Fraud, it actually found that joe biden won arizona by even more votes than we thought. Thats according to a draft report obtained by multiple News Organizations and confirmed by Maricopa County officials. But trump is out with a statement that says the media is lying about the results, Phantom Voters and fraudulent balance on the ballots. Arizona is just one of several states including pennsylvania, texas, florida, and wisconsin where the former president is pushing for similar audits to uncover massive fraud that doesnt exist. Meantime the investigation into those false claims and the insurrection that resulted on january 6 has taken a dramatic turn today. House investigators have issued subpoenas to four trump insiders who very likely know what donald trump was doing behind the scenes in the days leading up to and on january 6. Joining me right now is Nbc News National Political reporter on capitol hill, White House Bureau chief ashley parker, and nbc legal analyst cynthia alksne. This gopbacked audit group, cyber ninjas, what did they find and how has former trump responded . What theyve basically found is that the election was as everyone said it was, legitimate, that President Biden won that county and that state of arizona fair and square. If anything, this is very much in the margins. But the vote count for President Biden increased by about 360. And it is a striking finding for a group like cyber ninjas that was under a lot of criticism for, first of all, not really having any qualifications to go in there and do this, not understanding of electoral system, not understanding what they were looking for, and largely being financed by protrump groups who wanted them to find that somehow the election was rigged or stolen. So on the one hand they found what everyone expected them to find, a free and fair election. On the other hand, it is, again, striking that this group, who really came in here looking to do the exact opposite, who former President Trump really built up that this was going to be the thing that would reveal all, and that simply has not happened. Cynthia, what could the impact of this be . Could this make it harder for gop officials in other states to get Election Officials to hand over ballots so they can conduct their own partisan socalled audits . Trump is pushing hard for them. He just sent a letter to the governor of texas. Because he wants to distract attention from the results in arizona. I think the results from this really are almost more practical as opposed to legal, because legally biden is already president , right . But as a practical matter, its really succeeded. Trump is succeeded, lets face it, huge proportions of republicans, when asked, believe that biden stole the election. That lays the groundwork for future problems in our democracy. So even though, you know, we can sort of snicker, like ha ha, after all, it proves that biden has more votes and this was a complete waste of millions and millions of dollars, and trump lost the election, on some level we need to face the fact that there is Severe Damage that this has done to the future of our democracy. And im not sure theres an answer to it, if all we do is now move on and go ahead and do texas and go through it, because these rolling audits are delegitimizing our electorate and eventually people will cease voting. Im very worried about it. Weve already seen the implications of that, we just saw the california recall, larry elder talking about not trusting the results right away. House oversight is getting involved with these cyber ninjas, out with a letter requesting the ceo of the group to testify at a hearing on october 7. The committee writes the groups failure to turn over requested documents has made this request necessary. What more do we know . Lindsey, the House Oversight committee which is controlled by democrats intends to conduct this hearing on october 7 looking into the cyber ninjas. Theyre asking the ceo to appear and testify, as you point out, asking to notify them by the end of september whether he wants to do that voluntarily. The Committee Says it has requested documents and information from this group about various things such as their audit procedures, their funding sources, the communications theyve had with partisan and affiliated groups. This is essentially calling bluff on their ability to conduct a fair investigation. This group was contracted out by republicans in the Arizona State senate to conduct an audit. Even though the republican governor of that state certified the election and said donald trump lost that election fair and square. So this is the committee wanting to get more information, asking the ceo to come testify, seeing what they can find out as they push back against what they widely consider to be a sham audit. Sahil, lets get to those subpoenas. Why those four trump advisers and why now . This investigation has taken on a new and more serious turn. The committee issued its first subpoenas last night to four individuals who are close to the former president. The reason for these subpoenas is they believe either these four men had either knowledge or involvement in the events leading to january 6 and efforts by the white house to decertify the election. Steve bannon is quoted in this letter by the adequate as saying, one day before that attack on the capitol, that all hell is going to break loose tomorrow. The committee wants to know what exactly he was talking about there. Mark meadows, former white house chief of staff, is said to have had contact with the Justice Department as part thenPresident Trumps attempts to get them to investigate the election despite the fact that it had been certified as legitimate and that claims to the contrary had been discredited. This is the committee asserting a very