>>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
WITH US.
I’M ALICIA MENENDEZ.
MY FIRST GUEST THIS HOUR IS
CONGRESSMAN JOAQUIN COORS WHO
LED A DELEGATION ON A TOUR OF
THE REFUGE RESETTLEMENT IN TEXAS
AS MIGRANTS AWAIT THEIR DAY IN
COURT.
IN JUST A MOMENT WE’LL TALK TO
THE CONGRESSMAN ABOUT WHAT HE
WITNESSED INSIDE THE FACILITY
AND AT THE BORDER.
WE’LL DISCUSS HOW AS A COUNTRY
CAN DO RIGHT BY THOSE SEEKING
REFUGE AND A BETTER LIFE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
BUT WE CAN’T TALK ABOUT PROGRESS
WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT WHAT’S
HELD US BACK FROM PROGRESS FOR
DECADES.
IN FACT, THIS WEEK GAVE US A
FULL SMATTERING OF MANY OF THE
CHALLENGES THAT THIS COUNTRY IS
CURRENTLY UP AGAINST AND HOW IT
REMAINS POLITICALLY IMPOSSIBLE
TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES ALL
BECAUSE ONE POLITICAL PARTY’S
REFUSAL TO FACE HARD TRUTHS.
RELYING ON FEAR TO WIN AND SIDE
SHOWS IN PLACE OF LEGISLATING.
GEORGIA’S BRAND-NEW VOTING
RIGHTS, CALLING IT JIM CROW 2.0,
RESTRICTING VOTING ACCESS AND
MAKING KINDNESS ILLEGAL, BANNING
WATER AND FOOD BEING HANDED TO
VOTERS STANDING IN LINE TO VOTE.
MAKE NO MISTAKE, THE BILL IS A
CLEAR RESPONSE TO DEMOCRATS
WINNING BIG IN 2020 WHEN THEY
TOOK THE PRESIDENCY AND BOTH OF
GEORGIA’S SENATE SEATS.
SO TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING
AGAIN, THE STATE’S GOP PARTIALLY
INSPIRED BY GETTING BACK INTO
TRUMP’S GOOD GRACES, USED THEIR
POWER THIS WEEK TO STRIP AWAY
THE VOTING RIGHTS OF THE VERY
PEOPLE WHO ELECTED THEM.
>>> AND THEN THERE’S GUN SAFETY,
THE NEED FOR REFORM LAID BARE
ONCE AGAIN BY TWO MASSACRES THIS
MONTH.
MORE THAN 20 AMERICANS FROM
GEORGIA TO COLORADO LOST TO
SENSELESS VIOLENCE.
WITHIN HOURS, REPUBLICANS, LIKE
TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT, USED
THEIR DEATHS TO REVIVE THE SCARE
TACTICS ON GUNS.
DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO TAKE
THEM AWAY, WHICH IS A LIE.
ANOTHER BIG LIE WAS SPREAD EVEN
FURTHER THIS WEEK AS CONGRESSMAN
CASTRO LED HIS DELEGATION
FRIDAY.
THIS WAS TEXAS SENATOR TED CRUZ
LEADING HIS OWN DELEGATION ON A
TOUR OF THE BORDER.
NOT FOCUSED ON FINDING
SOLUTIONS, INSTEAD, FOCUSED ON
FURTHERING FEAR, USING BULLET
PROOF VESTS IS MORE TO SPREAD
THE PERCEPTION THAT OUR SOUTHERN
BORDER IS UNSAFE, IS DANGEROUS.
CREWS IN THE DELEGATION IN
POLITICAL COS PLAY.
IT MIGHT BE FUNNY IN ITS SHEER
RIDICULOUSNESS IF THOUSANDS OF
MIGRANTS WITHIN THE UNITED
STATES WERE NOT DESPERATELY
LOOKING TO CONGRESS FOR RELIEF
AND SOLUTIONS.
SO WITH ALL THAT GASLIGHTING,
TONIGHT’S GREAT BIG QUESTION,
HOW DO YOU CUT THROUGH THOSE
LIES SO WE CAN FINALLY MOVE
FORWARD?
LET’S BRING IN TEXAS CONGRESSMAN
JOAQUIN COORS.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US
TONIGHT.
I WANT YOU TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR
VISIT TO THE CORISO SPRINGS
FACILITY.
>> WE TOOK A CONGRESSIONAL
DELEGATION THERE TO MAKE SURE
THAT THE KIDS ARE BEING TREATED
HUMANLY AND BEING RESPECTED,
THAT THEIR DIGNITY IS BEING
RESPECTED.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS
DEALING WITH A SYSTEM THAT WAS
AT LEAST PARTIALLY DISMANTLED BY
DONALD TRUMP TO BOTH PROCESS AND
SETTLE ASYLUM SEEKERS OF THE
UNITED STATES.
THEIR CHALLENGE IS TO BUILD UP
CAPACITY TO HUMANLY HOUSE PEOPLE
WHILE THEY GET THEM TO THEIR
FAMILY SPONSORS.
SO WE WERE GOING TO MAKE SURE
THAT THOSE KIDS ARE DOING OKAY.
WHAT WE SAW WERE 13, 14,
15-YEAR-OLDS, 16-YEAR-OLDS, MANY
OF WHO MADE A DANGEROUS TREK ALL
ALONE OR PERHAPS WITH OTHER
FAMILY MEMBERS.
BUT THEY PRESENTED THEMSELVES AT
THE BORDER BY THEMSELVES.
SO THEY’RE UNACCOMPANIED MINORS.
>> YOUR SENSE OF THOSE
FACILITIES, CONGRESSMAN?
>> THERE ARE BETTER FACILITIES
THAN THE CBP PROCESSING CENTERS
WHERE WE’VE SEEN PEOPLE SLEEPING
WITH WHAT LOOKED LIKE ALUMINUM
BLANKETS IN CRAMPED, UNSANITARY
CONDITIONS.
SO THERE ARE BETTER FACILITIES
THAN THAT.
THEY’RE NOT THE RIGHT PLACES FOR
THESE KIDS.
THESE KIDS NEED TO BE MOVED WITH
THEIR FAMILY AND RELATIVE
SPONSORS WHILE THEY WAIT FOR
THEIR DAY IN COURT FOR THEIR
CASES TO BE CONSIDERED.
>> IN LIGHT OF WHAT YOU SAW,
WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS
YOU’RE GOING TO BE BRINGING BACK
TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE
THEM DO NEXT?
>> YOU KNOW, WE SPOKE WITH THE
LEADERSHIP OF THAT FACILITY WHO
OFFERED SOME GREAT
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I ACTUALLY
AGREE WITH.
FIRST, WE HAVE TO REIMAGINE AND
ACTUALLY RE-DO HOW WE HOLD
PEOPLE TEMPORARILY ONCE THEY
PRESENT THEMSELVES FOR ASYLUM AT
THE BORDER.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, I DON’T THINK
WE SHOULD BE HOLDING PEOPLE IN
THE CPB FACILITIES ANY LONGER.
THEY WERE NOT BUILT FOR THIS
PURPOSE AT ALL AND HAVING A LOT
OF PEOPLE PACKED IN THERE,
ESPECIALLY DURING THE TIME OF A
PANDEMIC IS QUITE DANGEROUS.
AND SO THE ADMINISTRATION HAS A
REAL OPPORTUNITY ONCE AND FOR
ALL TO CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE,
QUOTE, UNQUOTE, INTAKE PEOPLE
WHEN THEY’RE SEEKING ASYLUM.
THAT’S THE IMMEDIATE SHORT-TERM
THING, TREATING PEOPLE HUMANLY
BY PUTTING THEM IN A DIFFERENT
SPACE, BUT THEN DOING OTHER
THINGS TO SPEED UP THE LOCATION
OF RELATIVES AND FAMILY
SPONSORS, TO SPEED UP THE
PROCESS BY WHICH THEY GET
BACKGROUND CHECKS AND BECOME
FINGERPRINTED SO THAT THE KIDS
CAN GO OVER AND STAY WITH THEM
WHILE THEY WAIT FOR THEIR COURT
CASES.
WE’LL HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK
ABOUT ALL OF THAT IN THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES AND ALSO WITH
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WHEN WE
GET BACK TO WASHINGTON.
>> CONGRESSMAN, THERE IS JUST NO
QUESTION THAT THE BORDER
CONSTANTLY POLITICIZED.
CASE IN POINT, YOU HAD SENATE
REPUBLICANS IN BULLET PROOF
VESTS TOURING THE RIO GRANDE
WITH ARMED BORDER PATROL AGENTS
YESTERDAY.
I’M NOT EVEN GOING TO PLAY YOU
THE SOUND OF WHAT THEY SAID
BECAUSE MOST OF IT IS ABSOLUTE
RUBBISH.
BUT I WANT TO KNOW, AT THIS
POINT ARE THERE REPUBLICANS WHO
ARE COMING FOR THE TABLE WITH
SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS WHAT IS
REALLY HAPPENING AT OUR SOUTHERN
BORDER?
>> SO FAR, NO, I DON’T THINK SO.
YOU KNOW, THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT
THEY WON’T IN THE NEXT FEW
MONTHS OR THE NEXT YEAR OR
SOMETHING.
THERE’S CERTAINLY THAT
OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM.
BUT RIGHT NOW WHAT I SEE THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY DOING IS TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR BIG
ISSUE IS GOING TO BE FOR THE
2020 ELECTIONS.
DURING PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FIRST
TERM, THEIR BIG ISSUE BECAME
OBAMACARE AND THEY RAN THE 2010
ELECTIONS VERY EFFECTIVELY, THE
MIDTERM ELECTION AGAINST
OBAMACARE.
AND SO THEY’RE TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT IT’S GOING TO BE.
AND RIGHT NOW YOU CAN SEE THEM
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW BIG AN
ISSUE THIS IMMIGRATION ISSUE IS
GOING TO BE, HOW MANY PEOPLE’S
FEARS THEY CAN PLAY UPON, HOW
MUCH RESENTMENT THEY CAN
ENAGENDAEN
ENGENDER AMONG THE WHITE
AMERICANS THAT THERE’S A BUNCH
OF BROWN PEOPLE COMING HERE TO
HARM THEM.
AND SO RIGHT NOW I DON’T THINK