Children flooding across the southern border

close

Video

Children flooding across the southern border

Border Patrol agent on thousands of minors crossing the Mexican border into the US illegally

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," June 12, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET!

O'REILLY: "Impact" segment tonight. We continue our reporting on the southern border chaos. In the past eight months the border patrol says nearly 50,000 minors have entered the USA without any adult supervision at all. Little kids are showing up. Getting across the border now being warehoused by the federal government.

Joining us from Tucson Art Del Cueto, border patrol agent and president of the union down there. So what's going on right now with these kids? I guess a lot of them are being bused from Texas to Arizona because Texas can't handle the numbers? Is that what is happening?

ART DEL CUETO, LOCAL 2544 TUCSON, BORDER PATROL UNION PRESIDENT: Correct. What's going on is they are being actually flown from Texas to Arizona. The issue is here in Arizona down near the border there is a town called Nogales. And we have a processing center there that's more able to handle the volume, you would say of these individuals.

O'REILLY: All right so they are being flown on, what, chartered airlines? Military? Who is flying them over from Texas to Arizona?

DEL CUETO: My understanding it was chartered airlines. But I'm not positive on how it is. I just know they are being flown here to Arizona.

O'REILLY: We talked to the border patrol guy in McGowan Texas yesterday. And he said every day there is hundreds of these kids coming over in his sector. In the Arizona sector, is it the same way? Are you seeing this tremendous influx of children coming into your state?

DEL CUETO: It's not so much the children here in our area. The area where I patrol and the Arizona border, we are more into the drug cartels and drug smuggling into the country, which is concerning.

O'REILLY: You are not seeing what you are seeing in Texas. Which is a bigger border and it's easier to cross there. Now, once they get to know Nogales and the center there, what happens to the children.

DEL CUETO: Well once they get there, they are property processed. They are asked where they are from. Where they are headed and we have medical staff on stand by there continuously watched and make sure that they don't have any illness, any diseases. They are also getting vaccinated.

O'REILLY: The ACLU says they are being chained, abused, starved and all of that -- you have heard those accusations?

DEL CUETO: I heard those accusations yesterday. I can assure you I was there. I know what's happening. I have seen the way it's being handled. And our agents that are working these areas are more than professional. What's not being told is some of these agents are bringing toys from their own homes, bringing it to these kids.

O'REILLY: Ok we have no doubt that we don't believe the ACLU, although I'm sure there have been some abuses when the numbers are so big. Now, why did this happen? Why in the past eight months have 50,000 unaccompanied minors crossed into the United States? Why?

DEL CUETO: Well, what I have asked, I was there, and I spoke to children and I asked them directly, I said what caused you to do this? To come here? There is a lot of them. And I pretty much got the same answer from all the individuals I spoke to.

And it was the media down there and in their Central America is letting them know that right now is the time to come to America. And they will pretty much get a free ticket. There is also religious groups that are speaking to these individuals and telling them right now is the time. If you go down there, the chances of you getting sent back or deported back to your native country are slim to none.

O'REILLY: And is that true?

DEL CUETO: We're turning them over -- border patrol is turning them over to ICE. And ICE is in charge of the relocation. We know that some are being bused and being reunited with their family members and a lot of those family members that they are being reunited to are here in the United States.

O'REILLY: Do you know of any of these children sent back to their homes?

DEL CUETO: I'm not aware of any at this point.

O'REILLY: Yes, I don't think there are any. We haven't heard of any of them and the adults that come with them also stay. Now how do they get through Mexico? I mean Mexico has got a southern border with Guatemala. That's not an easy trip going from Honduras to El Salvador up to here. And I'm sure there are Mexican kids in there too. How do they get through Mexico?

DEL CUETO: Smuggling organizations within Mexico are charging these individuals, these kids a high number of money to bring them into the United States.

O'REILLY: So the parents pay the money down in Honduras or wherever and then they get the ticket to take the kid up, right?

DEL CUETO: Somebody is paying the money. Some of these kids that are coming are already equipped with the phone number of who they are going to contact in the United States. Many times it's their parents. So I would assume that their parents are already in the United States and that's who is fronting the money.

O'REILLY: Why isn't Mexico stopping them at the southern border?

DEL CUETO: You would have to ask Mexican immigration that question.

O'REILLY: On come, come on Mr. Del Cueto, you know why they are not stopping them. Why don't you tell us?

DEL CUETO: I think we know why.

O'REILLY: Tell us because you are a person of authority. Tell us why the Mexicans are not stopping this massive humanitarian coming El Norte.

DEL CUETO: You would honestly have to ask them.

O'REILLY: What is your opinion?

DEL CUETO: My opinion and I have spoken to a lot of these individuals that I have arrested and they pay bribes when they come through Mexico in order to get to America.

O'REILLY: The coyotes do this the human smugglers. Pay bribes the Mexican authorities.

DEL CUETO: The human smugglers pay bribes to different Mexican authorities in order to come all the way up here.

O'REILLY: All right. All right Mr. Del Cueto. We appreciate you coming on tonight.

Content and Programming Copyright 2012 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2012 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.