broad mandate to investigate the events of january 6 and all the lies and Conspiracy Theories that led up to it that they believe was the match that ultimately fueled this horrible attack on the capitol. Lindsey, we know the former president has been reluctant to cooperate. Can he claim Executive Privilege . He cant legally claim Executive Privilege because hes not the executive. But he will. They will do anything they can to stall. Steve bannon didnt even work in the white house, he didnt work there since 2017. We have to recognize what weve learned in the last five years, and that is it doesnt matter that he cant legally say he has Executive Privilege, hes going to do it anyway. The goal for them is to stall and tie it up in the courts until after the next midterm elections and then they hope that they can have the subpoenas withdrawn. Were really only looking at a couple of options to enforce these subpoenas. One is the civil route which is what we did during impeachment and nothing got resolved, it takes too long, and the other is the criminal route. Theres an option for that because we have a new attorney general. But in the past its been difficult to get Justice Departments to actually hold people in Criminal Contempt, especially former executives of white houses, to hold them in Criminal Contempt and haul them in court or haul them to jail if they dont respond. So im not bullish on them getting an answer anytime soon, i wish i were but im not. Thank you all so much, well have to leave it there. Breaking news out of tennessee, where were learning more about a shooting at a supermarket there. Police say theyve identified the gunman who opened Fire Yesterday Inside A Kroger In Collierville about 30 minutes outside memphis. One person was killed in the shooting and at least 15 people were injured. The gunman, who police say was a Third Party Vendor for the store, was found dead of an apparent selfinflicted gunshot wound. The woman killed is identified as olivia king, a mother of three. Kings friend described her as kind, generous, caring, and selfless. Joining me from tennessee is nbc news correspondent vaughn hillyard. Vaughn, what do we know about the investigation and a possible motive . Reporter lindsey, new details are emerging here. 15 individuals were shot by that 29yearold gunman who was a Third Party Vendor here who was working at the krogers. The police chief says the fbi and these local Law Enforcement agencies have served a Search Warrant for where that individual resided here just down the road. They have interviewed one other individual. But they do not believe that individual was a part of this shooting that took place yesterday that left olivia king and those 14 others shot. It does not appear this was necessarily a targeted attack, that there were ten employees that were shot but there were also five customers. Olivia was one of those customers. But were in the front here of this krogers, and i just came from the back where i was talking with one of those workers who was here yesterday. There is some video that was circulating where you see a gentleman on a roof. I just talked to that man, his name is andre. He talked to him now and he described what he saw yesterday. He watched the gunman as he followed multiple individuals around the back of this Grocery Store where he let off several rounds of shots, he said he heard 30 to 40 shots overall and he was trying to direct authorities to where that individual was. Ultimately that 29yearold took his own life here. But there are a lot of questions about what the motive was. The Police Quickly responded in a matter of minutes here. Again, unfortunately olivia kings life has been lost here, but it could have been a great number more here, knowing this was in the middle of an afternoon in a busy Grocery Store. Again, so many Unanswered Questions here at this hour, lindsey. We always ask about a motive but you cant really make sense of senseless violence like that. Vaughn hillyard, thank you. Still ahead, the head of the cdc overrules her own agencys experts to endorse covid Booster Shots for more americans. Well look at who is now cleared to get a third shot. Also ahead, the surge of haitian refugees from the other side of the border. Well go live to mexico where migrants are waiting for a chance to get to america. And later the fbi issues an Arrest Warrant for the fiance of gabby petito but hes still missing. I always had a connection to my grandfather. I always wanted to learn more about him. I discovered some very interesting documents on ancestry. This is the uh Registration Card for the draft for world war two. And this is his signature which blew me away. Being able to. Make my grandfather real. Not just a memory. Is priceless. His legacy. Lives on. Look good. Is priceless. Feel good. Play good. Gillette proglide, five blades and a pivoting flexball to get virtually every hair on the first stroke. Look good, game good. Gillette. If youre 55 and up, t mobile has plans built just for you. Whether you need a single line or lines for family members, youll get great value on americas most reliable 5g network. 