Veterans issues and how lawmakers are working to improve Veterans Affairs programs. The event was hosted by the American Enterprise institute. Lets try to get started here. Good morning. Welcome to aei and welcome to our program today. The value of our veterans, our conversation with representatives, mike levin and brad. Im gary smith, im a senior scholar here as strategic studies and im director of aeis program on american citizenship. I amng toi skip a set of am going to skip a set of introductions since we will be talking the next two hours. So those joining us here in joining online or watching on cspan, if you want lengthier bios go to the website and go to the link for the page and you will see everybodys biographies. Let me begin by giving a quick overview of the proceedings. We will first hear from representative mike levin, the recently a district that runs recently elected congressman from californias 49th district, a district that runs along san diego to southern Orange Coun
Ms. Roybalallard thank you for your patience and willingness to stay until 4 00 given the votes we had. We appreciate it. Today we welcome matthew albens, acting direct tore of i. C. E. As we continue to monitor the challenging situation on the southern border, we look forward. O hearing your perspective these laws need to be naggetted to increase security. Our own constitution, federal law and several International Agreements serve as the foundation for the rise in protections that need to be embodied in our efforts to address the humanitarian crisis we are currently experiencing. Unform, the rhetoric and the policies of this administration have made achieving that balance more difficult and by all indications has exacerbated our challenges at the border. We must be mindful of the limitations we face. We have barely cracked the surface of what the coast guard needs and to protect our interests in the arctic. It is an expensive option reserved for Public Safety and flight risk is a val
Thank you for being here this afternoon. As we continue to monitor the challenging situation on the southern border we look forward to hearing your perspective on i. C. E. s operational and Funding Priorities and requirements. As chair of this subcommittee i am committed to ensuring the integrity of our borders and strengthening our immigration system. But i am equally committed to making sure we do so according to all of our laws and in a way that exemplifies our american values. In particular we must assure that in accordance with our laws and values those fleeing must have equal opportunities to seek asylum. We must get this balance right and i believe we can if we work together. It is a false choice to believe more migrants need to be unnecessarily detained and that cruel and exclusionary immigration laws need to be enacted in order to increase security in our country. Our own constitution, federal law and several International Agreements serve as the foundation for the right and p
Ms. Roybalallard thank you for your patience and willingness to stay until 4 00 given the votes we had. We appreciate it. Today we welcome matthew albens, acting direct tore of i. C. E. As we continue to monitor the challenging situation on the southern border, we look forward. O hearing your perspective our own constitution, federal law and several National Agreements serve as a foundation for the rights and protections, i believe, need to be embodied in our efforts to address the humanitarian crises we are currently experiencing. The rhetoric and policies of this administration have made achieving that balance more difficult. By all indications, have exacerbated our challenges at the border. We must also be mindful of the resource limitations that we face. There is likely no area of our bill where we have sufficient resources to fully address requirements. We are barely cracking the surface of what the coast guard truly needs to address the flow of Illegal Drugs or to protect our sov
Immigration enforcement practices. This is about two hours and ten minutes. Thank you for your patience and willingness to stay until 4 00 oclock. We appreciate it. Today we welcome matthew albans, the u. S. Immigration and custos enforcement. They stand for being here this afternoon. As we continue to monitor the challenging situation on the southern border, we look forward to hearing your perspective on the funding priority and requirements. As cheers of the subcommittee, i am committed to ensuring the integrity and strengthening integration system. But i am equally committed to making sure we do so, according to a way that is a bullfight our american values. In particular, we must assure in accordance with our values, both violence and persecution have meaningful opportunities to seek asylum. We must get this balance right and i believe that we can if we Work Together. Its a choice to believe that more migrants need to be unnecessarily detained and cruel and exclusionary immigration