Good morning. I want to call this business round table to order. I want to thank the participants for taking your time and, first of all, just working on the Homeland Security Advisory Council. From my perspective producing a really good report. A really good basis for hopefully legislation that we can pass on a bipartisan basis, but prior to that working with us to try to accomplish something to started a dressing this tremendous problem. We just keep upping this thing. The top line number is down a little bit because june is reduced a little bit from may because i was rejecting this based on the most recent month. Based on mays numbers the total number of individuals coming here in is either unaccompanied child but prime heard as a family was over 800 thousand projection, now its just over 700 thousand. One thing ive been pointing out since 2014 these bars represent currently five years nine months, 1,086,000 people coming to this country illegally, being apprehended. Most coming as
Border and efficiently how to manage it and important for communities and the United States and mexico and our economies as a whole. I dont think thats enough. Not enough for Mexican Border communities to really have the vibrant communities that we want and quality of life the people in the border region aspire to. We need do more than move wigets back and forth across the border. It requires strategies that leverage unique positions for communities across the border as a way to attract Companies Across the region. There is a unique value there and competitive of the United States and mexico side by side that makes working and producing in the border region particularly attractive and interesting. If we look back in time and see the Border Industrialization Program of the 1960s, it was the beginning of free trade between our two countries, focused on the border region, Mexican Border communities in particular. It was effective in attracting a certain amount of investment to the mexican
Hopefully, legislation we can pass on a bipartisan basis. But prior to that working with us to try and accomplish something to start addressing this tremendous problem. The top line is down a little bit because i was projecting this out based on the most recent months. Based on mays number, the total number coming in as an unaccompanied child is just over 800,000 now its just over 700,000 one thing ive been pointing out, since 2017, these bars represent, currently 5 years, nine months, 1,086,000 people coming to the country being apprehended. Of that 822,000 weve returned a whopping 12,021 individuals. I know in your report you make the you talk about 15 having a clear asylum claim. So im pleased to have at the round table four individuals working on the Advisory Council. Ill read your names and pa bio do you want to start with karen . You have it all worked out. Again, take the time you need, but we have karen tandy. The reason we do this round table, its just a more free flow of info
Aspects of security. Security at the ports of entry is just as important as security between the ports of entry. And, you know, since then weve seen efforts and i think trade community has responded. Congress has responded. Weve seen bills to add more officers. We need other resources at the border. I think at first the only resource were being drawn from southern ports of entry and our first point was what about the airports . What about the seaport . What about the northern ports . You cant pick just one area and say well thats the only area that will get hurt. So beyond that weve seen may 7th, tomato duties went into effect. Now duties on mexican tomatoes. When tariff threat came up, that would have equalled 25 tariffs, 3 billion in tariffs just on what we eat and that constitutes a food tax. In the meantime we had these issues. Thats a glimpse into what we see at the border but we cant stop and think that we cant move forward because theres a lot of things we can move forward on. I
I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before congress. Former special Counsel Robert Mueller is set to appear before two committees of congress. The House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee on wednesday july 17th at 9 00 a. M. Eastern. Hell testify in open session about his report into russian interference in the 2016 election. Watch live coverage on cspan3, only at cspan. Org or online with cspan radio app. A discussion on Economic Impact on improving management of the u. S. Mexico border. The Wilson Center in washington, d. C. , is the host of this conversation on strengthening economic competitiveness for both countries. Thanks to the few and the proud who are here. Weve got a few more in the hallway who will come in and join us. Thanks for sticking with us throughout the whole session today. We do have one more really interesting session. For me this is a really important one. Weve spoken for a lot of the day abo