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Moments before a live inperson interview with Vice President kamala harris. The show went on with only two hosts and they did interview the vp, who stayed in another room. We should note the hosts who tested positive were vaccinated and the Vice President said shes thankful for that because they likely wont have to worry about cases severe enough to be hospitalized. The cdc director is defending herself today after overruling her own advisers to extend Booster Shots to people whose jobs may put them at high risk. I want to be very clear that i did not overrule an advisory committee. I listened to the votes. I listened to the comment on the votes. This was a scientific close call. In that situation, it was my call to make. Joining me right now, nbc news correspondent heidi przybyla, and dr. Celine gounder, an infection disease specialist and epidemiologist. People are trying to make sense of what the cdc and fda have decided. Is it clear to them how to move forward . Its really just a sense of relief at this point. They know they are not going to be the ones having to check licenses to get vaccine, right . People who come in here will be taking them in on the honor system. People who come in and say they have these preexisting conditions. They say, lindsey, they have the capacity. Were outside a rather large auditorium. Ive got to say its been pretty empty today. That is the big difference between today and when the vaccines were first rolled out. You remember, people waited weeks if not months depending on when your card came up, when you were eligible. They say this time around thats just not going to be the case. Theyre particularly relieved that in addition to 65 plus, which this group was very concerned, given that theyve already been vaccinated back in january, february, their antibodies are waning, their unvaccinated children are in school, but also the Health Care Workers, i was surprised when i spoke with one of chief medical officers dr. Aaron miller here, who grinned, he was so relieved. He said, look, i dont think people understand how taxed our system of Health Care Workers is at this point. These individuals got the vaccine around the same time. We know their antibodies are waning. They are at risk of bringing this home to their children, to other atrisk people who they are around. And so right now, theres not a ton of concern about implementation. Now, that could change if we start to see people abuse the system. We start to see really long lines, lindsey. And theres reports coming out of people either trying to get their first dose or second dose or Immunocompromised People to get in there and get the vaccine. Theres no indication at this point that thats going to happen. And in fact the cdc director stressed today that this is an interim ruling. Were expecting to see more, right . Because the data is not telling us that this is unsafe for anyone. They are studying this Myocarditis Issue in young males. But right now were waiting for more data to come in and eventually more and more groups potentially qualifying for these boosters, lindsey. Dr. Gounder, some of the headlines about dr. Walenskys decision emphasize how unusual it is for the director to make this kind of move. She did go along with what the fda had already decided. Did she make the right move here . I think whats not really clear here is what is the intent. Is the intent to protect the health of individual Health Care Workers or is it to make sure theyre able to stay on the job . Because just like we saw with the hosts on the view, you could have a very mild Breakthrough Case if youre a Health Care Worker and have to call out sick. You might have no symptoms. You might have very mild symptoms. But youre not allowed to work in that situation. And so if you have a lot of doctors and nurses calling out sick, that means hospitals can admit fewer patients, can take fewer patients, care for fewer patients. And similar kinds of staffing issues apply to other Essential Work Settings like schools, prisons, jails and the like. So my question for the cdc is, what is the intent here, particularly given this is phrased as may get a booster shot, not should get a booster shot. Is this really just to allay the fears of Health Care Workers and other Essential Workers . And doctor, based on heidis point that this is an interim ruling here, do you expect well get more and more data and eventually the booster will be opened up to more people, not just maybe who are at high risk jobs or have underlying medical conditions . I think its important to emphasize that this ruling is applies only to people who received the pfizer vaccine, to pfizer booster doses. We dont yet have the data for moderna. Moderna does seem to be holding up better than pfizer, both for Breakthrough Infections as well as more severe disease in the elderly. And so we may not need boosters of moderna and perhaps in just smaller groups of people. So i think its really important to look at these vaccines individually. Theyre all very good, but theyre not identical, theyre not the same. So where you might need a booster of one, you may not need a booster of another. An important distinction. All right, dr. Celine gounder and heidi przybyla, thank you so much. After an abortion ban became law in texas, democrats in the house vote to codify a womans right to choose. Will it protect roe v. Wade from threats . Amid a surge of Haitian Migrants, the white house will address criticism of unfair treatment at the southern border. Without my medication, my small tremors would be extreme. I was diagnosed with parkinsons. I had to retire from Law Enforcement. It was devastating. One of my medications is Three Thousand Dollars per month. Prescription drugs do not work if you cannot afford them. Aarp is fighting for americans like larry, and we wont stop. 