1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: And so we wanted to talk with Will Herd, who, 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 1: of course representative border district in Texas. The twenty three 3 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:09,960 Speaker 1: covers about five between San Antonio and El Paso served 4 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: on the Intelligence Committee, dealt with the immigration issue a 5 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: lot after a career in the CIA, and wanted his 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 1: view on all of this. Congressmen, welcome back to Bloomberg. 7 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: It's great to have you. Is there any chance of 8 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,119 Speaker 1: getting immigration reform through this Congress or is this really 9 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: all for show? I think it's going to be difficult because, unfortunately, UM, 10 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: a lot of folks are more interested in using this 11 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: issue as a political blugend against one another in campaigns 12 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,839 Speaker 1: rather than actually solving the issue. And this is an 13 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: issue that started becoming a crisis under the last administration 14 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 1: and Trump administration and has just ballooned under under the 15 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: bind administration. And look, we know what fixes needs to happen. 16 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: It's not like there's some new thing that needs to 17 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: become that needs to come up to be done. Got 18 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: to stop treating everyone that's coming across the border as 19 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: an asylum seeker. Um, we can talk further than out 20 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: if you want. We need to stop, you know, I 21 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: know when the presidents mentioned these eight thousand human smugglers. 22 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: I don't know where those eight thousand human smugglers were dismantled, 23 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: because we should be dismantling networks throughout Central in South America. UM. 24 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: We should be working on streamlining legal immigration as well. UM, 25 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: and we should be still working on some of the 26 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 1: root causes that is causing people to leave your homegome. 27 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,320 Speaker 1: Historically speaking, you know, a lot of illegal immigration was 28 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: coming from Honduras, So what a Guatemala Over the last 29 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: year and a half or so, it's basically almost every country, 30 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: UM that that has been coming here. But historically asked 31 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: the PROMA, we can be addressing those root causes there. 32 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: So so those are those are some of the buckets 33 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: that we need to be addressing. Well. Speaker McCarthy says 34 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: he's on a listening tour though, kind of like they're 35 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 1: starting from scratch here. If you think that we already 36 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: know the solutions, why can't we start writing a bill? Look, so, 37 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: so part of this also is implementation of existing laws. UM. 38 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: There's been a lot of discussion about Title forty two. 39 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: This is using health reasons to prevent somebody from coming 40 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: in the country. But there's already legislation, is already a 41 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: role called Title eight. A Title eight basically says that 42 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:21,399 Speaker 1: if somebody is coming into the country illegally um oftentimes 43 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: defined by coming in between our points of intrigue, that 44 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: doesn't have proper identification, that they're they're they're illegally in 45 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: the country and can be deportive. That doesn't have to 46 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: go through an immigration court. It's it's it's expedited removal 47 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: that can be happening immediately. Why um, that's using that 48 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,519 Speaker 1: Title eight was something that stopped under the Trump administration 49 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:51,919 Speaker 1: and President Biden's administration has has continued this notion of asylum. 50 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: Asylum is very clear what asylum is. You have to 51 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: be part of a protected class, meaning, um, you know 52 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 1: bay us on your your gender, your ethnicity, your sexual orientation, 53 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: and that you're being persecuted by your government because you're 54 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: a member of that protected class, or you're being persecuted 55 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,519 Speaker 1: by a group because you're part of that protected class 56 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: and your government won't defend you. Right that those are 57 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 1: the reason doesn't that cover pretty much all of Central America? Though? No, 58 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: and it doesn't. It actually doesn't. Right, what if you're 59 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: coming from an oppressive, an oppressive regime, and you're knocking 60 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: on the door at the United States. How do you 61 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: make that judgment? Well, so, so it's it's it's clear 62 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 1: in the legal terms, right. So so Honduras, Guatemala, you know, 63 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: Costa Rica, it's not happening now, Venezuela, Cuba, even Russia. 64 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: Now that is something that is is it's it's a 65 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: little bit, it's a little bit. You know, there's more 66 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: likelihood that those grounds are met if you look over 67 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 1: the last thirty years. I'm a people that have asked 68 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: that have sought asylum in the United dates the numbers 69 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: somewhere between like thirty five actually get asylum. So that 70 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: means you know, sevent or actually so so trying to 71 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: come to the US to get a better paying job 72 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: is not a reason to to to seek asylum. So 73 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: oh and by the way, because this system is being abused, 74 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: the people that really need asylum are getting impacted by this, 75 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: and so so that's a big reason why you're seeing this, 76 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: this this influx um. Let me ask you if we 77 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: can just flip the coin here for a second. And 78 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: something that Speaker McCarthy talked about today, and I thought 79 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: It was interesting because you know, there are different ways 80 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: of looking at this. You know, do you go on 81 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 1: the supply side or the demand side, and do you 82 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,039 Speaker 1: go outside of the country as he's suggesting in this case, 83 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 1: to stop things before they ever get to the border. 