1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: In late June, ten states, led by Texas and its 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: Attorney General Ken Paxton, set a September five deadline for 3 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 1: President Trump to say he would end the DOCCA deferred 4 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: deportation program. If Trump did neck by then, Paxton said 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: he'd see the administration in court. Yesterday, of course, the 6 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: administration did indeed announced plans to phase out DACCA. That's 7 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: the Obama policy that applies to eight hundred thousand people 8 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 1: who entered the US illegally as children. With us to 9 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:27,639 Speaker 1: talk about the President's decision is Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. 10 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: General Paxton, thanks so much for joining us. When when 11 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: we booked you yesterday, I thought I was going to 12 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: ask you about what seemed to be a clean victory 13 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: for you on this issue. But then last night the 14 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: President uh put out a tweet and he seemed to 15 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: suggest he might eventually reverse court. He tweeted that if 16 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: Congress doesn't legalize DACA in six months, he will quote 17 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: revisit this issue. Did you declare victory too soon? I 18 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: don't think so. Uh. You know, well, I don't know 19 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: what's going to happen six months down the road. It 20 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,279 Speaker 1: should be obviously Congress dealing with this. That's all we've 21 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: ever made the argument on is this. Congress should deal 22 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: with this. This is not something that is in the 23 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: power of the presidency, and I think the president knows 24 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: that he criticized this during his campaign as unconstitutional, So 25 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: I I find it hard to believe that he would 26 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: go back and do something that is outside of his 27 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: area of responsibility or that he's given authority into the 28 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: Constitution to do. General, you were the leader, as Greg mentioned, 29 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: of a group of state attorneys general who gave Trump 30 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: a deadline to end DACA. Do you have any concerns 31 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: for these dreamers who played by the rules? Are country 32 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: set for them? Absolutely? I think that Congress does need 33 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: to deal with this issue and figure out what our 34 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: policy going forward is. But I do it's always important 35 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:45,119 Speaker 1: how the process is done. You know, our founders didn't 36 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: want a king, and they certainly didn't. That's why we 37 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: set up That's why they set the constitution up the 38 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: way they did. And it really doesn't matter how the 39 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: process is done. And so I'm not opposed to Congress 40 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: addressing this issue, but I am opposed to the President 41 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: of States changing law and act acting outside of what 42 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: what his constitutional duties are well, what specifically should be 43 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: done with them? So you have eight hundred thousand people. 44 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: I don't know exactly how many of them are in Texas, 45 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: I know it's a large number. Right now. These are 46 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: people who have lives, They have the right to hold 47 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: down jobs, and they don't have to fear at least 48 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: immediately being being deported. Uh what what sorts of rights 49 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: should those people have? Well, so, look, the problem with 50 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: the president President Obama doing this is that it's a 51 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: house of cards. It's not built on anything done legally, 52 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: and so it's it's just as easily undone as you 53 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: saw yesterday. If if they're going to be granted certain 54 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: status like Obama Wana, which was a green card and 55 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: an ultimately citizenship um, that needs to be done congressionally 56 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: through statue because that that that is what controls immigration law. 57 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,800 Speaker 1: So my suggestion is, hey, if if Congress wants to 58 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: address this issue, and I think they should, then deal 59 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: with it the right way and and change law. Have 60 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: the debate. General leaders in the construction industry have been 61 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: sounding the alarm across the country that there won't be 62 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: enough American born workers to rebuild as quickly as needed. 63 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: And the executive vice president of the Houston Contractors Association 64 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: said that even before Harvey hit, contractors were grappling with 65 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: a shortage of workers. And these jobs are pouring concrete 66 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: or hot else asphalt. Immigrants really helped to rebuild New 67 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Do you have any fears that 68 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: there won't be enough construction workers to rebuild Texas? So 69 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: this is another reason that Congress. You know, Congress has 70 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: six months to deal with this and to address this issue. 71 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: This is another reason that Congress should look at that 72 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: and figure out what does American need, What kind of 73 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: immigration policy do we need, What kind of people do 74 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: we want coming to this country, what would be most 75 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,040 Speaker 1: beneficial to the American people and to the American on 76 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: me and and as those are legitimate questions to ask, 77 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: and I think they need to be asked and then 78 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: debated and then answered and voted on. So generalize. You know, 79 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: Congress sometimes has trouble getting things done, agreeing on things. 80 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: And and given the president's tweet last night about the 81 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: possibility that he will revisit this issue, of Congress can't 82 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,359 Speaker 1: come up with an agreement in six months. If the 83 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:26,920 Speaker 1: President decides to reinstate, DOCCA, will you file a lawsuit 84 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,279 Speaker 1: at that point. Look, I'm not going to speculate on 85 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: what he's gonna do or how he's gonna do it. 86 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: My guess is that whatever he does, he'll do he'll 87 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,919 Speaker 1: be very thorough about making sure that it's legitimately and 88 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: done under his authorities president and not made up laws. 89 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: So I haven't seen this president do that what what 90 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: Obama did, but and so don't. I don't expect him 91 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,719 Speaker 1: to change course now and violate his constitutional authority. He's 92 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,600 Speaker 1: He's done an amazing job following the law he's been 93 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: in office, and I expect him to continue it. General. 94 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: Just a question then about he signed more than forty 95 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: executive orders, ranging from stopping immigrants from some Muslim countries 96 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: from entering the US to stopping transgender people from serving 97 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: in the military. We have about forty five seconds. Why 98 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: isn't that wrong? If you feel that what President Obama 99 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: did by executive order is wrong, well, fundamentally two different things. 100 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: Obama we ended up suing the administration, UH twenty seven times. 101 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: We sued the federal government and Trump we looked at 102 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: his stuff. The travel band we actually supported, so the 103 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: difference is that that Obama was making up law, which 104 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: is what Congress is supposed to do. If you look 105 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: at the travel band and other other executive orders, he's 106 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: the president. President Trump was following specific outline statutes passed 107 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: by Congress, and so he's acting within his authority by 108 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: statute and by Constitution versus Obama just saying I'm not 109 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: gonna work with cargners, I'm going to become carners. There's 110 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: a big difference. I want to thank our guests. That 111 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: was Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He was a leader 112 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: in challenging Sident Obama's defer deportation policies. Uh. President Trump 113 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: inherited those and under threat of legal action from General Paxixton, 114 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: President Trump yesterday announced that he would phase out the 115 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: program known as DACA. Thanks very much, Attorney General Ken Paxton.