[[GRETA O/C]]
ON PLUGGED IN …
IMMIGRATION ...
AND THE CHALLENGES…
FACING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
[[SOT – PRESIDENT BIDEN Time Code-11:22 “what we're doing now is attempting to rebuild -- rebuild the system that can accommodate the -- what is happening today.”08 Seconds]]
WITH A SHIFT …
IN GOVERNMENT POLICY
A SURGE OF MIGRANTS …
AND ASYLUM SEEKERS …
SEEK TO COME TO AMERICA ...
AT THE US-MEXICO BORDER.
[[GONZLES SOT- “immigration policy affects our security, it affects our economy, it affects families. It affects the very nature of who we are as a country and as a people.” ]]
THE LEGAL ...
POLITICAL …
AND ECONOMIC IMPACT...
OF AMERICAN IMMIGRATION ...
ON PLUGGED IN
CROSSING THE U.S. BORDER
[[STOP]]
[[GRETA]]
HELLO AND WELCOME …
TO PLUGGED IN.
I’M GRETA VAN SUSTEREN …
REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON, DC.
IMMIGRATION HAS BEEN …
A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE …
IN AMERICAN POLITICS …
FOR MORE THAN A GENERATION.
IT IS NEARLY 35 YEARS …
SINCE PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN …
SIGNED THE LAST COMPREHENSIVE …
IMMIGRATION REFORM LEGISLATION …
PASSED BY CONGRESS.
NOW, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN …
FACES AN IMMIGRATION CHALLENGE …
THREE MONTHS INTO HIS TERM.
THERE IS A SURGE ...
OF THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS ...
AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER.
MANY OF THEM …
ARE UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN.
WE WILL EXAMINE …
THE SITUATION …
AT THE U.S. SOUTHERN BORDER …
IN A FEW MINUTES.
FIRST, TO THE U.S. CONGRESS …
AND TWO KEY ELEMENTS ...
OF BIDEN’S IMMIGRATION AGENDA …
CLEARING THE FIRST HURDLE.
VOA’S CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT
KATHERINE GYPSON REPORTS.
[[STOP]]
[[GYPSON PKG]]
((Narrator))
((Reuters US Immigration Children-Broll of Border Patrol processing unaccompanied minors at border wall))
Growing numbers of asylum-seekers and unaccompanied minors are arriving along the U.S.-Mexico border… prompting the Biden administration to offer assurances that the nation’s often dysfunctional immigration system is under control….
((Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary))
((13;03;47;00 MRT PSAKI border not open vast majority of people turned away))
“The vast majority of people, the majority who come to the border are turned away. The border is not open. These are very limited scenarios.”
((Narrator))
((MRT for kgyp House Freedom Caucus immigration-Broll of GOP presser then to Biden campaign broll and end on border broll))
Congressional Republicans say Biden’s campaign promise to legalize 11 million undocumented immigrants already in this country is encouraging more people to come….
((Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader))
((MRT kevin mccarthy for Katherine))
“That's why you put your whole family together and make this trek – because you just listened to what President Biden said.”
((Narrator))
((Border Broll In-Progress-Katherine Gypson-ABC Border Crisis))
The number of migrants crossing into the U.S. is rising, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The Senate’s top Republican calls those numbers a crisis.
((Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader))
((MRT for Katherine McConnell))
“It’s a security crisis. New reporting suggests multiple people arrested at the border in recent months have matched to names on the FBI’s terrorist watch list.”
((Narrator))
((In-Progress-Katherine Gypson-AP Asylum Seekers))
Migrants now crossing the border would not be impacted by legislation if it passes Congress – but the initiative could alter the politics of immigration in Washington.
((Doris Meissner, Migration Policy Center))
((Doris Meissner Microsoft Teams Interview at 6:13))
“It gives those who are opposed to immigration changes, to hang on, and to be criticizing the administration. So it really narrows or complicates the political space that's there for the Biden administration to move on these legislative proposals.”
((Narrator))
((ABC House Dems Immigration-Cutaways of House Dems’ presser then over to Reuters DREAMers Protest 1))
House Democrats passed two narrower proposals Thursday that would legalize some foreign-born farm workers as well as the so-called Dreamers – undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children.
((House Speaker Nancy Pelosi))
((MRT for Katherine Pelosi))
“If we ever close the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would be lost. It's always been a pleasure for me to sing the praises of our Dreamers. They make us so proud."
((Narrator))
((Capitol Dome Broll-Senate Floor Broll))
A strategy meant to win Republican votes in a U.S. Senate narrowly controlled by Democrats.
((Doris Meissner, Migration Policy Center))
((Doris Meissner Microsoft Teams Interview at 4:20))
“Those are populations that have been appealing across the board. And there's very strong public support, particularly for the DACA population, which would be the Dream Promise Act. But it's also the case that they are limited populations.”
((Narrator))
((Reuters DREAMers Protest 2))
If those bills become law, up to 2 million Dreamers would be put on a path to U.S. citizenship.
((Katherine Gypson, VOA News, Washington))
[[GRETA]]
THOUSANDS OF ASYLUM SEEKERS …
HAVE BEEN ALLOWED …
TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES …
SINCE BIDEN’S INAUGURATION …
WHEN HE REVERSED …
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION POLICY …
THAT FORCED ASYLUM SEEKERS …
TO REMAIN IN MEXICO …
WHILE THEIR CLAIM WAS PROCESSED …
VOA’S CELIA MENDOZA ...
IS COVERING THIS STORY ...
FROM EL PASO, TEXAS …
AT THE U.S. BORDER …
WITH MEXICO.
I ASKED HER…
ABOUT THE CHALLENGES …
POSED BY THE INCREASING …
NUMBER OF MIGRANTS.
[[STOP]]
[[MENDOZA Q&A]]
CM = Celia Mendoza
GVS = Greta Van Susteren
CM: I am in Reynosa Mexico just few steps from the end of the bridge that connects the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico and Texas in McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley where we have seen an increase in the number of crossings, by people coming from Central America and other places. They didn't know that the border was closed. They thought that they were going to be able to stay in the United States that end up going to family members or other people that they have relationship with. But then, to their surprise, according to them, they were returned, and basically, they don't have any other place to go, so they're spending their nights, as you can see behind me is their makeshift camp. People are sleeping here we see some of the authorities that are patrolling the area trying to make sure that they're safe. We have to remember this is an area that has a large presence of the cartels and people are concerned that their children or their family members may be taken by them. Definitely they have seen an overwhelming amount of people. We just this morning encountered a group that were trying to escape the authorities are groups of 50, 60 100 people crossing. That means that they don't have enough resources at the border, the Department of Homeland Security has said that they're mobilizing agents from different locations and other borders of the United States even coastal areas. And one of the main reasons according to the authorities have the lack of ability to manage people as quickly, it's also because of COVID-19, the Coronavirus has generated more strength and more problems for the authorities because they now have to verify people make sure that they don't have the virus, make sure that they can isolate him, but that has been very challenging as we have seen in the images coming from the processing center in Donna Texas.