84 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: Here's McCarthy again. So if you want to stop fenting on, 85 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: the first call you should make is the president. She's 86 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: exactly what I told President Biden inside the Oval Office 87 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: the other week. Called President she and tell them to 88 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: stop the chemicals coming down. If you want to stop 89 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:13,120 Speaker 1: the cartels, you gotta be serious about it. These are 90 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: terrorist organizations. Call them as such and take the action 91 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: to stop them. They are making billions of dollars. They 92 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:23,280 Speaker 1: are human trafficking. So we'll heard. How much of this 93 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 1: is is a diplomatic failure as opposed to a security 94 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 1: failure at the border? Um? I think a lot of it, 95 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:33,479 Speaker 1: And I would even broaden that into saying a diplomatic 96 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: failure but also an intelligence failure. Um. You know, we 97 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: it is hard to get from Guatemala City to Del Rio, 98 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: Texas and people, you know, when when people are coming 99 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: across the border, and what people have to remember the 100 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: two million people that came to the country illegally last year, 101 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: A lot of them in essence surrendered, you know, they 102 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 1: came across the border legally trying to find someone from 103 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: border patrol and surrendered themselves. Oftentimes they had a phone 104 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: number of someone who smuggled them. They had a license 105 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 1: plate of a bus they were supposed to get on 106 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: to transit through Central American Mexico. They had a meeting 107 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: location and where to go. A lot of that information 108 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: is being collected by border patrol. Our Intelligence service is 109 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 1: gonna be using that to work with partner countries in 110 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: order to dismantle those those networks. Yeah. See that sounds 111 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: like a much more realistic or mightly more effective approach here. 112 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:30,160 Speaker 1: And I know that you were always known for having 113 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 1: kind of a high tech view on this when it 114 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:36,159 Speaker 1: comes to border security. How do you layer that on 115 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:38,279 Speaker 1: on top of what we're talking about here? I know 116 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: that you were not a fan of the Wall, for instance, 117 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,599 Speaker 1: which is something that speaker McCarthy was talking about. Your 118 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: quote back then the wall was a third century solution 119 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: to a twenty one century problem. So how do we 120 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: employ better technology here? Yeah? And it looks so we 121 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:56,840 Speaker 1: should be able to have what the the official time 122 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: term is operational control of our border. We should know 123 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: everything that's coming back and forth across the border and 124 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:08,039 Speaker 1: guess what. Several mile by mile assessments of what kind 125 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: of tool needs to go along that border has already 126 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: been done. We know whether a physical barrier like like 127 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: a physical barrier makes sense when there is urban to 128 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: urban contact, but in far West Texas, where it takes 129 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: border patrol hours or days to respond to something at 130 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: the border, a physical barrier is not going to stop anything. 131 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: So you need technology that can detect the threat and 132 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: monitor that threat until someone is able to deplore. You 133 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: need additional manpower for sure. So we know all of 134 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:41,320 Speaker 1: the different tools, and multiple administrations have done these mile 135 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: by mile assessments. Those mile by mile assessments have found 136 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: out the same thing. So so this is an addition 137 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: that we need. Like you know, everyone is to be 138 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,239 Speaker 1: a lot less expensive than building a wall the length 139 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: of the border. Correct this money? Yeah it look it 140 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: is and and and it's a fraction of the cost. 141 00:07:58,160 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: You know. You know we're talking about all these ballowns 142 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: right that the Chinese surveillance balloon and potentially balloons plural 143 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: there's a number of drones that are coming across our 144 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 1: border in the southern border, and that's bringing in drugs 145 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: and monitoring whether there's there's um border patrol agents. We're 146 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:17,360 Speaker 1: also seeing um U unmanned vehicles in the in the 147 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: in the oceans um as well, and so so so 148 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 1: we have to have an all of the above approach. 149 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: And there's not one thing that's going to fix this problem. 150 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: It's multiple things, and it starts at the source. It starts, 151 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: you know, here in our country. Oh and by the way, 152 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:34,439 Speaker 1: it's a fraction on the cost to deal with these 153 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: problems um you know, overseas and the arm before they 154 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 1: get to our border. And so so we need people, 155 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:42,320 Speaker 1: we need leaders and understand all these things that are 156 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:44,839 Speaker 1: more interested in solving the problem, that are going to 157 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: work with people that to be honest, that don't like 158 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 1: one another in order to have some common sense problems 159 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 1: to what's really a crisis. The former Republican of Texas 160 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: congressman Will hurt of really appreciate the time. Thanks for 161 00:08:58,520 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: being with us.