MSNBC Interview - Transcript

Interview

MSNBC Interview - Transcript

MSNBC INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR ROGER WICKER (R-MS)

SUBJECT: VIOLENCE ON THE UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER INTERVIEWER: NORAH O'DONNELL

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MS. O'DONNELL: Joining me now is Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi. He's also on the Foreign Relations Committee and just got back from touring the border area with Senator Kerry.

Senator, good to see you. Thanks so much for joining us.

SEN. WICKER: Thank you. It's good to be back.

MS. O'DONNELL: You heard what Senator Kerry said, that perhaps sending U.S. troops there would be counterproductive. You agree. Why?

SEN. WICKER: Well, I do agree. You know, we have an initiative signed by President Bush and President Calderon of Mexico. It's now been adopted by President Obama. So it's bipartisan. And we need to see if this Merida Initiative is working.

Two thousand eight was a terrible year for drug violence along the Mexican-U.S. border, but the information in the last few weeks is that things might have gotten better.

MS. O'DONNELL: You know --

SEN. WICKER: I didn't hear any testimony at all yesterday that we need to increase troops. I think maybe some more agents who are trained in that sort of interdiction would be a lot better use of our taxpayer dollars.

MS. O'DONNELL: You know, we keep hearing about this concern about crossover violence, the spill-over of violence. You call the reports of that "alarmist." Why?

SEN. WICKER: Well, clearly, we need to worry. When there's 6,200 drug-related deaths right across your border, then Americans sit up and take notice and we begin to worry about that and ask questions. That's why we had the hearing.

But the testimony yesterday from the district attorney, a 16-year veteran in El Paso, is that we haven't seen the crossover violence in the United States. And he said that's true not only in his county of El Paso, but all along the Mexican border of the United States. So that's good news and we ought to --

MS. O'DONNELL: Yeah.

SEN. WICKER: -- celebrate the fact that our local law enforcement has been successful.

As a matter of fact, I think it's fair to point out El Paso is the third safest major city in the United States.

MS. O'DONNELL: Yeah.

SEN. WICKER: I wish we could say that about Washington, D.C.

MS. O'DONNELL: Well, that's an interesting take, no troops, as you -- a bipartisan group of senators says that.

Senator Roger Wicker, great to talk to you. Thanks so much.

SEN. WICKER: Thank you very much.

END.

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