GVS: We've had surges of people coming into the United States from that border during President Obama's presidency, and also during President Trump's presidency, and now during President Biden, why are they coming now?
CM: Many of them are angry towards their government, they believe that they have not provide them. Some of them are escaping security issues, personal threats. But the majority of the people we spoke to believe that the border was open, they said that after President Biden won the message they heard, and that's one of the things that I want to emphasize, through Facebook and social media and posting not through the actual media is that the border was open and they were able to come to the United States because President Biden was going to give asylum to people. Which is not true.
GVS: There are some adults who are coming, some coming with children, and then some children under the age of 18 are coming without adults, those are unaccompanied minors, so how is the government, how is the US government looking at that those three categories?
CM: As far as we know, according to the government of the United States, only unaccompanied minors will be allowed to stay in the United States and follow their process to be able to go into the health and human services system and eventually to be released with their family members in the United States or in foster family if they don't have a suitable person, they will take care of them. But families, units, and also single adults will be returned to Mexico, according to the administration we have seen that at least during the past few weeks, that number has been growing, especially those that are now in Mexico part of those are the ones that we spoke just this morning here in this park.
GVS: Are the ones who are seeking asylum in the United States, under the Trump presidency is that you had to stay in Mexico while your asylum proceedings was pending. But under the Biden, Biden administration you get to stay in the United States while your asylum proceedings are pending?
CM: That's right. However, this is something that the administration is trying to balance. One is to stop the MPP program which is the remain in Mexico program is about 25,000 people that were active in those, in that system that are now being moved from Mexico to the United States, that is a process that is assisted by the United Nations, especially through the OEM, as well as other international agencies. And that is something that is structured with the government. Now, for those that are looking for asylum right now and don't have a process. The administration are telling them to wait in their countries they're trying to figure out a way because the border, under the title 42nd is closed, and that means that whoever comes to the border, even if they have a valid case will be returned because the border is not open.
GVS: Thank you very much for joining me. Good luck.
CM: Thank you, Greta.
[[GRETA]]
THE PENTAGON …
APPROVED A PLAN …
TO HOUSE UNACCOMPANIED ...
MIGRANT CHILDREN …
AT A U.S. MILITARY BASE …
IN CALIFORNIA.
U.S. AUTHORITIES SAY …
NINE THOUSAND …
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN …
WERE ENCOUNTERED …
AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER …
IN FEBRUARY.
PRESIDENT BIDEN …
HAS ALSO PROMISED …
TO REUNITE HUNDREDS ...
OF MIGRANT PARENTS …
WITH THEIR CHILDREN ...
CURRENTLY IN U.S. CUSTODY.
MANY OF THOSE PARENTS …
WERE SENT BACK …
TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES …
MAKING REUNIFICATION …
MORE DIFFICULT.
VOA’S ALINE BARROS (pronounced: uh-LEE-nee Barrows)
REPORTS.
[[STOP]]
[[BARROS PKG]]
((Video: migrant caravans))
((NARRATOR))
Like thousands of migrants, Luis left Guatemala with his teenage son in May 2018 to escape local gangs, trekking more than 2,000 kilometers to the U.S.-Mexico border.
((“Luis,” Guatemalan migrant father)) ((In Spanish)) ((cg: Skype))
“I encountered border patrol officers who took me and my son. They told me my child had to be separated from me because I was going to criminal detention.”
((NARRATOR))
“Luis” is not his real name and VOA agreed to protect his identity.
((“Luis,” asylum-seeker from Guatemala)) ((In Spanish)) ((cg: Skype))
“Officials told me ‘You can’t ask anything. If you ask questions, we’re going to file more charges against you.’”
((Video: Trump at WH, US-Mexico border, detention facilities
((NARRATOR))
Luis and his son arrived at a time when the administration of former President Donald Trump had declared a zero-tolerance policy for immigrants found illegally crossing the border.
((Mandatory courtesy: Department of Defense ))
Luis’ son joined thousands of migrant children — some just toddlers — kept in holding facilities.
((End courtesy))
((SOT - wailing children in detention from 2018))
((Radio track: Former President Trump spoke in 2018))
((Former U.S. President Donald Trump)) ((June 2018))
“I don’t want children taken away from parents and [but] when you prosecute the parents for coming in illegally, which should happen, you have to take the children away.”
((Radio track: Luis is still traumatized))
((Luis, Guatemalan migrant father)) ((In Spanish)) ((quote video "parent 2" at 1:04)) ((cg: Skype))
“It was torture what they did to us.”
((Video: Luis, US detention facilities))
((NARRATOR))
Luis was deported to Guatemala.
((Mandatory courtesy: Department of Defense ))
His son stayed in custody until a relative living in the U.S. became his guardian.
((End courtesy))
Today, hundreds of migrant children remain separated from their parents, a situation President Joe Biden has promised to remedy.
((U.S. President Joe Biden))
“We’re going to work to undo the moral and national shame of the previous administration that literally, not figuratively, ripped children from the arms of their families, their mothers and fathers at the border.”
((Video: Biden, migrant families))
((NARRATOR))
The Biden administration created a family reunification task force. But finding deported parents is a daunting task, according to an American lawyer fighting to reunite families.
((Radio track: Lee Gelernt is with the American Civil Liberties Union))
((Lee Gelernt, American Civil Liberties Union)) ((cg: Skype))
“We’re looking for the Biden administration to do a few, very specific things. The first is to help us find the remaining 500 families and that means giving us whatever contact information they have. The second is for the Biden administration to allow parents to return to the United States to reunify with their children, some of those children are young and have been away from their parents for years now.”
((NARRATOR))
The ultimate solution, according to immigration lawyers, is to grant legal status so reunited families can remain in the United States. The Biden administration says it is open to the idea.
((Radio track: Alejandro Mayorkas is U.S. Homeland Security Secretary))
((Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary))
“If, in fact, they seek to reunite here in the United States, we will explore lawful pathways for them to remain in the United States.”
((Video provided by Aroldo Palacios – must credit))
((NARRATOR))
Meanwhile, the work of finding deported parents continues with the help of nonprofits scouring remote areas across Central America.
((Radio track: Aroldo Palacios is a Guatemalan Lawyer with Justice in Motion.))
((Aroldo Palacios, Guatemalan Lawyer, Justice in Motion)) ((cg: Skype))
“Many times, we obtain more information from records of the people here in Guatemala through birth certificates and we can see where the parents are from. In other cases, we have to go to the community leaders and try to ask if they know a certain person.”
((NARRATOR))
More than 5,000 families were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. Parents of 105 children were found in February. Luis and his son were reunited in the U.S., but the search continues for the parents of some 500 children.
((Aline Barros, VOA News, Washington.))
[[GRETA]]
IT IS NOT JUST …
MIGRANTS FROM …
LATIN AMERICA …
MAKING THE DANGEROUS JOURNEY …
TO THE UNITED STATES BORDER.
MORE THAN 16-HUNDRED PEOPLE …
REPRESENTING 36 COUNTRIES …
ACROSS AFRICA …
WERE RECENTLY APPREHENDED …
AT ONE SECTION …
OF THE BORDER.
AND VOA’S ELIZABETH LEE …
HAS THE STORY …
OF ONE HAITIAN WOMAN’S …
HARROWING JOURNEY.
[[STOP]]
[[ELIZABETH LEE PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
For many migrants, getting to the land of opportunity is a dangerous journey. But for Mosemie Altidor, an asylum-seeker from Haiti, the situation in her home country was worse.
((Mosemie Altidor, Haitian Asylum-Seeker)) ((Female)) ((In Haitian Creole))
“Two robbers attacked me, they beat me, they stabbed me.”
((NARRATOR))
She says she almost died. Unable to support her three children, Altidor left them with her mother and traveled to Belize to find work and eventually ended up joining a caravan to walk to the United States, while pregnant.
((Mosemie Altidor, Haitian Asylum-Seeker)) ((Female)) ((In Haitian Creole))
“I didn't see a life there — I only saw death — so instead of dying, I took the road.”
((NARRATOR))
When Altidor arrived in Mexico, she was left behind. She made it to the border only through the help of strangers and was allowed to enter the U.S.
((Mosemie Altidor, Asylum-Seeker from Haiti)) ((Female)) ((In Haitian Creole))
“They were not going to hold me because I was pregnant.”
((NARRATOR))
In the U.S., Altidor, her now 18-month-old baby, and approximately 60 other Haitian migrants live in temporary housing provided by the Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego while they wait for their immigration court hearings. But they are the exception, says Guerline Jozef of Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit community organization.
((Guerline Jozef, Haitian Bridge Alliance Co-Founder))
“In February alone, we had over a thousand people who got deported and sometimes would be one deportation flight, and we also saw up to three deportation flights in one day. And as I mentioned, in those flights, we saw, we saw pregnant women, 26-weeks pregnant women. We saw infants as young as 1 and 2 months old.”
((NARRATOR))
Jozef says this is not the time to deport Haitians, when their home country is currently experiencing political unrest after an alleged failed coup.
((Guerline Jozef, Haitian Bridge Alliance Co-Founder))
“We are demanding the Biden administration to stop the deportation expulsions.”
((NARRATOR))
The Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, has not responded to VOA’s request for a comment about deportations of asylum-seekers from Haiti.
But DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is asking all asylum-seekers to wait, as the Biden administration revises former President Donald Trump’s immigration policy during a pandemic.
((Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary))
“If they come, if families come, if single adults come to the border, we are obligated to, in the service of public health, including the health of the very people who are thinking of coming, to impose travel restrictions.”
((NARRATOR))
…Meaning deportations. However, there are reports of inconsistent treatment of migrants.
[[FOR RADIO: says Pajanor]]
((Vino Pajanor, Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego))
“We are hearing across the border not only in San Diego, in McAllen, Texas, and other places, that people are getting processed and let in and some of the same Haitian groups that are coming through are deported.”
((NARRATOR))
Even for Altidor who is allowed to enter, her future is far from certain, as her fate will be decided by an immigration court.
((Elizabeth Lee, VOA News))
[[GRETA O/C]]
SINCE TAKING OFFICE ...
PRESIDENT BIDEN ...
HAS REVERSED …
SEVERAL OF HIS PREDECESSOR’S ...
IMMIGRATION POLICIES …
FROM HALTING CONSTRUCTION ...
OF THE BORDER WALL ...
TO REUNITING SEPARATED FAMILIES.
BIDEN ALSO PUT VICE PRESIDENT …
KAMALA HARRIS ...
IN CHARGE OF IMMIGRATION ISSUES.
ON MARCH 25TH, PRESIDENT BIDEN ...
ADDRESSED THIS TOPIC ...
AND LAID OUT HIS PLAN ...
TO STABILIZE THE BORDER.
[[STOP]]
[[BIDENSOT]]
SOT: The way to deal with this problem -- and I started to deal with it back when I was a United States senator -- I mean, Vice President -- putting together a bipartisan plan of over $700 million to deal with the root causes of why people are leaving.
What did Trump do? He eliminated that funding. He didn't use it. He didn't do it. And in addition to that, what he did -- he dismantled all the elements that exist to deal with what had been a problem and -- and has been -- continued to be a problem for a long time. He, in fact, shut down the -- the number of beds available. He did not fund HHS to get people to get the children out of those -- those Border Patrol facilities where they should not be and not supposed to be more than a few days -- a little while. But he dismantled all of that.
That's why I've asked the Vice President of the United States, yesterday, to be the lead person on dealing with focusing on the fundamental reasons why people leave Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador in the first place.(
We're going to do a lot in our administration. We're going to be spending that 700-plus million dollars a year to change the life and circumstances of why people leave in the first place. I make no apologies for ending programs that did not exist before Trump became President that have an incredibly negative impact on the law, international law, as well as on human dignity. And so, I make no apologies for that.
[[GRETA]]
IMPLEMENTING CHANGES …
TO IMMIGRATION …
AND ASYLUM POLICIES …
HAS CHALLENGES POLITICALLY …
AND LEGALLY.
ALBERTO GONZALES …
LED THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT …
AS ATTORNEY GENERAL …
UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH.
HE IS NOW THE DEAN …
OF BELMONT UNIVERSITY …
COLLEGE OF LAW …
IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.
I ASKED HIM …
ABOUT IMPLEMENTING …
CHANGES TO IMMIGRATION …
AND ASYLUM POLICIES.
[[STOP]]
[[GONZALES INTERVIEW SOT]]
GVS: Greta Van Susteren
AG: Alberto Gonzales
AG: It's extremely difficult Greta. and we- the proof of that is the fact that we have not be able to solve this problem for decades because immigration policy affects our national security, it affects our economy, it affects families. It affects the very nature of who we are as a country and as a people.
GVS: In 2014 there was a surge during President Obama's administration. Again 2019 there was another surge of people coming in during President Trump's administration. Now 2021, we have the same thing with President Biden. The numbers though are the bigger. Any sort of thought about why the numbers seem to be bigger right now?
AG: It could be a number of factors. One, it could be the perception outside our borders about the fact that there is greater opportunity to come to America, to be allowed to come to America and to pursue a better life. It could be that we have worse conditions in Mexico and Central America. The reason that people come into this country, certainly unlawfully, is because they're avoiding persecution. They want, they're seeking a better life. I know as a father, what wouldn’t I do to try to provide my family to my sons and daughters an opportunity for a better life? And so I think those are the reasons why I think people are coming here to America.
GVS: You know, we always think in this country about immigration with our southern border. but there are a lot of people who come into this country on visas through our international airports and overstay the visas. And then, of course they're in violation of law. You have any sort of sense of how big a problem that is?
AG: I can't tell, it's been a while since I've looked at the numbers. But I know that in looking at this five or 10 years ago, we identified this as a component of a comprehensive plan and that is to revise our visa process. We have you're right, we have people that come into this country on a work visa. We also have a lot of people that come to this country on a student visa and they come here, they graduate and then they disappear in our society or they come into this country, the employer doesn't do a very good job of monitoring where the employee goes after they are no longer are employed.
GVS: And you think of the problem that many young people have in this country, that they came to the United States with their parents when they were young, not knowing that they had come here illegally. and then they grew up and when they turn 18 or something apply for a job they find out they're here in the country illegally and they risk deportation. And we've had a lot of sort of Band-Aid efforts, calling them Dreamers or DACA And we tried to sort of piece together a solution. But even that doesn't offer much certainty to those people.
AG: No, and there's no question about it and I'm somewhat sympathetic to these individuals You know, they came to this country through no fault of their own. This is the only country that we've ever known. They've grown up here They've been educated here, and I'm sympathetic to that. Now obviously, there's got to be a way to make it right for those who have followed the rules and are living outside our borders and are waiting to come into this country lawfully so, but I as a general matter, I'm sympathetic to those who were brought here by their parents and again, they didn't make the conscious choice to come to this country unlawfully.
GVS: What do we do about unaccompanied minors?
AG: I don't know if there is a good resolution Greta, and you know, we can't send them back, they're minors. I think we have a moral obligation to provide for them, to some degree, long term, I just don't know. I think this is the thing that's really presented a serious issue for the current administration. Again you can't send them back. I think we have to find some kind of solution. One thing we could do perhaps is work with the home governments and see if we can provide some kind of inducement, some kind of additional aid to them to to help care for the for these minors as we return them back to their home countries. But I think we have a responsibility to make sure that whatever happens next, that they're placed in in a situation where they're not going to be harmed. After that we can't account for what happens. But right now once they're in our custody, we have an obligation as to what happens next is to ensure that that they're placed in a safe situation.
GVS: There's a natural border in some areas like we have the Rio Grande River that separates part of Mexico from the United States, and then President Trump had a, had a built a wall was going to was starting to build a wall, much of it is completed, but highly controversial in this country. was the wall was the wall Is something a good idea? Should it be completed or was that just a bad idea?
AG: I've never been a fan of the wall, Greta. I’ve always, now don't get me wrong, I believe in secure borders and I believe that's a top priority for our government. But I think there are more effective ways to secure our southern border than spending the money that it would take to complete a border along the entire southern border. and I'm talking about greater use of technology relying upon the natural terrain, more border agents. And so I think there are other ways to secure our border. I think it just sends a better message than simply building a wall, as President Bush George Bush used to say, “you know, you don't build a fence between your neighbor and yourself. That just sends the wrong message.” I think that we all understand that that part of our success in this country depends upon the success of Mexico. And so we need to be working together to solve these kind of problems.
GVS: Judge thank you very much for joining me.
AG: Thank you for having me.
[[GRETA]]
WE MENTIONED EARLIER …
THAT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ...
ORDERED A PAUSE ...
IN BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION …
WHICH WAS A KEY PART …
OF FORMER PRESIDENT...
DONALD TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION AGENDA.
BUT THE BORDER WALL …
IS CREATING …
AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE …
AS WELL.
FROM SOUTHERN ARIZONA,
REPORTER MEGAN JANETSKY ((pronounced juh-NET-skee))
TELLS US MORE.
[[STOP]]
[[JANETSKY PKG]]
(NARRATOR))
The San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge usually is a place where the only sounds are desert winds and the trickling of water in rivers and ponds.
((Nat sound construction))
However, in recent months government contractors worked day-and-night to rapidly build barriers in remote, federally controlled lands like these.
Now, as President Joe Biden pledges a halt wall construction, scientists like Myles Traphagan worry damage has already been done to native species.
The refuge is tucked in the far reaches of the desert, which sees little human migration.
((FOR RADIO: Myles Traphagan is Borderlands Program Coordinator with The Wildlands Network))
((Myles Traphagan, Wildlands Network Borderlands Coordinator))
“This is a migratory corridor for wildlife, and it has been for thousands of years and a lot of animals follow drainages like this. It’s the obvious thing to do, you know.”
((NARRATOR))
Surrounding mountains and valleys, known as the Sky Islands, are critical land where...
((Mandatory courtesy: The Wildlands Network))
….mountain lion, javalina, bobcat, North American jaguar and other species migrate
((end courtesy))
...across the border.
Traphagan has worked as a biologist here since 1996, using motion sensor cameras to track animal migration.
After wall construction got underway, he says the animals all but disappeared.
((Myles Traphagan, The Wildlands Network Borderlands Coordinator))
((Mandatory cg: The Wildlands Network))
“But since the border wall has been built, you have a 30-foot steel wall, with gaps of only four inches wide between the ballards, that’s what they call the beams, ballards. So basically, nothing larger than a
((Mandatory courtesy, The Wildlands Network))
cotton tailed rabbit could pass through the wall now, so therefore it’s a huge impediment to wildlife movement.”
((NARRATOR))
The Trump administration built more than 720 kilometers or 450 miles of wall along the southern border, much of it on federal land to avoid legal battles from private landowners. Officials waved regulations– like the Endangered Species Act – under a 2005 law allowing them to build on protected land like San Bernadino.
In his final days in office, Trump visited the wall near McAllen, Texas.
((Then President Donald Trump))
“And today we celebrate an extraordinary milestone: the completion of the promised 450 miles of border wall. Four hundred and fifty miles. Nobody realizes how big that is.”
((NARRATOR))
By focusing on federal lands, environmentalists say construction has had an outsize impact on some vulnerable species. Builders also drained the local groundwater to make the concrete, drying out the natural habitat of four threatened or endangered fish species.
Ten miles away in Guadalupe Canyon, John Kurc, an activist and wildlife photographer, says wall crews already blasted through mountains with dynamite, destroying critical habitat for the last remaining wild jaguars in the United States.
Although President Biden ordered an “immediate pause” on construction, some environmentalists want him to go further and take down the existing walls.
((John Kurc, Photographer & Activist))
“We’ve been promised by the new administration that they will terminate all wall building. That gives some hope to the animals that are in places where there is no barrier right now. But areas like San Bernardino, areas such as this area, Coronado National Forest, Coronado National monument, those are areas where we need sections of that wall taken down.”
((NARRATOR))
The Biden administration says it expects to develop a plan to address what to do with the border wall construction in the next two months.
((Megan Janetsky, for VOA News, the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona))
[[GRETA O/C]]
THAT’S ALL THE TIME …
WE HAVE FOR NOW.
MY THANKS TO …
FORMER U.S. …
ATTORNEY GENERAL ...
ALBERTO GONZALES …
AND TO VOA’S …
CELIA MENDOZA …
REPORTING FROM THE …
U.S.-MEXICO BORDER.
