CNN "State of the Union" - Transcript: Interview with Veronica Escobar
Interview
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REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR (D-TX): Good morning, Jake. Thanks so much for having me on your program.
In -- what I called the crisis was the government's response that created the inhumane conditions where we had families and small children outdoors in triple-digit temperatures sleeping on rocks. That was truly a humanitarian crisis.
There is no doubt, Jake, that what we're seeing today is an enormous challenge. And it's unacceptable. But we also, I think, need to acknowledge that the flow of humanity arriving at our front door never stopped.
The Donald Trump administration didn't stop them. And what we are seeing today is the consequence of four years of dismantling every system in place to address this with humanity and compassion.
The Biden administration is working day and night to do it. I have been in close contact with federal law enforcement here, with Border Patrol, with everyone involved, and with our advocates and lawyers and the folks offering hospitality.
I do want to also point out, Jake, that we began seeing the increase in unaccompanied minors going back to last April 2020. This is not something that happened as a result of Joe Biden becoming president. We saw the increases dating back almost a year. And this was during the Trump administration.
TAPPER: So, more than 450 unaccompanied migrant children are crossing the border every day, 450.
HHS can only place a fraction of those children with family and with sponsors. We saw this in 2014 under President Obama and in 2018 and '19 under President Trump. Now we're seeing it again under President Biden, who is now sending FEMA to help for the next 90 days.
What should be the plan to deal with this, with these kids who have nowhere to go?
ESCOBAR: Yes, you know, on Friday, I toured the central processing center here in El Paso, where they are at capacity. And they are waiting for HHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as ORR, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, to take those kids out of their care, place them in licensed high-quality facilities, and then quickly reunite them with their families.
The challenge, as I kind of mentioned at the top of our conversation, is that these systems were dismantled by the prior administration. So, there are fewer licensed high-quality facilities. The Biden administration is working very hard, HHS and ORR told me and others, to get as many of those licensed facilities online. They are embedding HHS personnel in these processing centers to
immediately engage with the children to find out their parents' phone number -- many of them are coming to meet their parents -- to find out their parents' phone numbers, their location, so that they expedite safely and humanely that processing and that stay in a shelter.
I want to offer context for just how impressive -- this is unacceptable, OK? But I want you to know how impressive the progress has been even in this very short period of time.
Last year -- or pre-COVID...
TAPPER: Yes.
ESCOBAR: ... when I toured a number of shelters, I was talking to children who had been in shelters for three months, six months, for up to a year, while the Trump administration held them in for-profit shelters.
The Biden administration has shaved down that time to between 30 and 35 days...
[09:45:01]
TAPPER: Yes.
ESCOBAR: ... in a shelter, before they're able to get those kids to their family.
TAPPER: No doubt -- no doubt these are very different...
ESCOBAR: It's still -- there's a lot of work to do.
TAPPER: Right.
No doubt these are very different presidents with very different approaches. But let me just ask you. The president of Mexico, Lopez Obrador, said that they see Biden as the migrant president. And so many fields are going to reach the United States.
Is there not a degree to which whatever messages have been sent from the Biden administration, it is encouraging what is happening and is encouraging these kids to come, creating this tragedy?
ESCOBAR: You know, Jake, here's what that kind of focus does.
It obscures the bigger picture that many of us, myself included, have been talking about for years. The flows -- the flow of humanity ebbs and flows. There -- as I mentioned, in April, we began seeing -- in April of 2020, under the harshest of conditions, a Trump administration and COVID, we still saw people arriving at our front door.
TAPPER: I'm just quoting the president of Mexico.
(CROSSTALK) ESCOBAR: No, I got you.
And I -- but even the president of Mexico, that comment obscures what we have to do...
TAPPER: Yes.
ESCOBAR: ... which is what I believe President Biden finally will achieve, which is address the root causes of migration.
We're going to be having this conversation year in and year out...
TAPPER: Yes, absolutely.
ESCOBAR: ... until we have leaders in this hemisphere who are willing to work together.
I hope President Lopez Obrador works with the presidents of the Northern Triangle, President Biden. We need to get Canada involved.
TAPPER: Yes.
Thank you so much, Congress...
ESCOBAR: This is a challenge that has -- that we've been seeing for several years. It's not going away...
TAPPER: Thank you so much.
ESCOBAR: ... until we fix it.
TAPPER: Thank you so much, Congresswoman. We really appreciate you coming on the show today.
ESCOBAR: Thanks, Jake.
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