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For help creating an emergency plan, visit safetyactioncenter. Pge. Com a little preparation will make you and your family safer in an emergency. A weeks worth of food and water, radio, flashlight, batteries and First Aid Kit are a good start to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter. Pge. Com were following Breaking News at the white house this afternoon. The secretary of Homeland Security is expected to join this afternoons White House Briefing amid a surge of Haitian Migrants at the border. The administration has faced criticism for its treatment of those Haitian Migrants and for the decision to deport more than a thousand of those refugees to haiti. Earlier at the white house, the president addressed the surge at the border and the images that appear to show Border Patrol agents holding horse reins as whips against Haitian Migrants. The most horrible to see, as you saw, to see people treated like they were, horses running them over and people being strapped, its outrageous. I promise you those people will pay. There will be an investigation under way now and there will be consequences. There will be consequences. Its an embarrassment. Its beyond an embarrassment. Its dangerous. Its wrong. It sends the wrong message around the world. It sends the wrong message at home. Its simply not who we are. Joining me right now, nbc news correspondent and a professor of politics and International Relations at florida university. Just days ago there were 15,000 people at the border. What are there now . Lindsey, good afternoon. We just received confirmation from local authorities on the other side of the river in del rio, texas, that that camp has now been completely cleared. Were also receiving some images of bulldozers being used to clear what was left behind in this area. Were still waiting for official numbers of the migrants that were processed through here. We do know that at least 2,000 of these haitians were sent back in flights. We also know that some were released into the country. They remain in the United States. Others are still in custody of cbp. We have been spending some time here at the river today. We saw some migrants that decided to come back to mexico. They didnt want to remain because they were fearing that they would be sent back to haiti. So there is another camp set up right next to us. This is a couple of hundred feet away. Although the camp has been cleared on the american side, there is another makeshift camp on the mexican side with a couple of hundred migrants that still dont know what theyre going to do. Theyre surrounded by mexican authorities. Theyre trying to convince them to leave the area and relocate to other parts of the country. I would like to note that the estimate is that thousands of haitians still remain scattered throughout the country in mexico with reports at the southern border that as many as 800 are crossing daily from guatemala into mexico. Lets learn more about these people, who are they, why are they coming in such large numbers . Its important to understand that the Migration Issue from haiti is now decades old. One of the most important things to understand is that haiti is affected by weather, by the earthquakes. And most importantly, by political turmoil. So that has created this vast network of migrants now around the hemisphere. Many of these individuals who are at the border were really settling throughout the americas, in brazil and chile and peru, even in venezuela, for example. So there are still very large settlements of haitians in those countries. But the problem is largely that they were also undocumented there. And Word Of Mouth and i think the networks of Human Trafficking have kind of forced them to move up to the United States assuming that under the new administration they would get different treatment. Guad, what are you hearing in terms of the treatment and whether this has been a deterrent for them . So most migrants we spoke to here say theyve made their way from South America. So there seemed to be two factors, two things they keep repeating. One is that they left South America to work. But because of the pandemic, there was no more work left in Different Countries in South America, brazil, or chile. They told me during the pandemic, work slowed down so they really had no other options. And the second thing is they received information that there were more opportunities to come into the United States. So there was information shared that perhaps it was much easier now to come into the United States. Now, many of them speak spanish. Some of them speak english. The one thing they told us is that they will not return back to haiti now that theyve learned that some haitians are being returned on flights. Some of them are telling us they are planning to stay in mexico if they can get the proper work permit in mexico. But as you can imagine, most of them will always make sure that they tell us they just want to work, whether its in the u. S. Or in mexico or in a country in South America. But haiti is not an option. You know, eduardo, when we talk about this issue, were talking about Short Term Solutions right now, right, bringing people back on planes, and thats a solution maybe from the american perspective. But what are we looking at long term here . Well, long term, first of all, you have to understand what haiti is going through. You have an assassinated president. They just went through another earthquake. They are constantly threatened by hurricanes or all kinds of weather issues. So haiti really is a country without a state, without the capacity to resolve the problems of those who are currently living there, much less those who are being deported back to haiti, thats on the one hand. For those people that are on the border, you know, you have to understand, adding to the factors, South America has also gone through a huge wave of xenophobia against migrants like haitians but also against venezuelans. So the conditions in South America are really not any better than, let us say, whats awaiting them in the United States in the Political Climate that we have. So uncertainty is probably the only thing that we can say awaits these large numbers of people who, as was said, are only looking for stability in their lives and jobs to make something of their families. Well have to leave it there for today, certainly a conversation well continue to have. Thank you both. Ahead, the house passes a bill to protect abortion rights. But will it do anything to protect roe v. 