STAY UP TO DATE …
ON THE LATEST NEWS …
AT VOANEWS.COM.
AND FOLLOW ME …
ON TWITTER …
AT GRETA.
THANK YOU FOR BEING …
PLUGGED IN.
[[STOP]]
ON PLUGGED IN …
IMMIGRATION ...
AND THE CHALLENGES…
FACING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
[[SOT – PRESIDENT BIDEN Time Code-11:22 “what we're doing now is attempting to rebuild -- rebuild the system that can accommodate the -- what is happening today.”08 Seconds]]
WITH A SHIFT …
IN GOVERNMENT POLICY
A SURGE OF MIGRANTS …
AND ASYLUM SEEKERS …
SEEK TO COME TO AMERICA ...
AT THE US-MEXICO BORDER.
[[GONZLES SOT- “immigration policy affects our security, it affects our economy, it affects families. It affects the very nature of who we are as a country and as a people.” ]]
THE LEGAL ...
POLITICAL …
AND ECONOMIC IMPACT...
OF AMERICAN IMMIGRATION ...
ON PLUGGED IN
CROSSING THE U.S. BORDER
[[STOP]]
[[GRETA]]
HELLO AND WELCOME …
TO PLUGGED IN.
I’M GRETA VAN SUSTEREN …
REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON, DC.
IMMIGRATION HAS BEEN …
A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE …
IN AMERICAN POLITICS …
FOR MORE THAN A GENERATION.
IT IS NEARLY 35 YEARS …
SINCE PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN …
SIGNED THE LAST COMPREHENSIVE …
IMMIGRATION REFORM LEGISLATION …
PASSED BY CONGRESS.
NOW, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN …
FACES AN IMMIGRATION CHALLENGE …
THREE MONTHS INTO HIS TERM.
THERE IS A SURGE ...
OF THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS ...
AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER.
MANY OF THEM …
ARE UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN.
WE WILL EXAMINE …
THE SITUATION …
AT THE U.S. SOUTHERN BORDER …
IN A FEW MINUTES.
FIRST, TO THE U.S. CONGRESS …
AND TWO KEY ELEMENTS ...
OF BIDEN’S IMMIGRATION AGENDA …
CLEARING THE FIRST HURDLE.
VOA’S CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT
KATHERINE GYPSON REPORTS.
[[STOP]]
[[GYPSON PKG]]
((Narrator))
((Reuters US Immigration Children-Broll of Border Patrol processing unaccompanied minors at border wall))
Growing numbers of asylum-seekers and unaccompanied minors are arriving along the U.S.-Mexico border… prompting the Biden administration to offer assurances that the nation’s often dysfunctional immigration system is under control….
((Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary))
((13;03;47;00 MRT PSAKI border not open vast majority of people turned away))
“The vast majority of people, the majority who come to the border are turned away. The border is not open. These are very limited scenarios.”
((Narrator))
((MRT for kgyp House Freedom Caucus immigration-Broll of GOP presser then to Biden campaign broll and end on border broll))
Congressional Republicans say Biden’s campaign promise to legalize 11 million undocumented immigrants already in this country is encouraging more people to come….
((Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader))
((MRT kevin mccarthy for Katherine))
“That's why you put your whole family together and make this trek – because you just listened to what President Biden said.”
((Narrator))
((Border Broll In-Progress-Katherine Gypson-ABC Border Crisis))
The number of migrants crossing into the U.S. is rising, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The Senate’s top Republican calls those numbers a crisis.
((Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader))
((MRT for Katherine McConnell))
“It’s a security crisis. New reporting suggests multiple people arrested at the border in recent months have matched to names on the FBI’s terrorist watch list.”
((Narrator))
((In-Progress-Katherine Gypson-AP Asylum Seekers))
Migrants now crossing the border would not be impacted by legislation if it passes Congress – but the initiative could alter the politics of immigration in Washington.
((Doris Meissner, Migration Policy Center))
((Doris Meissner Microsoft Teams Interview at 6:13))
“It gives those who are opposed to immigration changes, to hang on, and to be criticizing the administration. So it really narrows or complicates the political space that's there for the Biden administration to move on these legislative proposals.”
((Narrator))
((ABC House Dems Immigration-Cutaways of House Dems’ presser then over to Reuters DREAMers Protest 1))
House Democrats passed two narrower proposals Thursday that would legalize some foreign-born farm workers as well as the so-called Dreamers – undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children.
((House Speaker Nancy Pelosi))
((MRT for Katherine Pelosi))
“If we ever close the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would be lost. It's always been a pleasure for me to sing the praises of our Dreamers. They make us so proud."
((Narrator))
((Capitol Dome Broll-Senate Floor Broll))
A strategy meant to win Republican votes in a U.S. Senate narrowly controlled by Democrats.
((Doris Meissner, Migration Policy Center))
((Doris Meissner Microsoft Teams Interview at 4:20))
“Those are populations that have been appealing across the board. And there's very strong public support, particularly for the DACA population, which would be the Dream Promise Act. But it's also the case that they are limited populations.”
((Narrator))
((Reuters DREAMers Protest 2))
If those bills become law, up to 2 million Dreamers would be put on a path to U.S. citizenship.
((Katherine Gypson, VOA News, Washington))
[[GRETA]]
THOUSANDS OF ASYLUM SEEKERS …
HAVE BEEN ALLOWED …
TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES …
SINCE BIDEN’S INAUGURATION …
WHEN HE REVERSED …
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION POLICY …
THAT FORCED ASYLUM SEEKERS …
TO REMAIN IN MEXICO …
WHILE THEIR CLAIM WAS PROCESSED …
VOA’S CELIA MENDOZA ...
IS COVERING THIS STORY ...
FROM EL PASO, TEXAS …
AT THE U.S. BORDER …
WITH MEXICO.
I ASKED HER…
ABOUT THE CHALLENGES …
POSED BY THE INCREASING …
NUMBER OF MIGRANTS.
[[STOP]]
[[MENDOZA Q&A]]
CM = Celia Mendoza
GVS = Greta Van Susteren
CM: I am in Reynosa Mexico just few steps from the end of the bridge that connects the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico and Texas in McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley where we have seen an increase in the number of crossings, by people coming from Central America and other places. They didn't know that the border was closed. They thought that they were going to be able to stay in the United States that end up going to family members or other people that they have relationship with. But then, to their surprise, according to them, they were returned, and basically, they don't have any other place to go, so they're spending their nights, as you can see behind me is their makeshift camp. People are sleeping here we see some of the authorities that are patrolling the area trying to make sure that they're safe. We have to remember this is an area that has a large presence of the cartels and people are concerned that their children or their family members may be taken by them. Definitely they have seen an overwhelming amount of people. We just this morning encountered a group that were trying to escape the authorities are groups of 50, 60 100 people crossing. That means that they don't have enough resources at the border, the Department of Homeland Security has said that they're mobilizing agents from different locations and other borders of the United States even coastal areas. And one of the main reasons according to the authorities have the lack of ability to manage people as quickly, it's also because of COVID-19, the Coronavirus has generated more strength and more problems for the authorities because they now have to verify people make sure that they don't have the virus, make sure that they can isolate him, but that has been very challenging as we have seen in the images coming from the processing center in Donna Texas.
