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--:-- Host: The Biden administration says they've taken meaningful steps to get the border crisis under control. But current and former border officials say those steps are not enough and illegal crossings are still at record levels. In this episode of Morning Wire, we talk with former COO and acting commissioner of Customs and Border Patrol, Mark Morgan, about the reality on the ground at both the southern and northern borders of the U.S.
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--:-- Host: It's February 18th, and this is a Saturday bonus edition of Morning Wire. Do you love Morning Wire? Well, you can shop the collection at dailywire.com slash shop. Start today with your favorite podcast and coffee from your very own Morning Wire mug. Or read the news you need to know with Morning Wire t-shirts, hoodies, and tote bags. That's dailywire.com slash shop.
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--:-- Host: Joining us to discuss the immigration crisis is Mark Morgan, former COO and acting commissioner of Customs and Border Patrol, now with Heritage.
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--:-- Host: Hi, Mark. First, the Biden administration says there have been fewer border encounters since January. Is that true?
--:-- Mark Morgan: So the Biden administration is claiming victory with respect to the fewer apprehensions of those illegally entering between the ports of our southern border. But what they're not doing, they're not being honest with American people, because what's actually happened is a shell game.
--:-- Mark Morgan: And what we should be terrified is, how did they achieve the lower numbers illegally entering in between our ports of entry and the southwest border? They accomplished it through a perversion and violation of laws.
--:-- Mark Morgan: This is what they've done. They made a deal with the 171 countries that we received migrants from in the past 24 months. And they said, hey, look, here's the deal. If you stop illegally entering in between the ports of entry and come to a port of entry using the CBP1 app, what we're going to do, we're going to continue to look the other way as we know that you willingly and willfully file fraudulent claims because we know the overwhelming majority of migrants come are economic migrants.
--:-- Mark Morgan: They don't qualify for asylum. But in exchange for not illegally entering, this government, DHS Secretary of America, says that we're going to continue to look the other way, process you, and release you. They're literally treating the entire southwest border as one big port of entry, and now they're claiming victory.
--:-- Mark Morgan: And let me give you a statistic that shows that So as the numbers in between the ports of entry are going down in the last 24 months but specifically the last four months we seen an increase in those coming to our ports of entry of 212%. The last four months, ports of entry, OFO, Office of Field Operation, have averaged 75,000 migrants coming to the border every 30 days. 24 months ago, that number was 24,000.
--:-- Mark Morgan: That's why this is nothing more than a shell game. And there's been reporting that there's been a significant increase. I think the number is around seven, 800 percent of Chinese nationals crossing the border.
--:-- Host: What do we know about that development?
--:-- Mark Morgan: This is not necessarily a new development. Think about it. We've seen illegal aliens come to our borders from 171 different countries in the past 24 months. But China is not the only nation of concern. China obviously is an adversary. It's a threat. But so are multiple countries around this globe.
--:-- Mark Morgan: And what should be alarming to the American people is why? Why is this happening? What do we know about the people that are coming across? This goes back to the basic element of what this is about. This is not about immigration. This is about border security and our ability to know who and what is coming in so that we can protect this country from the vast complex threats that are coming across the border.
--:-- Mark Morgan: So the issue is, what do we know about it? What's the administration told us about this phenomenon that we're seeing this spike in Chinese nationals?
--:-- Mark Morgan: The reality is we don't know. What we should also be asking ourselves, again, let's go back to the 1.2 million known gotaways. Who are among the known gotaways? Right now with the Chinese nationals, we know the majority are families, and we haven't been provided any information with respect to why we're seeing this increase.
--:-- Host: We hear almost exclusively about the southern border for good reason, as that's where the biggest migration crisis is occurring. But we've seen a spike in illegal crossings on the northern border, too. What's happening up north?
--:-- Mark Morgan: We hear mostly exclusively about the southern border. And as you've stated, for good reason, because that's the crushing tide wave, the invasion that we're seeing. But that's not the only problem. And that's not the only issue.
--:-- Mark Morgan: Whether it's our southern land border, our coastal waterways, our northern land border, they all pose the same vulnerabilities, the same threat of a series of complex threats that face us from outside our borders.
--:-- Mark Morgan: When it comes to the northern border, what a lot of Americans don't understand is that the borders that we share with Canada are actually some of the largest land borders shared between two nations in the entire globe. Over 5,000 linear miles we share with Canada.
--:-- Mark Morgan: That's two and a half times almost the land border that we share with Mexico. And our own intelligence community says that there's a real threat from Canada. This is public source information that with respect to homegrown violent extremists in Canada poses a real threat to our national security.
--:-- Mark Morgan: We share some of the largest maritime environment with Canada, where it's wide open. The northern border has less infrastructure, technology, and personnel than the southern border.
