXAS AND
THEY TAKE THE BRACELET OFF.
THEY HE THROW IT ON THE FLOOR.
THEY’RE TRYING TO ASSIMILATE AND
GET HERE AND EVENTUALLY GET A
JOB AND LIVE HERE IN AMERICA.
I MEAN, THAT’S OBVIOUSLY THE
POINT.
I SPOKE WITH ONE AGENT ON THE PHONE BEFORE EVEN GETTING HERE
PHONE BEFORE EVEN GETTING HERE
AND HE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE
COLLECTED 69 POUNDS OF FENTANYL
THAT’S UP 5,400% THIS YEAR.
THEY HAVE FOUND 49 POUNDS OF
HEROIN.
THAT’S UP 4,000%.
HARD NARCOTICS CAUSING MULTIPLE
DEATHS COMING IN ON A REGULAR
BASIS.
SO YOU’VE GOT DRUG SMUGGLING.
YOU’VE GOT HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
WE HAVE A HEROIN PROBLEM IN THIS
COUNTRY AND IT BEGINS HERE.
THIS AREA IS THE BIGGEST AREA
WHERE MARIJUANA COMES FROM AS
WELL.
BUT THAT’S THE LEAST OF IT.
IT’S REALLY THE FENTANYL AND
HEROIN THAT IS BEING FOUND.
THEY FOUND METH ON THE FLOOR.
SO THE DRUGS ARE EVERYWHERE.
AND THE FOOTPRINT OF THESE
SMUGGLERS ARE ALL OVER THIS
REGION.
IT’S REALLY SUCH A SAD SITUATION
TO SEE THESE PEOPLE PUTTING
THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO TRY
TO SLIP THROUGH, CUT THE LINE IF
YOU WILL.
DON’T FORGET, THE U.S. ISSUES
1 MILLION GREEN CARDS EVERY
YEAR.
WE HAVE A STRUCTURE IN PLACE FOR
LEGAL IMMIGRATION.
BUT THEY’RE COMING, CUTTING THE
LINE, BECAUSE THE SMUGGLERS ARE
ENABLING THEM TO DO SO.
DAGEN: MARIA, I JUST WANT TO
SAY THIS OUT LOUD.
THIS IS JUST INCREDIBLE WHAT
YOU’RE DOING.
THAT YOU’RE AT THE BORDER AND
TELLING ALL OF THESE STORIES AND
JUST EXPLAINING TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE WHAT IS GOING ON.
BECAUSE OUT OF WASHINGTON AND
THE WHITE HOUSE, IT’S JUST BEING
IGNORED.
MARIA: YEAH.
AND YOU KNOW, DAGEN, WE JUST SAW
THE HEADLINES THAT NOW THEY ARE
LOWERING THE RESTRICTIONS ON
SANCTUARY CITIES.
THERE’S REALLY NO EFFORT TO
RECOGNIZE THE MASSIVE DANGER
THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
IT’S NOT JUST WHAT IT’S DOING TO
AMERICAN CITIZENS.
I MEAN, THAT’S A WHOLE OTHER
ECONOMIC STORY THE FACT THAT ALL
THESE PEOPLE ARE COMING INTO THE
COUNTRY AND THEY’RE SUCKING UP
THE RESOURCES AND JOBS OF
AMERICANS.
THAT’S ONE PART OF THE STORY.
THE OTHER PART OF THE STORY IS
THE INCREDIBLE DANGER THAT
EVERYBODY IS IN.
PEOPLE FROM THE NORTHERN
TRIANGLE GETTING RAPED, HAVING
THIS DANGEROUS OCCURRENCES WITH
THESE SMUGGLERS AND DRUG
CARTELS.
SO THIS IS A BIG STORY.
IT CONTINUES TO UNRAVEL.
WE’RE TAKING A BOAT TRIP TODAY
TO SEE THE ENTIRE COAST TO SEE
WHERE THE ACTIVE AREAS ARE.