Fmr. Biden DHS Official: Surge at Border ‘Should Surprise No One’ — We Should Have Been Better Prepared

PITTS Good evening Thank ░░░░░░░░ for joining us Tonight ░░░░░░░░ is new and disturbing ░░░░░░░░ America s crisis at ░░░░░░░░ southern border is getting ░░░░░░░░ not better This month ░░░░░░░░ surge of migrants at ░░░░░░░░ border is on pace ░░░░░░░░ break a record Our ░░░░░░░░ has spent considerable time ░░░░░░░░ the stories of families ░░░░░░░░ it all to have ░░░░░░░░ every decent family in ░░░░░░░░ and everyone else for ░░░░░░░░ matter wants for their ░░░░░░░░ children a better life ░░░░░░░░ there is a high ░░░░░░░░ to pay for all ░░░░░░░░ Here s ABC s ░░░░░░░░ Rivers Clip starts ALVAREZ ░░░░░░░░ subtitled My situation is ░░░░░░░░ sad and the situation ░░░░░░░░ is happening in my ░░░░░░░░ RIVERS voice over After ░░░░░░░░ agonizing three month journey ░░░░░░░░ his home country of ░░░░░░░░ for John Luis Alvarez ░░░░░░░░ is welcome to America ░░░░░░░░ alone penniless he s ░░░░░░░░ to ask for money ░░░░░░░░ the streets of El ░░░░░░░░ Texas ALVAREZ I m ░░░░░░░░ for money Honestly I ░░░░░░░░ never asked in my ░░░░░░░░ I m hungry and ░░░░░░░░ really want to complete ░░░░░░░░ trip RIVERS The 21 ░░░░░░░░ old nursing student hungry ░░░░░░░░ solely by purpose ALVAREZ ░░░░░░░░ mom suffers from tuberculosis ░░░░░░░░ so I was in ░░░░░░░░ hurry RIVERS as subtitled ░░░░░░░░ you came here to ░░░░░░░░ your mom because she ░░░░░░░░ sick ALVAREZ Yes I ░░░░░░░░ y papers and I ░░░░░░░░ to get ahead with ░░░░░░░░ because I see that ░░░░░░░░ is a future there ░░░░░░░░ voice over Alvarez s ░░░░░░░░ of determination over desperation ░░░░░░░░ common at the border ░░░░░░░░ s part of a ░░░░░░░░ growing number of migrants ░░░░░░░░ in the past two ░░░░░░░░ seeking asylum the vast ░░░░░░░░ from Venezuela COHEN The ░░░░░░░░ we re seeing now ░░░░░░░░ be only the tip ░░░░░░░░ the iceberg Not only ░░░░░░░░ people begin relocating to ░░░░░░░░ and South America years ░░░░░░░░ but but people have ░░░░░░░░ to travel to that ░░░░░░░░ intending to come to ░░░░░░░░ United States RIVERS Some ░░░░░░░░ them trekking through the ░░░░░░░░ jungles of the Darien ░░░░░░░░ to reach North America ░░░░░░░░ reported more than 142 ░░░░░░░░ migrant encounters at the ░░░░░░░░ border in the first ░░░░░░░░ of September alone on ░░░░░░░░ to be the highest ░░░░░░░░ month this year if ░░░░░░░░ of all time In ░░░░░░░░ past week U S ░░░░░░░░ Patrol apprehended about 8 ░░░░░░░░ migrants per day numbers ░░░░░░░░ we haven t seen ░░░░░░░░ the final days of ░░░░░░░░ 42 the pandemic era ░░░░░░░░ that allowed officials to ░░░░░░░░ expel most migrants at ░░░░░░░░ border without allowing asylum ░░░░░░░░ SOTO We knew at ░░░░░░░░ time that migrants were ░░░░░░░░ in Mexico to understand ░░░░░░░░ the U S policies ░░░░░░░░ the Biden Administration would ░░░░░░░░ them And now we ░░░░░░░░ seeing those migrants beginning ░░░░░░░░ return to those movements ░░░░░░░░ The influx straining border ░░░░░░░░ LESSER We ve gotten ░░░░░░░░ the breaking point RIVERS ░░░░░░░░ big cities around the ░░░░░░░░ Adams This issue will ░░░░░░░░ New York City RIVERS ░░░░░░░░ raising questions for the ░░░░░░░░ government RIVERS on camera ░░░░░░░░ sustainable is this your ░░░░░░░░ to respond to this ░░░░░░░░ of people at the ░░░░░░░░ OWENS This isn t ░░░░░░░░ RIVERS voice over The ░░░░░░░░ crisis revealing just how ░░░░░░░░ our immigration system is ░░░░░░░░ The current surge at ░░░░░░░░ southern border should surprise ░░░░░░░░ one What is surprising ░░░░░░░░ that we aren t ░░░░░░░░ prepared to deal with ░░░░░░░░ that we do not ░░░░░░░░ a comprehensive national plan ░░░░░░░░ In Eagle Pass Texas ░░░░░░░░ the tension between federal ░░░░░░░░ state agencies on full ░░░░░░░░ The Texas National Guard ░░░░░░░░ more wire as a ░░░░░░░░ of migrants lined up ░░░░░░░░ the Rio Grande to ░░░░░░░░ through only for federal ░░░░░░░░ Patrol officers to step ░░░░░░░░ and cut the wire ░░░░░░░░ Patrol Chief Jason Owens ░░░░░░░░ his team OWENS To ░░░░░░░░ my men and women ░░░░░░░░ sit there and watch ░░░░░░░░ to come to the ░░░░░░░░ to ask them to ░░░░░░░░ them get swept away ░░░░░░░░ the river to ask ░░░░░░░░ to watch women and ░░░░░░░░ drown is not something ░░░░░░░░ or anybody else would ░░░░░░░░ do I applaud them ░░░░░░░░ I support them 100 ░░░░░░░░ for doing what they ░░░░░░░░ to do to protect ░░░░░░░░ lives of not just ░░░░░░░░ but everybody that s ░░░░░░░░ RIVERS Late last week ░░░░░░░░ Pass declared a state ░░░░░░░░ emergency after more than ░░░░░░░░ 000 migrants entered the ░░░░░░░░ town of just 28 ░░░░░░░░ SALINAS This is definitely ░░░░░░░░ very serious situation for ░░░░░░░░ city of Eagle Pass ░░░░░░░░ The city s mayor ░░░░░░░░ Salinas expressing his outrage ░░░░░░░░ the White House in ░░░░░░░░ recent interview with CNN ░░░░░░░░ We re here abandoned ░░░░░░░░ re on the border ░░░░░░░░ re asking for help ░░░░░░░░ is unacceptable RIVERS Owens ░░░░░░░░ top U S official ░░░░░░░░ on the front lines ░░░░░░░░ human smugglers surged migrants ░░░░░░░░ Eagle Pass for a ░░░░░░░░ OWENS I believe it ░░░░░░░░ a money making opportunity ░░░░░░░░ those smugglers And I ░░░░░░░░ it s a distraction ░░░░░░░░ them to cross other ░░░░░░░░ into the country RIVERS ░░░░░░░░ camera Other things like ░░░░░░░░ Narcotics fentanyl book cash ░░░░░░░░ people of interest whether ░░░░░░░░ be hardened criminals gang ░░░░░░░░ convicted convicted sexual predators ░░░░░░░░ voice over Five hundred ░░░░░░░░ away from Eagle Pass ░░░░░░░░ El Paso the city ░░░░░░░░ to bus migrants to ░░░░░░░░ chosen final destination LESSER ░░░░░░░░ the asylum seekers coming ░░░░░░░░ El Paso they re ░░░░░░░░ coming to El Paso ░░░░░░░░ re they re coming ░░░░░░░░ the United States RIVERS ░░░░░░░░ of new arrivals lined ░░░░░░░░ to board this bus ░░░░░░░░ to New York City ░░░░░░░░ the mayor is trying ░░░░░░░░ reduce the number of ░░░░░░░░ the city will shelter ░░░░░░░░ adults In Sunland Park ░░░░░░░░ Mexico 15 minutes from ░░░░░░░░ Paso Fire Chief Danny ░░░░░░░░ has been responding when ░░░░░░░░ hurt themselves trying to ░░░░░░░░ over this wall MEDRANO ░░░░░░░░ this is what leads ░░░░░░░░ the broken ankles the ░░░░░░░░ on camera Broken ankles ░░░░░░░░ skulls yeah that kind ░░░░░░░░ stuff MEDRANO Right RIVERS ░░░░░░░░ RIVERS voice over And ░░░░░░░░ the accidents are deadly ░░░░░░░░ We re seeing a ░░░░░░░░ of search and rescues ░░░░░░░░ lot of body recoveries ░░░░░░░░ on camera Deaths MEDRANO ░░░░░░░░ deaths RIVERS How difficult ░░░░░░░░ that for your department ░░░░░░░░ Well it is difficult ░░░░░░░░ we make the call ░░░░░░░░ that person is still ░░░░░░░░ and we re trying ░░░░░░░░ resuscitate we look at ░░░░░░░░ as a failure on ░░░░░░░░ part RIVERS voice over ░░░░░░░░ many who make the ░░░░░░░░ the risk is worth ░░░░░░░░ A large part of ░░░░░░░░ influx has been displaced ░░░░░░░░ Since 2015 more than ░░░░░░░░ million Venezuelans have left ░░░░░░░░ the country spiraled into ░░░░░░░░ economic and subsequent political ░░░░░░░░ Some had north through ░░░░░░░░ notorious Darien Gap We ░░░░░░░░ this group praying before ░░░░░░░░ the trek through the ░░░░░░░░ stretch of Jungle the ░░░░░░░░ usually wet and muddy ░░░░░░░░ what little belongings migrants ░░░░░░░░ own a pair of ░░░░░░░░ a shoe a small ░░░░░░░░ sock RIVERS on camera ░░░░░░░░ 2022 more than a ░░░░░░░░ million people made their ░░░░░░░░ through the Darien Gap ░░░░░░░░ the time July ended ░░░░░░░░ year that number had ░░░░░░░░ been surpassed The stuff ░░░░░░░░ re seeing here in ░░░░░░░░ Darien we ve never ░░░░░░░░ before RIVERS voice over ░░░░░░░░ and Maria Torres carrying ░░░░░░░░ baby boy up the ░░░░░░░░ hills fighting to give ░░░░░░░░ a chance at a ░░░░░░░░ life RIVERS as subtitles ░░░░░░░░ do you want to ░░░░░░░░ to the United States ░░░░░░░░ TORRES For a better ░░░░░░░░ RIVERS Why is it ░░░░░░░░ to talk about M ░░░░░░░░ Yes RIVERS Tell me ░░░░░░░░ TORRES It s a ░░░░░░░░ of things I just ░░░░░░░░ to arrive there quickly ░░░░░░░░ him better things A ░░░░░░░░ future SOTO What we ░░░░░░░░ there in Darien Gap ░░░░░░░░ to four weeks afterwards ░░░░░░░░ be happening in Mexico ░░░░░░░░ within just a couple ░░░░░░░░ weeks after that will ░░░░░░░░ arriving at the U ░░░░░░░░ Mexico border COHEN The ░░░░░░░░ we re experiencing today ░░░░░░░░ the southern border really ░░░░░░░░ a generational issue We ░░░░░░░░ that we will continue ░░░░░░░░ see large numbers of ░░░░░░░░ fleeing poverty fleeing violence ░░░░░░░░ disease traveling to Central ░░░░░░░░ South America with the ░░░░░░░░ of coming to the ░░░░░░░░ States.”
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