GVS: We've had surges of people coming into the United States from that border during President Obama's presidency, and also during President Trump's presidency, and now during President Biden, why are they coming now?
CM: Many of them are angry towards their government, they believe that they have not provide them. Some of them are escaping security issues, personal threats. But the majority of the people we spoke to believe that the border was open, they said that after President Biden won the message they heard, and that's one of the things that I want to emphasize, through Facebook and social media and posting not through the actual media is that the border was open and they were able to come to the United States because President Biden was going to give asylum to people. Which is not true.
GVS: There are some adults who are coming, some coming with children, and then some children under the age of 18 are coming without adults, those are unaccompanied minors, so how is the government, how is the US government looking at that those three categories?
CM: As far as we know, according to the government of the United States, only unaccompanied minors will be allowed to stay in the United States and follow their process to be able to go into the health and human services system and eventually to be released with their family members in the United States or in foster family if they don't have a suitable person, they will take care of them. But families, units, and also single adults will be returned to Mexico, according to the administration we have seen that at least during the past few weeks, that number has been growing, especially those that are now in Mexico part of those are the ones that we spoke just this morning here in this park.
GVS: Are the ones who are seeking asylum in the United States, under the Trump presidency is that you had to stay in Mexico while your asylum proceedings was pending. But under the Biden, Biden administration you get to stay in the United States while your asylum proceedings are pending?
CM: That's right. However, this is something that the administration is trying to balance. One is to stop the MPP program which is the remain in Mexico program is about 25,000 people that were active in those, in that system that are now being moved from Mexico to the United States, that is a process that is assisted by the United Nations, especially through the OEM, as well as other international agencies. And that is something that is structured with the government. Now, for those that are looking for asylum right now and don't have a process. The administration are telling them to wait in their countries they're trying to figure out a way because the border, under the title 42nd is closed, and that means that whoever comes to the border, even if they have a valid case will be returned because the border is not open.
GVS: Thank you very much for joining me. Good luck.
CM: Thank you, Greta.
[[GRETA]]
THE PENTAGON …
APPROVED A PLAN …
TO HOUSE UNACCOMPANIED ...
MIGRANT CHILDREN …
AT A U.S. MILITARY BASE …
IN CALIFORNIA.
U.S. AUTHORITIES SAY …
NINE THOUSAND …
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN …
WERE ENCOUNTERED …
AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER …
IN FEBRUARY.
PRESIDENT BIDEN …
HAS ALSO PROMISED …
TO REUNITE HUNDREDS ...
OF MIGRANT PARENTS …
WITH THEIR CHILDREN ...
CURRENTLY IN U.S. CUSTODY.
MANY OF THOSE PARENTS …
WERE SENT BACK …
TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES …
MAKING REUNIFICATION …
MORE DIFFICULT.
VOA’S ALINE BARROS (pronounced: uh-LEE-nee Barrows)
REPORTS.
[[STOP]]
[[BARROS PKG]]
((Video: migrant caravans))
((NARRATOR))
Like thousands of migrants, Luis left Guatemala with his teenage son in May 2018 to escape local gangs, trekking more than 2,000 kilometers to the U.S.-Mexico border.
((“Luis,” Guatemalan migrant father)) ((In Spanish)) ((cg: Skype))
“I encountered border patrol officers who took me and my son. They told me my child had to be separated from me because I was going to criminal detention.”
((NARRATOR))
“Luis” is not his real name and VOA agreed to protect his identity.
((“Luis,” asylum-seeker from Guatemala)) ((In Spanish)) ((cg: Skype))
“Officials told me ‘You can’t ask anything. If you ask questions, we’re going to file more charges against you.’”
((Video: Trump at WH, US-Mexico border, detention facilities
((NARRATOR))
Luis and his son arrived at a time when the administration of former President Donald Trump had declared a zero-tolerance policy for immigrants found illegally crossing the border.
((Mandatory courtesy: Department of Defense ))
Luis’ son joined thousands of migrant children — some just toddlers — kept in holding facilities.
((End courtesy))
((SOT - wailing children in detention from 2018))
((Radio track: Former President Trump spoke in 2018))
((Former U.S. President Donald Trump)) ((June 2018))
“I don’t want children taken away from parents and [but] when you prosecute the parents for coming in illegally, which should happen, you have to take the children away.”
((Radio track: Luis is still traumatized))
((Luis, Guatemalan migrant father)) ((In Spanish)) ((quote video "parent 2" at 1:04)) ((cg: Skype))
“It was torture what they did to us.”
((Video: Luis, US detention facilities))
((NARRATOR))
Luis was deported to Guatemala.
((Mandatory courtesy: Department of Defense ))
His son stayed in custody until a relative living in the U.S. became his guardian.
((End courtesy))
Today, hundreds of migrant children remain separated from their parents, a situation President Joe Biden has promised to remedy.
((U.S. President Joe Biden))
“We’re going to work to undo the moral and national shame of the previous administration that literally, not figuratively, ripped children from the arms of their families, their mothers and fathers at the border.”
((Video: Biden, migrant families))
((NARRATOR))
The Biden administration created a family reunification task force. But finding deported parents is a daunting task, according to an American lawyer fighting to reunite families.
((Radio track: Lee Gelernt is with the American Civil Liberties Union))
((Lee Gelernt, American Civil Liberties Union)) ((cg: Skype))
“We’re looking for the Biden administration to do a few, very specific things. The first is to help us find the remaining 500 families and that means giving us whatever contact information they have. The second is for the Biden administration to allow parents to return to the United States to reunify with their children, some of those children are young and have been away from their parents for years now.”
((NARRATOR))
The ultimate solution, according to immigration lawyers, is to grant legal status so reunited families can remain in the United States. The Biden administration says it is open to the idea.
((Radio track: Alejandro Mayorkas is U.S. Homeland Security Secretary))
((Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary))
“If, in fact, they seek to reunite here in the United States, we will explore lawful pathways for them to remain in the United States.”
((Video provided by Aroldo Palacios – must credit))
((NARRATOR))
Meanwhile, the work of finding deported parents continues with the help of nonprofits scouring remote areas across Central America.
((Radio track: Aroldo Palacios is a Guatemalan Lawyer with Justice in Motion.))
((Aroldo Palacios, Guatemalan Lawyer, Justice in Motion)) ((cg: Skype))
“Many times, we obtain more information from records of the people here in Guatemala through birth certificates and we can see where the parents are from. In other cases, we have to go to the community leaders and try to ask if they know a certain person.”
