Transcripts For CSPAN Acting DHS Secretary McAleenan On Chan

Transcripts For CSPAN Acting DHS Secretary McAleenan On Changes To Family Detention Policy 20240714

Border. Under this policy, families can be held for extensive periods of time as they await immigration adjudication proceedings. This briefing is 20 minutes. Good morning. Thank you for joining us today to discuss important action the administration is taking to address the ongoing curate in Administration Crisis at our southwest border. Publishing a final rule to implement the Settlement Agreement. This year we have seen an unprecedented flow of family units primarily from Central America coming to our southwest border. In the first 10 months of the fiscal year, u. S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended or encountered almost 475,000 families, 90 of whom across our border unlawfully. Three times more than any previous full year record. In the month of may alone, we saw it 8000, 630 members of family units arrive at our border, four times the record month in the last major search. As ive testified multiple times, and if experts throughout this missed ration as well as leaders in previous and ministrys and savitz lane, the driving factor for this crisis is weakness in our Legal Framework for immigration. Human smugglers advertise and migrants know well that if even if they cross our border illegally, arriving in our border with the child has meant that they will be released in the United States to wait for Court Proceedings that could take five years or more. It is this keep gap in our immigration framework that comes rate 2015 reinterpretation of the floras Settlement Agreement an agreement no more than two , decades old by a Federal District court judge. This reinterpretation, which applied for the first time the requirements to accompany minors has forced the government to release families into the country after just 20 days. Incentivizing legal entry, adding to the growing backlog, after nearly two years of work by health and Human Services professionals, consideration of over 100,000 comments from stakeholders and members of the public, the trumpet administration has established a new rule to respond to the realities of current immigration flows, based in the principal families should remain together during immigration proceedings while the floor is outdated, it has many important aspects and principles, like the need for special protections for children and High Standards for government facilities that were adopted as defining features. Iis is a detailed rule, but want to highlight four elements. The new rule affirmatively permanently establishes standards of care and custody for children and families. The rule fulfills one of the original purposes of the floor settlementlores agreement to ensure opera care for all children. Care and custody of children and families is not a policy decision and should not be subject to state and local politics. All children in government care will be treated with dignity, respect, and concern in concert with American Values and faithful to the intent of the original settlement. The facility we are using to temporarily house families are fundamentally different than the facilities where migrants are processed following apprehension at the border. They are campus like settings with appropriate medical, recreational, dining, and housing facilities. The first Family Residential center in pennsylvania has suites for each family, furniture, bedding, and towels provided. There is a Community Living room with a television, couches, gaming area, and a library that contains books, television sets, video games, board games. The facility has a wing dedicated to classroom learning where minors go to school five days a week. Another wing is a medical facility, where minors and parents receive medical care, including immunizations required for public schools. There are phone banks to call lawyers, consulates, or other representatives. In all Residential Centers, three hot meals a day are provided and snacks are available. All Residential Centers offer indoor and Outdoor Recreation activities for children and adults. Indoor activities include sports, exercise classes, arts and crafts, movie nights, and even seasonal holiday activities. Outdoor facilities include soccer fields, volleyball courts, and play structures. There is videoconferencing for Court Hearings so families can meet with attorneys and representatives. Childcare is provided to parents while they meet with their representatives. Interpreting services are available by telephone. Attorneys and representatives approved to appear at immigration Court Hearings are provided access to the residence each week, enabling families to obtain counsel while not appearing in immigration participants. O se rule closes the legal loophole that arose from the reinterpretation of flores, allowing the federal government to house alien families in appropriate facilities, as was done by the Previous Administration. Rulingo the 2015 court that restricted our use of the frcs, immigration proceedings lasted less than 50 days, granting proper relief and permission to stay in the u. S. While swiftly repatriating those with meritless claims, a substantial majority of the families arriving. Our goal remains, as in the Previous Administrations, to provide an expeditious immigration