Republican governors send migrants on one-way ticket to northern US
'Special Report' panelists weigh in as President Biden's immigration policies face criticism.
This is a rush transcript of "Special Report with Bret Baier" on September 15, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Does the White House stand by those comments that the border is secure?
JEAN-PIERRE: What we stand by is that we're doing everything that we can to make sure that we follow the process that's been put forth. That's why we have historic funding to do just that to make sure that you know -- to make sure that -- to make sure that the folks that we encounter at the border be removed or expelled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: White House Press Secretary today with a lot of questions about b order.
Meantime, three states in particular are dealing with this crisis in this way, Texas, Arizona and Florida.
If you look at the numbers, border states sending migrants north by the numbers and there you see the numbers to Washington, New York, Chicago and Martha's Vineyard.
If you look at the numbers for the Del Rio sector in July, the encounters were 49,563. Del Rio, Texas has a population of 34,000. Martha's Vineyard got 50 migrants today, year round population about 17,000 goes down in the winter.
Let's bring in our panel, Byron York Chief Political Correspondent, The Washington Examiner. Marie Harf, former State Department spokeswoman under President Obama and syndicated radio host, Hugh Hewitt.
Byron, what about this? There is an element here that these are humans that are traveling the country. This is a political move, but it's also something that does get attention.
BYRON YORK, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, a lot of Republicans had been worried. They were frustrated that the crisis on the border was not getting enough attention. And this gets a lot of attention.
As for the fact that these are human beings and should be treated humanely and should be taken care of if they are in the United States. You have to remember, the Biden administration has been moving illegal border crossers into other cities around the country.
We've received reports of airplanes landing in the middle of the night at Westchester County Airport. In New York, we've seen reports of dozens of flights arriving in Jacksonville, Florida.
Earlier this year, NBC reported that the Biden administration actually had a plan to relocate illegal crossers to many cities inside the United States.
So, I think what the border state governors have done is to just push this problem into the national spotlight where it cannot be ignored.
And by the way, every number you just showed of border crossers you've gone to, Chicago or to New York or Washington. All of those are less than cross the border in a single day.
BAIER: Well, Marie, what about that point? You know, there's a lot of uproar about the 50 migrants were flown into Martha's Vineyard and the islands ability to handle them.
But Del Rio, Texas, dealing with tens of thousands, and other cities dealing with millions really over the years along the border.
MARIE HARF, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: The immigration system is broken. This is a crisis. I think there's a big difference between the Department of Homeland Security moving people to different cities, and these Republican governors often not telling these migrants where they're going, lying to them about where they may be going, and not alerting any of the local authorities, whether it's DHS, whether it's some of the charities that can actually help them.
And also flying them to places like Martha's Vineyard, where they do not have an infrastructure like we do in Washington or other cities to actually assist these migrants. So, this is a political stunt. This is being used for sort of media attention purposes, in part because the issues they had been using for the past few weeks and months, namely inflation, and some other issues are starting to get a little better for the president. And I think Republican governors know that this is something they're based in voters care about. And they believe this as a political issue they can win on so they are using these migrants as political pawns. And it is cruel.
BAIER: You I'm not sure inflation is going the president's way as of yet, but I will agree abortion is a -- is a topic that Democrats have jumped on. What about this and how you see it?
HUGH HEWITT, SYNDICATED RADIO HOST, SALEM RADIO NETWORK: I see it that governors Abbott and DeSantis did in one day, more for both highlighting the issues of political dynamic, but also putting a human face on these migrants.
So, I've been thinking about it all day long, because I do not believe in cruelty as a weapon. But I don't think it is cruel. I've been following the individual stories of the migrants, and they are speaking they -- were offered the voluntary assistance to move to D.C. and to Martha's Vineyard, they did it all by consent. They are no doubt better off where they are tonight than where they were a month ago.
But in one stroke, Governors Ron DeSantis have put a human face not only on the migrants, but on the communities that received them without any infrastructure, Marie.
I live in Southern California, for most of the last three decades, there isn't an infrastructure to receive 2 million people, that is a myth. The border has to be defended.
BAIER: OK, just respond to that. Some of them are here illegally. Many of them are here illegally. Others are seeking asylum, which is a legal process along the border, but they did so of their own volition, they could go home. So that element of this has to be a part of it.
HARF: Well, some of them will argue they can't go home, which is why they've tried to go through this legal process of getting asylum or coming to this country.
But the fact is, we have responsibilities for legal or illegal immigrants that show up to our borders, and we have a question about what to do with them.
And DHS is overwhelmed. CBP is overwhelmed. ICE is overwhelmed. These organizations are overwhelmed, they need the increased funding they're getting. There is no perfect solution. I'm not pretending that there is one.
BAIER: I know, but to blame the Trump administration was pretty rich for the White House press secretary to go down that road and say it was the Trump administration that's caused this problem?
HARF: So, I think every administration has failed to solve this problem and the members of Congress sitting blocks from us today, Bret are the real ones who have to solve it.
The Trump administration did some things that made it worse, certainly, but every, every answer can't be that Trump did it worse.
BAIER: Here is a Fox poll voter concern for illegal immigration. Concerned, 62 percent. Not concerned, 37. Not surprised President Biden's approval on immigration, approved, 32; 60 percent disapprove.
BYRON YORK, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CONTRIBUTOR (on camera): This problem has gotten so much worse in the past nearly two years, because ---
(CROSSTALK)
BAIER: Not -- let me interrupt you. Not only on the broad problem, but also on the kids issue has exponentially worse than it was when all of those lawmakers went to the southern border and said, this is inhumane and horrific.
(CROSSTALK)
YORK: Yes.
BAIER: It's worse now.
YOORK: And it has gotten worse because in the Democratic primaries, and then with the victory of President Biden, the message has been sent that if you cross illegally into the United States, you will be allowed to stay and that is true for enough people to have motivated more and more people to cross.
Finally, this has exposed the hypocrisy of some leaders in American cities. The mayor of Washington, D.C. Muriel Bowser declared a humanitarian emergency, as to call at the National Guard to deal with an influx that is far smaller than the many border areas experience every single day.
The same for the mayor of New York City, the mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot kind of flipped out when a very small number came. So, this has really shown that they were simply not prepared to deal with something like this.
BAIER: Is there backlash because of the way this is done, Hugh, in a political sense?
If you're going to be a sanctuary city, you're a sanctuary. But the way this is done by these Republican governors, is there a political backlash at all?
HUGH HEWITT, SYNDICATED RADIO HOST: They are on a cliff? The backlash is very, very possible if there is any improvident abuse of the migrants involved. So, they're dancing on a cliff. They did. They've right up to it. They have got the attention they wanted, they've driven home their point, now they have to not do it too much.
BAIER: All right, panel. Thank you. We'll see you tomorrow on the show to talk politics.
Copy: Content and Programming Copyright 2022 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2022 VIQ Media Transcription, 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 VIQ Media Transcription, Inc. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox