US Customs official on closing 'loopholes' at the border

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US Customs official on closing 'loopholes' at the border

President Trump asks Mexico to stop their 'caravan' of immigrants from heading to US southern border. Ronald Vitiello, Customs and Border Protection's deputy commissioner reacts on 'Your World.'

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," April 2, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

TRISH REGAN, FOX NEWS HOST: So, what can we do? What should we do?

For that, we're going right now to Deputy Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ronald Vitiello.

Good to have you here, sir.

I will ask the same question to you. What can we do at this point? What can be done in order to prevent the situation that William just described?

RONALD VITIELLO, ACTING U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT DEPUTY
COMMISSIONER: Well, obviously, a discussion and a monitoring about what is going on in Mexico with our Mexican counterparts.

That's what we're attempting to do now. We watched this very closely over the weekend, lots of high-level discussion about what can be done. And then, obviously, at the ports of entry, in between the ports of entry, the men and women, our CEP, will remain vigilant and respond to traffic as they see it.

REGAN: Fox News has gotten word that there may be a memo circulating there in Mexico, that our U.S. attache there in Mexico City may have seen this memo, that shows Mexican government officials, authorities there in Mexico are actually helping this caravan. Can you confirm that?

VITIELLO: I have not seen that memo.

Mexico does have a number of public service agencies that are involved in -- when people cross borders. They have their own immigration authorities. The federal police are sometimes active on the border. And then they have this group which is actually designed -- is part of their immigration authority to -- they assist migrants, but migrants like we assist in distress and in those situations.

So, there's some crossover there, but I haven`t seen the memo.

REGAN: You haven't seen the memo.

Look, it seems that this once again is putting our weak border into the spotlight in such a way that is causing great concern, not just in the White House, but obviously people living along that border.

Do you see this particular situation, this caravan bringing things to a head in a way that is meaningful enough that we might actually see a commitment from Congress to provide the money needed for the wall?

VITIELLO: So, yes.

We think that more border security is a good thing. So, that's, when the president asked us to do planning for the wall, we gave him our requirements. Congress did give us some money in '18. We used some money in '17 as directed by the president.

So, we're making improvements. We're going to try to get that wall laid down and add to the border security situation, give us more capability.

But if these policies and the law doesn't change that advantages people who come as children or part of families, those loopholes will still exist. And so that's another addition to our capability at the line, that physical border.

But then you have to do these things on the legislative and the policy front to shore up those loopholes, so we don't have this continued traffic at our southwest border.

REGAN: Understood.

Mr. Vitiello, good to see you. Thank you for joining us here today.

VITIELLO: Thanks for the opportunity.

REGAN: All right.

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