--:-- Mark Morgan: In fact, many already limited resources in the northern border are physically deployed or pulled off the front line on the northern border to help virtually with the southern border. The northern border is more wide open and more vulnerable than our southern border, but yet you never hear about it.
--:-- Mark Morgan: And what this administration won't talk about is the increase. Like, for example, the swanton sector alone, we've seen a 700% increase in apprehensions of illegal aliens. And the number of gotaways, we have no idea.
--:-- Mark Morgan: So there's simply not enough technology or personnel to be able to effectively track the known gotaways on the northern border.
--:-- Host: State governors like those in Texas and Florida seem to be the only ones really taking action. They're putting up barriers. They're using the National Guard. What else can be done?
--:-- Mark Morgan: When it comes to state governors, specifically Texas and Florida, they seem to be the only ones that are taking action. I think that's right. I've said for a long time that Governor Abbott is doing more than any other governor in this country.
--:-- Mark Morgan: Obviously, Governor DeSantis is doing a great job as well. But because Texas is on the front lines of the border, they're seeing it up close and personal. Through Operation Lone Star, for example, it's been a very successful law enforcement operation.
--:-- Mark Morgan: They've apprehended hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens, tens of thousands of pounds of narcotics, including enough fentanyl not just to kill every Texan, but really every citizen in the United States. Weapons, U.S. currency, the list goes on and on. It's been very successful from a law enforcement perspective.
--:-- Mark Morgan: But the truth is, the only thing that's happened the past two years, even with Operation Lone Star, is the crisis has gotten worse. Because what states cannot do, and it's been verified through US v. Arizona, is that they cannot enforce federal immigration law.
--:-- Mark Morgan: And so the one thing that states need to do, they can't do because they can't enforce federal immigration law. And that's provide deterrence. And you get that through detaining those illegally entering and removing them.
--:-- Mark Morgan: However, they can through the Constitution, through declaring invasion like Governor Abbott has. Now that gives him the right and tools to do so much more.
--:-- Mark Morgan: He does now under the Constitution have the ability to detain and remove. He's not enforcing immigration laws. So he's not running afoul of US v. Arizona or the federal supremacy clause.
--:-- Mark Morgan: Is that now by declaring an invasion, he's protecting his states. And so he has the ability to do more to include detain and remove.
--:-- Host: The challenge is is there some legal difference of opinions on what we call indemnity clause is that there potential that a National Guard or a trooper could be held personally liable for acting outside the scope, including criminal charges.
--:-- Mark Morgan: So I know the governor is trying to work through that right now to make sure that the personnel that he would ask to do this are not going to be personally held liable, including those criminal charges, and that's being worked through right now.
--:-- Mark Morgan: But ultimately, that's what needs to be done.
--:-- Host: Now, you've maintained that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas should be impeached. Is that wishful thinking? What's the argument there?
--:-- Mark Morgan: When it comes to Secretary Mayorkas, I've been on the front lines of this, as well as others, Tom Holman, that he should absolutely be impeached.
--:-- Mark Morgan: And with respect to wishful thinking, look, sometimes, like in life, it's not the end destination, it's the journey. And I think that that's exactly what impeachment of Mayorkas will give us.
--:-- Mark Morgan: It's for the first time the American people will hear the truth and the reality of how and why we got to the worst border crisis in our nation's history and how it's jeopardizing every aspect of our nation's safety, public health, and national security.
--:-- Mark Morgan: I don't think we've ever had a cabinet official until now with Secretary Mayorkas where he's come in and just said, you know, those laws, I'm not going to enforce them. I'm not going to abide by the laws that a separate and co-equal branch of government, United States Congress, has passed.
--:-- Mark Morgan: And actually, I'm going to go one step further. I'm actually going to direct my personnel to violate the very laws they're supposed to be enforcing. I mean, we've never had this at a cabinet level official, especially someone who's oversees a department as large as DHS.
--:-- Mark Morgan: He's willfully violated mandatory and screening removal and detention requirements. He's openly and vastly said that he's not going to use some illegal status of the means to remove him. The list goes on and on.
--:-- Mark Morgan: He has dismissed career border security experts. He's abandoned his oath. He's lied to the American people and Congress. He's cast aside the rule of law and the Constitution. He's abused his power of office and he's betrayed the public's trust in our system of government.
--:-- Mark Morgan: His legacy will be one of deception, misinformation, and a man who oversaw the worst border security crisis in our lifetime. Through incompetence or driven by ideology, American people deserve a secretary that is beholden to the oath of the office and the rule of law and the Constitution rather than some self-serving political agenda or personal ideology.
--:-- Mark Morgan: And that's why Secretary Mayorkas should be impeached.
--:-- Host: Well, it sounds like we've got an unsustainable situation on both borders and more action is clearly necessary. Mark, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Mark Morgan: That was former CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan.
--:-- Host: And this has been a Saturday bonus edition of Morning Wire.
