Illegal immigrant children surge across border

Nearly 16,000 children taken into custody by U.S. authorities

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," April 7, 2015. 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: "Factor Follow up Segment" tonight, according to the Washington Times, a second wave of unaccompanied illegal immigrant children has begun surging the southern border.

So far this fiscal year nearly 16,000 children have been taken into custody by U.S. authorities down there. That's down from 29,000 at the same point last year but still, a big humanitarian problem.

In addition, the State Department and Homeland Security are now flying kids to the U.S.A. from foreign countries to reunite them with their parents. That program is very controversial because some of those parents, perhaps most, are in the country illegally themselves hoping to take advantage of President Obama's recent executive order and, of course, the taxpayers footing the bill for the flights.

With us now: here in New York City Monica Crowley; in D.C. Kirsten Powers. So in the past, Powers, you've said you would let all the kids in. Is that still your position?

KIRSTEN POWERS, FOX NEWS ANALYST: That's not what I said. What I said is that the kids should get -- what they are required under law which is they should be given a deportation hearing and then the judge would decide.

O'REILLY: But I believe -- I mean I think you are wrong on this. I think you said that you would allow them all in. You wouldn't stop them at the border and turn them back.

POWERS: Anyone -- anybody -- yes, I personally feel like any child that can make it to this country I would let them in.

O'REILLY: Ok. So that's the record.

(CROSSTALK)

POWERS: Yes. But under the law -- I want to just clarify though on what you were saying about what's been reported is this is a -- I spoke to an immigration expert earlier about this and this program applies only -- it's in country people who are getting in country screenings in another country by the United States and they have been determined to be refugees. And then --

O'REILLY: Refugees?

POWERS: -- and then they can fly to the United States.

O'REILLY: Then they can?

POWERS: And it's probably -- they estimate it's maybe 500 to 1,000 people.

O'REILLY: All right. And you have full trust?

POWERS: And furthermore, they don't -- they don't pay for -- they have to actually reimburse for the flight.

O'REILLY: Reimburse by whom?

POWERS: What do you mean reimburse by whom?

O'REILLY: You say they have to be reimbursed from the flight -- by whom, who reimburses?

POWERS: The parents -- the parents because they're being made --

O'REILLY: The parents in the U.S.A. pay for their kids' flight to the U.S.A.

POWERS: Yes.

O'REILLY: That's not what I'm hearing. I'm hearing the taxpayer pays the full burden.

POWERS: No, the taxpayer pays for the flight to bring them up but then they have to reimburse for the flight.

O'REILLY: Ok. When does that reimbursement have to come? Is that any time soon? Decades?

POWERS: I mean -- you know, what -- I personally don't care if it's reimbursed. These children have been granted asylum in the United States and it would be great to get them out of dangerous situations. I know you love the children, Bill.

O'REILLY: I do love the kids but I'm seeing --

POWERS: Don't you want to bring the kids out of the dangers?

O'REILLY: In the last two years I'm seeing a hundred -- Powers.

POWERS: This program would apply to 500 to 1,000 people, probably.

MONICA CROWLEY, FOX NEWS ANALYST: No.

O'REILLY: In the last two years there have been about 100,000 children `who have now gained entry to the U.S.A. They are not going back. They're not going to be deported. 70 percent of them don't show up for their hearings, all right, and they are here.

POWERS: There is a reason for that.

O'REILLY: And you would not stop any of them so that surge is going to continue.

POWERS: There is a reason.

O'REILLY: All right. Let's get to Miss Monica here. Let's get to Miss Monica -- go.

CROWLEY: Yes. There are two realities here that the left is disregarding as it pursues a bigger political agenda here. The first is that the United States is a wealthy country but we don't have the resources to save the world. The second part of this is that our immigration laws, the purpose of them is not to be compassionate or uncompassionate to the people coming into the country illegally.

The purpose of our immigration laws is to serve our national interest and it does not serve our national interest to have this continuing swarm of illegal aliens you have no idea who they are.

POWERS: Swarm?

CROWLEY: Look, you have got tens of thousands --

O'REILLY: 100,000 people is a swarm. I mean that's a lot of kids.

CROWLEY: You have no idea who they are, where they are, where they're going. No foreigner has an inherent right to come to the United States without going through the legal channels to get here.

POWERS: Can I say something here?

You guys last year, this time last year were screaming like Armageddon was coming because the swarm of children was coming in to our country and they're all gang banger and they all had diseases and --

O'REILLY: I didn't say that.

POWERS: -- I mean I'm amazed we are even alive. I'm amazed we're even alive. This was the argument that was being made.

O'REILLY: That wasn't made here. There wasn't any argument made here other than a fiscal argument and a responsibility to protect the border argument.

POWERS: When did any of that happen though?

O'REILLY: Ok.

POWERS: You're always trying to pretend that --

O'REILLY: You are talking about a phantom thing that wasn't present on this program.

POWERS: No one on your show ever made that argument? That is absolutely false.

O'REILLY: No, I don't remember anybody saying that there were gang bangers coming in here. That wasn't the thrust of our reportage last year. It wasn't.

CROWLEY: But the truth is you did have criminals coming over. You did you have drug cartels --

O'REILLY: Look, look. That's not the main issue, the main issue is, there is no immigration policy in America anymore.

CROWLEY: That's correct.

O'REILLY: There isn't. It's gone. It's vanished. The executive order basically is going to legalize five million aliens who are here under various circumstances. That wasn't voted on by the Congress. It was a pen. Ok?

CROWLEY: And let's understand why.

O'REILLY: And there isn't any enforcement to stop the children from coming in. They swarm across the border in tremendous numbers. And once they are here, they get all the welfare payments and they are coming here at taxpayer expense from Central America. You say they are going to get reimbursed but nobody believes it but you.

CROWLEY: They can't afford --

O'REILLY: Wait, wait, wait --

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: Nobody believes that but you that they'll get reimbursed.

POWERS: Well, actually that's not true. The person who told me that is I guess one of these left wing groups called the U.S. Council or Conference of Catholic Bishops.

O'REILLY: If you believe that these people are going to get reimbursed those flights. You really have to hook up with the tin man.

POWERS: Then that's -- then you need to take that up with the Catholic Church because that's, you know.

O'REILLY: Look, the Catholic Church is --

POWERS: But my point is -- I don't care. Listen, I don't care if they are reimbursed, it's 500 to 1,000 kids.

O'REILLY: I know you don't.

POWERS: There's 500 to a thousand kids.

O'REILLY: You're an open border proponent -- let them all in and we'll sort it out later.

I got to give Monica the last word.

POWERS: Are you opposed to any humanitarian assistance, Bill for 500 to 1,000 kids?

O'REILLY: It's ridiculous. That's such a ridiculous statement. What I want --

POWERS: Fine. What's ridiculous?

O'REILLY: What I want is an immigration policy, all right?

POWERS: But they are not immigrants. They are seeking asylum.

O'REILLY: That basically says you have a border and you can't cross the border unless you have legal papers. Call me crazy.

POWERS: They're not immigrants.

O'REILLY: Oh, they are not immigrants, I know. Let them all in.

POWERS: They're seeking asylum.

O'REILLY: Ok. Last word.

POWERS: Bill -- you just don't --

CROWLEY: The humanitarian argument is being used as a pretext for a larger political agenda here.

POWERS: Oh my God.

CROWLEY: This is --

O'REILLY: Which is what? Which is what?

CROWLEY: They're flooding the zone. The are getting tens of thousands if not ultimately millions of illegal immigrants to come into the country --

O'REILLY: To vote Democrat?

CROWLEY: Democrats are now trying --

O'REILLY: All right. So that's your take.

CROWLEY: They're trying to unionize (inaudible) and it's in order to get a permanent Democrat voting majority. That's it -- period.

O'REILLY: All right. Ok. I have got to go. Very lively -- thank you, ladies.

Content and Programming Copyright 2015 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2015 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.