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Capsule pharmacy can fill and hand deliver your medications the same day for free. Go to capsule. Com to get started. We handle your insurance, all right, everybody, we want to dip in now to the daily press briefing. This is secretary of Homeland Security alejandro mayorkas. We responded with a surge of resources to address the humanitarian needs of individuals, many of whom include families with young children. We also applied our monthslong Standard Operating Procedures at the border which we have been applying to all migrants encountered at the border during this very challenging time of the covid19 pandemic. As of this morning, there are no longer any migrants in the camp underneath the Del Rio International bridge. I will walk through what we have done, how we have done it, explain the processes, and provide data that you have requested. But first, i want to make one important point. In the midst of meeting these challenges, we, our entire nation, saw horrifying images that do not reflect who we are, who we aspire to be, or the integrity and values of our truly heroic personnel in the department of Homeland Security. The investigation into what occurred has not yet concluded. We know that those images painfully conjured up the worst elements of our nations ongoing battle against systemic racism. We have been swift and thorough in our response. First, we immediately contacted the office of Inspector General and launched an investigation into the events that were captured in the disturbing images of horse patrol units. We ceased the use of Horse Patrol Use in the area. The agents involved in these incidents have been assigned to administrative duties and are not interacting with migrants while the investigation is ongoing. I directed the personnel from the cbp Office Of Professional Responsibility to be onsite in del rio fulltime to ensure adherence to the policies, training, and values of our department. The highest levels of the cbp Office Of Professional Responsibility are leading the investigation, which will conclude quickly. The results of the investigation i will make public. The actions that are taken as a result of what we have seen in those images, the investigation will be compelled, the results will be compelled by the facts that are adduced and nothing less. Let me be clear. The department does not tolerate any mistreatment of any migrant and will not tolerate any violation of its values, principles, and ethics. Now i would like to turn to our operational response. Dhs led the mobilization of a whole of government response to address the challenging situation in del rio. Dhs immediately worked to address the acute humanitarian needs of the migrants themselves by partnering with federal and nongovernmental agencies and entities. We rapidly deployed basic Services Like drinking water, food, clothing, and portable toilets. I am grateful to the red cross for providing more than 17,000 hygiene kits and the world central kitchen for contributing more than 14,000 meals per day to supplement other food programs. We searched medical resources and capacity, including over 150 medical professionals, to provide Health Services to ensure the safety of the migrants, employees, and the surrounding community. We provided personal protective equipment, including face masks. We erected four climate controlled tents to support housing for vulnerable populations. Let me go through our operational response. Simultaneously with the humanitarian response, we in the department of Homeland Security implemented a series of operational measures to process migrants consistent with existing laws, policies, and procedures. In particular, cbp, customs and Border Protection, searched 600 agents, officers, and dhs Volunteer Force personnel to the del rio sector to provide operational support. We also, dhs officers and agents, conducted 24hour patrols for general safety as well as to identify anyone who might be in medical distress. I. C. E. , the u. S. Coast guard, the department of defense, and the Department Of Justice provided Transportation Support to transfer migrants out of del rio to other Border Patrol sectors with capacity. Working with the departments of state in haiti, dhs increased the number of removal flights to haiti commensurate with the countrys capacity to receive. Importantly, u. S. Aid has established a 5. 5 Million Program to provide on the ground assistance to repatriated Haitian Migrants. Nearly 30,000 migrants have been encountered at del rio since september 9 with the highest number at one time reaching approximately 15,000. Today, we have no migrants remaining in the camp under the international bridge. Migrants continue to be expelled under the cdcs title 42 authority. Title 42 is a Public Health authority and not an immigration policy. It is important to note that title 42 is applicable and has been applicable to all irregular migration during this pandemic. It is not specific to haitian nationals or the current situation. Some more data. To date, dhs has conducted 17 expulsion flights to haiti with approximately 2,000 individuals. Those who are not expelled under title 42 are placed in Immigration Removal Proceedings. Let me take a step back and explain the process. There are two exceptions to the applicability of title 42, the Public Health authority. Number one is if an individual has an acute vulnerability such as an Urgent Medical care, and two, if in fact our operational capacity is such that we are not able to execute the title 42 authority that rests with the