((NARRATOR))
More than 5,000 families were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. Parents of 105 children were found in February. Luis and his son were reunited in the U.S., but the search continues for the parents of some 500 children.
((Aline Barros, VOA News, Washington.))
[[GRETA]]
IT IS NOT JUST …
MIGRANTS FROM …
LATIN AMERICA …
MAKING THE DANGEROUS JOURNEY …
TO THE UNITED STATES BORDER.
MORE THAN 16-HUNDRED PEOPLE …
REPRESENTING 36 COUNTRIES …
ACROSS AFRICA …
WERE RECENTLY APPREHENDED …
AT ONE SECTION …
OF THE BORDER.
AND VOA’S ELIZABETH LEE …
HAS THE STORY …
OF ONE HAITIAN WOMAN’S …
HARROWING JOURNEY.
[[STOP]]
[[ELIZABETH LEE PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
For many migrants, getting to the land of opportunity is a dangerous journey. But for Mosemie Altidor, an asylum-seeker from Haiti, the situation in her home country was worse.
((Mosemie Altidor, Haitian Asylum-Seeker)) ((Female)) ((In Haitian Creole))
“Two robbers attacked me, they beat me, they stabbed me.”
((NARRATOR))
She says she almost died. Unable to support her three children, Altidor left them with her mother and traveled to Belize to find work and eventually ended up joining a caravan to walk to the United States, while pregnant.
((Mosemie Altidor, Haitian Asylum-Seeker)) ((Female)) ((In Haitian Creole))
“I didn't see a life there — I only saw death — so instead of dying, I took the road.”
((NARRATOR))
When Altidor arrived in Mexico, she was left behind. She made it to the border only through the help of strangers and was allowed to enter the U.S.
((Mosemie Altidor, Asylum-Seeker from Haiti)) ((Female)) ((In Haitian Creole))
“They were not going to hold me because I was pregnant.”
((NARRATOR))
In the U.S., Altidor, her now 18-month-old baby, and approximately 60 other Haitian migrants live in temporary housing provided by the Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego while they wait for their immigration court hearings. But they are the exception, says Guerline Jozef of Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit community organization.
((Guerline Jozef, Haitian Bridge Alliance Co-Founder))
“In February alone, we had over a thousand people who got deported and sometimes would be one deportation flight, and we also saw up to three deportation flights in one day. And as I mentioned, in those flights, we saw, we saw pregnant women, 26-weeks pregnant women. We saw infants as young as 1 and 2 months old.”
((NARRATOR))
Jozef says this is not the time to deport Haitians, when their home country is currently experiencing political unrest after an alleged failed coup.
((Guerline Jozef, Haitian Bridge Alliance Co-Founder))
“We are demanding the Biden administration to stop the deportation expulsions.”
((NARRATOR))
The Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, has not responded to VOA’s request for a comment about deportations of asylum-seekers from Haiti.
But DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is asking all asylum-seekers to wait, as the Biden administration revises former President Donald Trump’s immigration policy during a pandemic.
((Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary))
“If they come, if families come, if single adults come to the border, we are obligated to, in the service of public health, including the health of the very people who are thinking of coming, to impose travel restrictions.”
((NARRATOR))
…Meaning deportations. However, there are reports of inconsistent treatment of migrants.
[[FOR RADIO: says Pajanor]]
((Vino Pajanor, Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego))
“We are hearing across the border not only in San Diego, in McAllen, Texas, and other places, that people are getting processed and let in and some of the same Haitian groups that are coming through are deported.”
((NARRATOR))
Even for Altidor who is allowed to enter, her future is far from certain, as her fate will be decided by an immigration court.
((Elizabeth Lee, VOA News))
[[GRETA O/C]]
SINCE TAKING OFFICE ...
PRESIDENT BIDEN ...
HAS REVERSED …
SEVERAL OF HIS PREDECESSOR’S ...
IMMIGRATION POLICIES …
FROM HALTING CONSTRUCTION ...
OF THE BORDER WALL ...
TO REUNITING SEPARATED FAMILIES.
BIDEN ALSO PUT VICE PRESIDENT …
KAMALA HARRIS ...
IN CHARGE OF IMMIGRATION ISSUES.
ON MARCH 25TH, PRESIDENT BIDEN ...
ADDRESSED THIS TOPIC ...
AND LAID OUT HIS PLAN ...
TO STABILIZE THE BORDER.
[[STOP]]
[[BIDENSOT]]
SOT: The way to deal with this problem -- and I started to deal with it back when I was a United States senator -- I mean, Vice President -- putting together a bipartisan plan of over $700 million to deal with the root causes of why people are leaving.
What did Trump do? He eliminated that funding. He didn't use it. He didn't do it. And in addition to that, what he did -- he dismantled all the elements that exist to deal with what had been a problem and -- and has been -- continued to be a problem for a long time. He, in fact, shut down the -- the number of beds available. He did not fund HHS to get people to get the children out of those -- those Border Patrol facilities where they should not be and not supposed to be more than a few days -- a little while. But he dismantled all of that.
That's why I've asked the Vice President of the United States, yesterday, to be the lead person on dealing with focusing on the fundamental reasons why people leave Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador in the first place.(
We're going to do a lot in our administration. We're going to be spending that 700-plus million dollars a year to change the life and circumstances of why people leave in the first place. I make no apologies for ending programs that did not exist before Trump became President that have an incredibly negative impact on the law, international law, as well as on human dignity. And so, I make no apologies for that.
[[GRETA]]
IMPLEMENTING CHANGES …
TO IMMIGRATION …
AND ASYLUM POLICIES …
HAS CHALLENGES POLITICALLY …
AND LEGALLY.
ALBERTO GONZALES …
LED THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT …
AS ATTORNEY GENERAL …
UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH.
HE IS NOW THE DEAN …
OF BELMONT UNIVERSITY …
COLLEGE OF LAW …
IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.
I ASKED HIM …
ABOUT IMPLEMENTING …
CHANGES TO IMMIGRATION …
AND ASYLUM POLICIES.
[[STOP]]
[[GONZALES INTERVIEW SOT]]
GVS: Greta Van Susteren
AG: Alberto Gonzales
AG: It's extremely difficult Greta. and we- the proof of that is the fact that we have not be able to solve this problem for decades because immigration policy affects our national security, it affects our economy, it affects families. It affects the very nature of who we are as a country and as a people.
GVS: In 2014 there was a surge during President Obama's administration. Again 2019 there was another surge of people coming in during President Trump's administration. Now 2021, we have the same thing with President Biden. The numbers though are the bigger. Any sort of thought about why the numbers seem to be bigger right now?
AG: It could be a number of factors. One, it could be the perception outside our borders about the fact that there is greater opportunity to come to America, to be allowed to come to America and to pursue a better life. It could be that we have worse conditions in Mexico and Central America. The reason that people come into this country, certainly unlawfully, is because they're avoiding persecution. They want, they're seeking a better life. I know as a father, what wouldn’t I do to try to provide my family to my sons and daughters an opportunity for a better life? And so I think those are the reasons why I think people are coming here to America.
