--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: Thousands of underage migrants are being covertly flown from the southern border to New York state, according to recent reports. The reason the Biden administration is being so secretive is because they know that there is no support out in the country, out in America, for open borders.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What's behind these late night flights and how many unaccompanied minors are being relocated?
--:-- John Bickley: I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, October 20th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Dozens of Seattle police officers are now facing being fired after a vaccine mandate for city employees went into effect on Monday. With their jobs on the line, some officers are now speaking out. We'll hear what they're saying and discuss what's next for the already understaffed police department.
--:-- John Bickley: And Washington State's highest paid public employee has been fired. Washington State University head football coach Nick Rolovich was fired Monday after refusing to comply with the state's vaccine mandate and filing for a religious exemption.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What does this high-profile firing mean for other state employees? Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- John Bickley: This show is sponsored by WyoTech. WyoTech, one of the nation's leading auto and diesel training schools, sees the trades as America's front lines. WyoTech is shaping young men, women, and veterans to build careers and businesses. America is built on the trades, and WyoTech is leading the way in training. Visit WyoTech.edu to subscribe and donate to the future technicians of America.
--:-- Georgia Howe: As the ongoing crisis at the southern border continues, a bombshell report released this week alleges that the Biden administration is quietly flying thousands of underage migrants across the country for resettlement. Some of the flights, which landed in the middle of the night at a small airport in Westchester, New York, drew heavy criticism on Tuesday as pressure mounted over the Biden administration's handling of the border.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, well, we've talked quite a bit about the influx of illegal border crossings, and many people have been asking what exactly is happening to those who are detained but not deported. Well, according to a report from the New York Post, thousands of those migrants, including many minors, are being secretly flown across the country, often in the middle of the night.
--:-- Georgia Howe: At one small airport in New York alone, there were reportedly 21 flights of migrants offloaded from Texas, including two flights from Houston that landed at 2:13 a.m. and 4:29 a.m. So dead of night.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: I actually spoke with Miranda Devine. She's the reporter who broke the story. Here's what she told me. What's been happening for months in Westchester, we've tracked flights from August 8, but I'm told that the flights have been going since April, even though there were smaller planes in the beginning.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But what's been happening there in Westchester has been happening all over the country. And I think it's an issue that there ought to be more transparency on.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, this is important because for months now, Republican leaders have been demanding answers on where exactly these migrants are being resettled. Right. And this is one of the first times we've started to get an answer to that question.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And now the broader question becomes, where else is this happening? And just how many people are we talking about? You know, flights in the dead of night, this isn't a great look here.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, it's not. But some have defended the flights saying it normal to resettle unaccompanied minors who been detained at the border. But others have questioned why the general public wasn't made aware this was happening in the first place. And more importantly, why these flights were often taking place in the middle of the night if there really was nothing to hide.
--:-- Georgia Howe: In fact, Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about that on Tuesday, and she tried to downplay it.
--:-- Jen Psaki: Well, I'm not sure that it's in the middle of the night, but let me tell you what's happening here.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: 2:30 a.m., 4:29 a.m., very early in the morning. Here we are talking about early flights, earlier than you might like to take a flight.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And keep in mind, this is all coming in the same week that leaked Border Patrol documents showed that over 160,000 illegal immigrants had been released into the country with little oversight.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So if this was a one-off issue, it might have blown over. But given the broader situation and circumstances right now, it's getting a lot of attention.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yeah, some people have tried to sort of downplay this, saying it's happened before. But are these sorts of quiet relocations normal?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So it is normal to resettle certain migrants in areas where they have established family ties or in towns with processing centers. But what's not normal is, first off, how secretive the flights have been. And second, just the sheer number of unaccompanied minors.
--:-- Georgia Howe: We're talking about record rates here. Tell us about that. What's the latest data?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: The most recent data from government officials showed that in July and August alone, there were over 37,000 unaccompanied minors detained at the border. And keep in mind, those are just the ones that we know about who got caught.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On the year, there have been over 130,000 unaccompanied minors caught trying to cross the border. And many of those children are handed over to human smugglers who sadly often end up abandoning them in dangerous conditions.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Right. Now, critics of the president say his lax immigration policies have incentivized parents to send their kids alone because they know they'll be allowed into the U.S. if they don't have a parent with them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: They point out that when President Trump was in office, unaccompanied minors were often denied entry to the country. And during his term, there were on average 48,000 unaccompanied minors detained each year. So that number this year has already been tripled and there are still two and a half months to go.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, yeah, it's hard to deny that there's a crisis here.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Cabot, thanks for the update.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's Daily Wire Managing Editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Seattle police officers who declined to get vaccinated against COVID-19 are now facing getting fired after a vaccine mandate for city employees went into effect on Monday. Meanwhile, the city is already facing a severe shortage of police officers.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Maraid, the city is considering firing potentially dozens of officers in the middle of an officer shortage. Is that right?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: That's right. Depending on how many officers didn't submit proof of vaccination by the deadline this past Monday, dozens could end up being fired.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So as of Sunday, the day before the deadline, the Seattle police chief said that 6% of the force has not submitted vaccination paperwork. In a force of nearly 1,200, that amounts to around 70 officers.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: 70, wow. We don't know the final number of unvaccinated officers yet.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And at the same time the city has hemorrhaged police officers since last year and is dealing with rising crime too. So the outcome of firing that many officers now could be bleak.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Some Seattle residents have already said that they're worried about safety.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Governor Jay Inslee and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin announced this mandate back in August, saying that Washington state workers and city workers in Seattle must get vaccinated in order to remain employed.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: All right, so we've got a state and citywide vaccination mandate. What has the police department said about this?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, Mike Solon is the president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, which represents all Seattle police officers. And he argued that officers should have the option to wear face masks or get tested regularly for COVID-19 without having their current assignments stripped.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: So they can't even get tested. They have to be vaccinated. Right.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Are they considering natural immunity like we saw last week in Texas with Governor Abbott?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: No, natural immunity is not being taken into consideration. They have to get the shot.