result while Holding Families together, which benefits legitimate asylumseekers. The Current System serves those with meritless claims and leaves migrants in limbo for years. The majority of final orders of removal for families who recently arrived have been issued in absentia. This rule changes that dynamic. The result of Holding Families together under the Previous Administration was a dramatic reduction in unlawful crossing. A 2015 court ruling upended that process and the result has been two family crises at the border, in 2016 and now this year. When implemented, the new rule will restore the effective procedures in 2014. By closing this loophole, the new rule would restore integrity and eliminate the major factor fueling the crisis. This year has brought record volumes of families to the southwest border in the first 10 months of the fiscal year. Customs and Border Protection has observed a 469 increase in family units apprehended from the fy 18 numbers. Family apprehensions have increased at an annual average of 72 over the past fiscal year. In fiscal year 2013 before giaritelli, the number of family units apprehended was 14,855. By august of this year, we have already seen almost 470 5000 family units apprehended. By eliminating the incentive to make the journey, the new rule will reduce the unprecedented volume of family units that have strained the resources of our department and put children at risk. The scale of this crisis has required a tremendous amount of Border Patrol agents and they have stepped up. The rule will provide relief and allow them to rededicate resources to stopping criminals at the border. Rule wille new protect children by reducing incentives for adults, including smugglers, to exploit minors in the dangerous journey to the borders, using them to beat the system. Border patrol agents have identified approximately 6000 migrants this fiscal year who have fraudulently presented as members of family units. U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has conducted two dna Pilot Testing programs that have identified dozens of cases in which children had no relation to the adults claiming that. In the first operation, asked ian out of 84 family units were identified as fraudulent. 79 ofs second version, our 522 family units tested have been identified as fraudulent based on negative dna results. These egregious examples of migrants posing as family units demonstrates the necessity of this new rule. Tochild should be a pawn manipulate the immigration system, so the new rule eliminates the incentive to exploit children as a free ticket or, as one gentleman told me, a passport for migration. This action is one part of our overall effort, but is essential and will do a great deal. To emphasize again, at the heart of this new rule are two Core Principles that families should remain together during immigration proceedings and the care of children must be appropriate. The new rule establishes a High National standard for the care of children and families, allows the government to keep Families Together, restores integrity to our immigration system, and eliminates the incentive for children to be exploited to enter the United States. The Border Security and migration challenges we face require a whole government approach and we look forward to working together with International Partners to address that. I will take your questions. Regulation, how long do you expect families to remain in detention . How long will Court Proceedings take . Mr. Mcaleenan we have done this before in 2014 and 2015 under the thensecretary. Family residential secretaries were established. During that time period, the average day was under 50 days for completion of immigration proceedings. Overe cdc has released 130,000 family units march. Prepared to detain all these family units starting tomorrow, or will more beds based have to be created . Mr. Mcaleenan we are not detaining every family units starting tomorrow. What flores does, and it is not going to be effective for 60 us to keept allows Families Together through their immigration proceedings. We have three Family Residential centers, about 3000 total family beds in those centers. Thats going to allow us to bring families in, finish immigration proceedings as a multilayered strategy. We are working with Central America, mexico to address migration flows. We have protocols which can be used to have families waiting in mexico during their immigration proceedings. This will substantially increase our ability to end the catch and release challenges that have fueled this crisis for families. Eliminating the incentive for families to make the journey to the u. S. Is one of the primary goals. Is it possible that families considering coming here will not really listen to the flores . They will hear words you just said, like campus settings, families remain together, library, gaming area, hot meals, soccer fields, and think, that sounds great . Mr. Mcaleenan i dont think so. In our experience, the main driver for immigration is the perception they will be successful in staying in the United States. If we have a process where the vast majority are repatriated, thats the message people will see. A dangerous journey in the hands of smugglers to the u. S. , ultimately not successful within weeks and months, thats what changes the dynamic. Thats what happened in 2014 and whenever we have been able to effectively implement immigration consequences for people that dont have meritorious claims. Do you expect to implement this new rule before it is challenged in court . Mr. Mcaleenan obviously there will be litigation. All new immigration rules face litigation. We do expect a dialogue in the courts. This will contemplate terminating the flores agreement at there is a legal proceeding to do that. We do expect litigation. We hope to implement as soon as possible. Whats the capacity of these facilities . Mr. Mcaleenan we have approximately 2500 to 3000 beds depending on family configuration. Thank you for holding a press conference today. Related to your trip to panama, can use it to the Washington Post report that you are looking to strike an asylum deal that would allow the u. S. To send asylumseekers to panama . Mr. Mcaleenan we have a much broader agenda for the tryptophan amaq. We are engaging in a ministerial meeting. We do a monthly ministerial with the ministers from Central America. It has expanded to include costa rica and panama. We are going to have columbia. We are talking about Regional Security issues on a broad basis. In terms of bilateral discussions with panama, it is a new administration. My counterpart is a strong has a strong Law Enforcement background. We have had great conversations. We are going to talk about our security relationship and building a Strong Foundation for information sharing with panama. That will include the movement of drugs, humans are adversaries, human traffickers, and a dialogue about migration flows, but no specific agreement on this trip. Will asylumseekers be something under discussion . Mr. Mcaleenan all these countries are concerned about extra continental asylum occurs. The flows come through Central America. Smugglers are charging 25,000 to 50,000 per person. We have seen security risks. Absolutely this will be a topic of conversation for the ministers. Ensure thatou children will not be held for months at a time . [indiscernible] assure they will be well cared for and not detained indefinitely . Mr. Mcaleenan the purpose of holding individuals in administrative custody is to get the immigration result as expeditiously as possible. For those that have meritorious claims, to have them released. For those that do not have the standards, to have them repatriated. The rule establishes a clear role and procedures for the release of individuals going there proceeding for various reasons. There is no intent to hold families for a long time. We were able to average under 50 days. That is the intent for a fair but expeditious immigration proceeding. In 2015, 50 days was dramatically different from the time period now. 900,000 cases, an average of two years. What other steps are you taking to ensure you can get that 50 days period, given that the backlog has worsened . Mr. Mcaleenan to make an important distinction, the detainee docket, the Court Dockets that Immigration Judges operate where people are held in ice custody, those in custody, those move more quickly. The 900,000 docket is on the nondetained docket. The detained docket moves for single adults more rapidly than 50 days, so we anticipate keeping these cases on track. You have judges working on the same docket. There have been everchanging requirements for Immigration Judges in terms of what they should be prioritizing. Those things are connected so what other steps will you take . Mr. Mcaleenan we work closely with the doj and are targeting priority cases that will make an impact on this crisis. That means recent border arrivals on the detained docket as well as migrant protection protocols will continue to be the focus. Couple more questions. My understanding is there is no plan to build more Family Residential centers. Wouldt is the case, how this agreement [indiscernible] mr. Mcaleenan just a quick reminder, we did ask congress for additional family beds in the 2019 budget process and the supplemental. We did not receive them. That is important to recall. Back to 2014 when we established Family Residential centers, the initial housing for families was a dorm like setting at the Border Patrol academy undersecretary johnson. , gettingtial hearings results and dabbling and having families repatriated had an effect on the flow. By the time the Residential Centers were built, they had enough capacity. We anticipate a similar reaction when migrant and smugglers understand a child is no longer a free pass to the u. S. For migration. You said there is a High Standard to be met for conditions in these centers. Are you going to be hiring trained staff caring for these children and families . Mr. Mcaleenan we do have funding for the Family Residential centers that currently exist. They include significant standards. This is all articulated in this multihundred page rule. We have contract professionals, Mental Health professionals, counseling professionals on staff at these centers and interacting with families and children. Last question. When do you expect to publish . Mr. Mcaleenan it goes to the registrar today, published friday officially, and effective 60 days later. Thank you, everyone, for your time. Joining us on the phone to explain this proposal is anna giaritelli. She covers homeland Security Issues for the publication

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