GVS: You know, we always think in this country about immigration with our southern border. but there are a lot of people who come into this country on visas through our international airports and overstay the visas. And then, of course they're in violation of law. You have any sort of sense of how big a problem that is?
AG: I can't tell, it's been a while since I've looked at the numbers. But I know that in looking at this five or 10 years ago, we identified this as a component of a comprehensive plan and that is to revise our visa process. We have you're right, we have people that come into this country on a work visa. We also have a lot of people that come to this country on a student visa and they come here, they graduate and then they disappear in our society or they come into this country, the employer doesn't do a very good job of monitoring where the employee goes after they are no longer are employed.
GVS: And you think of the problem that many young people have in this country, that they came to the United States with their parents when they were young, not knowing that they had come here illegally. and then they grew up and when they turn 18 or something apply for a job they find out they're here in the country illegally and they risk deportation. And we've had a lot of sort of Band-Aid efforts, calling them Dreamers or DACA And we tried to sort of piece together a solution. But even that doesn't offer much certainty to those people.
AG: No, and there's no question about it and I'm somewhat sympathetic to these individuals You know, they came to this country through no fault of their own. This is the only country that we've ever known. They've grown up here They've been educated here, and I'm sympathetic to that. Now obviously, there's got to be a way to make it right for those who have followed the rules and are living outside our borders and are waiting to come into this country lawfully so, but I as a general matter, I'm sympathetic to those who were brought here by their parents and again, they didn't make the conscious choice to come to this country unlawfully.
GVS: What do we do about unaccompanied minors?
AG: I don't know if there is a good resolution Greta, and you know, we can't send them back, they're minors. I think we have a moral obligation to provide for them, to some degree, long term, I just don't know. I think this is the thing that's really presented a serious issue for the current administration. Again you can't send them back. I think we have to find some kind of solution. One thing we could do perhaps is work with the home governments and see if we can provide some kind of inducement, some kind of additional aid to them to to help care for the for these minors as we return them back to their home countries. But I think we have a responsibility to make sure that whatever happens next, that they're placed in in a situation where they're not going to be harmed. After that we can't account for what happens. But right now once they're in our custody, we have an obligation as to what happens next is to ensure that that they're placed in a safe situation.
GVS: There's a natural border in some areas like we have the Rio Grande River that separates part of Mexico from the United States, and then President Trump had a, had a built a wall was going to was starting to build a wall, much of it is completed, but highly controversial in this country. was the wall was the wall Is something a good idea? Should it be completed or was that just a bad idea?
AG: I've never been a fan of the wall, Greta. I’ve always, now don't get me wrong, I believe in secure borders and I believe that's a top priority for our government. But I think there are more effective ways to secure our southern border than spending the money that it would take to complete a border along the entire southern border. and I'm talking about greater use of technology relying upon the natural terrain, more border agents. And so I think there are other ways to secure our border. I think it just sends a better message than simply building a wall, as President Bush George Bush used to say, “you know, you don't build a fence between your neighbor and yourself. That just sends the wrong message.” I think that we all understand that that part of our success in this country depends upon the success of Mexico. And so we need to be working together to solve these kind of problems.
GVS: Judge thank you very much for joining me.
AG: Thank you for having me.
[[GRETA]]
WE MENTIONED EARLIER …
THAT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ...
ORDERED A PAUSE ...
IN BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION …
WHICH WAS A KEY PART …
OF FORMER PRESIDENT...
DONALD TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION AGENDA.
BUT THE BORDER WALL …
IS CREATING …
AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE …
AS WELL.
FROM SOUTHERN ARIZONA,
REPORTER MEGAN JANETSKY ((pronounced juh-NET-skee))
TELLS US MORE.
[[STOP]]
[[JANETSKY PKG]]
(NARRATOR))
The San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge usually is a place where the only sounds are desert winds and the trickling of water in rivers and ponds.
((Nat sound construction))
However, in recent months government contractors worked day-and-night to rapidly build barriers in remote, federally controlled lands like these.
Now, as President Joe Biden pledges a halt wall construction, scientists like Myles Traphagan worry damage has already been done to native species.
The refuge is tucked in the far reaches of the desert, which sees little human migration.
((FOR RADIO: Myles Traphagan is Borderlands Program Coordinator with The Wildlands Network))
((Myles Traphagan, Wildlands Network Borderlands Coordinator))
“This is a migratory corridor for wildlife, and it has been for thousands of years and a lot of animals follow drainages like this. It’s the obvious thing to do, you know.”
((NARRATOR))
Surrounding mountains and valleys, known as the Sky Islands, are critical land where...
((Mandatory courtesy: The Wildlands Network))
….mountain lion, javalina, bobcat, North American jaguar and other species migrate
((end courtesy))
...across the border.
Traphagan has worked as a biologist here since 1996, using motion sensor cameras to track animal migration.
After wall construction got underway, he says the animals all but disappeared.
((Myles Traphagan, The Wildlands Network Borderlands Coordinator))
((Mandatory cg: The Wildlands Network))
“But since the border wall has been built, you have a 30-foot steel wall, with gaps of only four inches wide between the ballards, that’s what they call the beams, ballards. So basically, nothing larger than a
((Mandatory courtesy, The Wildlands Network))
cotton tailed rabbit could pass through the wall now, so therefore it’s a huge impediment to wildlife movement.”
((NARRATOR))
The Trump administration built more than 720 kilometers or 450 miles of wall along the southern border, much of it on federal land to avoid legal battles from private landowners. Officials waved regulations– like the Endangered Species Act – under a 2005 law allowing them to build on protected land like San Bernadino.
In his final days in office, Trump visited the wall near McAllen, Texas.
((Then President Donald Trump))
“And today we celebrate an extraordinary milestone: the completion of the promised 450 miles of border wall. Four hundred and fifty miles. Nobody realizes how big that is.”
((NARRATOR))
By focusing on federal lands, environmentalists say construction has had an outsize impact on some vulnerable species. Builders also drained the local groundwater to make the concrete, drying out the natural habitat of four threatened or endangered fish species.
Ten miles away in Guadalupe Canyon, John Kurc, an activist and wildlife photographer, says wall crews already blasted through mountains with dynamite, destroying critical habitat for the last remaining wild jaguars in the United States.
Although President Biden ordered an “immediate pause” on construction, some environmentalists want him to go further and take down the existing walls.
((John Kurc, Photographer & Activist))
“We’ve been promised by the new administration that they will terminate all wall building. That gives some hope to the animals that are in places where there is no barrier right now. But areas like San Bernardino, areas such as this area, Coronado National Forest, Coronado National monument, those are areas where we need sections of that wall taken down.”
((NARRATOR))
The Biden administration says it expects to develop a plan to address what to do with the border wall construction in the next two months.
((Megan Janetsky, for VOA News, the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona))
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