--:-- Georgia Howe: What about religious exemption?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Yes, officers can apply for religious and medical exemptions, but it's not clear how many have been given them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay, so let's get to the reactions. How are folks taking this?
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Well, so Solon accused the mayor of being unreasonable for not providing other options for officers. He noted that crime is surging in Seattle right now, and he said that community is demanding more police officers to answer 911 calls.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Okay. He also said Seattle has lost almost 350 officers because of the politician's, quote, political betrayal.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: We've had many conversations ever since the Chaz chop. We've lost close to 350 cops because we're literally politically betrayed by our elected officials. Betrayal, that's some strong words there.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I know. Also, some officers took a more flashy approach to protesting the mandates. Photos popped up on social media this week of Seattle police patrol cars with don't tread on me flags unfurled from their windows.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Now, you pointed out that there are some safety concerns with the department potentially losing officers. Can you speak more to that?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Right, there are. So earlier this month, the department told all officers, including detectives and non-patrol officers, to be prepared to respond to 911 calls in case hundreds of officers are fired over this mandate.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: This has prompted an alarm from some who worry that 911 response times could be longer if the force is severely understaffed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Seattle business owners told local news outlets that they're worried about break-ins and declining tourism.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Here's one thing to watch, too. Officers who did not submit proof of vaccination will get a chance before their fire to state publicly at a hearing why they refused to get vaccinated. So we'll have to keep an eye on that, too.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So a public hearing's coming up. We'll definitely want to hear what they have to say.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Of course, anytime.
--:-- Maraid Elordi: Investigative reporter Maraid Elordi.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Washington State's vaccine mandate is having consequences beyond the Seattle Police Department. Now the state's highest paid employee has been fired.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here to tell us more is Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So, Joe, what's going on at Washington State University?
--:-- Georgia Howe: Well, thanks for having me on, Georgia. So this all started back in July when Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich announced that he would not receive the COVID vaccine, which forced him to attend the Pac-12 media days remotely.
--:-- Georgia Howe: At the time, Rolovich chose to keep his reasoning behind the decision private. The university had a vaccine mandate in place, but there were policies and procedures for employees to follow who were not vaccinated.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Then, as we've covered at The Daily Wire, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced in August a state mandate requiring employees working in K-12 up to higher education to be vaccinated.
--:-- Georgia Howe: All employees working in school facilities had until October 18th to be fully vaccinated or risk losing their jobs. This included employees of Washington State University.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Actually in the mandate announcement Inslee specifically mentioned Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The follow-up from the mandate has made headlines already. Saturday night, a video of a Washington State trooper went viral after he was fired for refusing the COVID vaccine.
--:-- Joe Morgan: It's impacted many in the state over the past few days. So one of the big details here is that Rolovich was asking for a religious exemption, and the state apparently turned it down?
--:-- Georgia Howe: I would say it appears so. So we don't have specific information on whether it was accepted or if it was denied, but by him being fired, it would point to his religious exemption being turned down, obviously.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So ever since he announced that he was unvaccinated, reporters have been attempting to understand why he wouldn't take the shot. Rolovich refused to disclose his reasoning until October 9th, when it was reported that he was applying for a religious exemption.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Following Washington State's win over Stanford on Saturday, Rolovich had a Gatorade bucket dumped on his head by his players, leading many to believe that it was his final game as head coach of the Cougars.
--:-- Joe Morgan: And then it turned out it was his final game, but not by choice. Yep.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Monday evening, the university announced that Rolovich, along with four assistant coaches, were fired for refusing to be vaccinated.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Washington State Athletic Director Pat Chun confirmed that Rolovich's firing was for cause, meaning he will not be paid for the remainder of his contract, which runs through 2025.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And have the players said anything about this?
--:-- Joe Morgan: Well, I haven't heard anything since the firing was announced, but players did stand up for him after the Stanford win. In a sideline interview, quarterback Jaden DeLora said, quote, stop hating on Rolo, we love him.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Travell Harris, a wide receiver, said he's a coach we all love to play for.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So a serious consequence for a high-profile figure, even with an appeal for religious exemption.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yep. And I mean, especially considering the Cougars are seven games into their season, and the firing creates absolute chaos in the program.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Joe, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Yeah, anytime. That's Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Other stories we're tracking this week. The gang that kidnapped 17 Christian missionaries in Haiti on Saturday, including five children, is now demanding a ransom of one million for each person they are holding.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed the situation on Monday. The president has been briefed and is receiving regular updates on what the State Department and the FBI are doing to bring these individuals home safely.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The FBI is part of a coordinated U.S. government effort to get the U.S. citizens involved to safety.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Jury selection for the Ahmaud Arbery case has begun and is reportedly off to a slow and painstaking start.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Court officials have stated that the process could take more than two weeks. The trial is expected to begin in November.
--:-- Georgia Howe: On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of police in two separate cases, voting to uphold qualified immunity, which protects officers from many civil lawsuits.
--:-- Georgia Howe: No justice is publicly dissented from the decisions, indicating that the Supreme Court has little appetite for overturning precedent on this matter.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you liked this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening and give us a five-star review.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you like this podcast, subscribe to our Morning Wire newsletter, available exclusively to Daily Wire members. Get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire.com slash subscribe. Use code morningwire to try a Reader's Pass membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.