centers for disease control. I should also say that there is a Convention Against Torture Exception if someone claims torture, which is a distinct legal standard. Individuals, as i mentioned, with acute vulnerability can be excepted from the title 42 application. Approximately 12,400 individuals will have their cases heard by an Immigration Judge to make a determination on whether they will be removed or permitted to remain in the United States. That is a piece of data that has been requested of us. If someone is not subject to title 42 expulsion for the three reasons that i explained, acute vulnerability, operational capacity limitations, or a Convention Against Torture Exception, then the individual is placed in immigration proceedings. That means they go before an Immigration Judge in an immigration court. If they make a claim that they have a basis under law to remain in the United States, then the judge will hear and adjudicate that claim. If the judge determines that the claim is not valid, the individual will be removed. An estimated 8,000 migrants have decided to return to mexico voluntarily. And just over 5,000 are being processed by dhs to determine whether they will be expelled or placed in Immigration Removal Proceedings under title 8. We have previously articulated publicly, we have previously expressed that in light of the fact that we had such a significant number of individuals in one particular section in del rio, texas, that we were moving people to other customs and Border Protection Processing Centers to ensure the safe and secure processing of those individuals. And we will assess the ability to exercise the title 42 Public Health authority in those Processing Centers. And if any of the exceptions apply, then we will place those individuals in Immigration Enforcement proceedings. But if we are able to expel them under title 42 because that is indeed a Public Health imperative, as determined by the centers for disease control, we will do so. And with that, ill take your questions. Reporter thank you. Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for coming in to take our questions. Of course. Reporter i was hoping you could explain more of your view that these agents on the border acted in a way that violated policies or procedures. Can you tell us what they did wrong, to start . My second question has to do with what this episode how this episode informs your understanding or thinking about the current and ongoing Asylum Review and whether perhaps if the administration were to take a more permissive stance for asylum, member in a particular social group, that this episode could be seen as one of many in the future. So i think, if i may, i hear you conflating two very different phenomena, two very different processes. First of all, the images, as i expressed earlier, the images horrified us in terms of what they suggest and what they conjure up in terms of not only our nations history but unfortunately the fact that that page of history has not been turned entirely. And that means that there is much work to do, and we are very focused on doing it. But i will not prejudge the facts. I do not in any way want to impair the integrity of the investigative process. We have investigators who are looking at it independently. They will draw their conclusions according to their Standard Operating Procedures. And then the results of that investigation will be determined by the facts that are adduced. Now, with respect to the Asylum Process, that is an independent process, and im not sure i understood your question. If youre asking about the definition of a particular social group, and just for everyones benefit, the asylum laws provide that the first step in an Asylum Process is a claim of credible fear. Economic need, flight from generalized violence, does not qualify as credible fear, but rather credible fear is credible fear of persecution by reason of ones membership in a particular social group. What is the definition of a particular social group, was significantly constrained, thats an understatement, in the trump administration. And there is a body of law that speaks to that definition. And that definition is currently under review. Reporter mr. Secretary, forgive me, just to follow up on this point, the question was, if this administration were to take a more permissive stance toward that definition, could this be, what we experienced in the last several weeks, just the first of similar instances to occur in this country on the border . What instance are you referring to . Reporter we have 15,000 migrants that the United States has had to now process and so we determine, we determine the standards to apply in a claim of persecution according to the principles that a government should have, both domestically and in the international architecture, with the treatment of individuals who are fleeing persecution by reason of their membership in a particular social group. It is not a tool of deterrence to define what a particular social group means. Reporter the people who sorry, im here, hiding behind a mask. The people who were under the bridge, you talked about some of them have gone to mexico, some of them have been flown to haiti. The others, are they spread out at cbp Holding Facilities . Have some been released into the community or released to family members, awaiting hearing . Whats their status . So let me be clear. So some have been returned to haiti, indeed. Others have been moved to different Processing Facilities along the border in light of operational capacity. And then many of them will be returned to haiti from there. And if any of the exceptions apply, they will not be returned to haiti but placed in Immigration Enforcement proceedings. I should say released is a very general term, and i may need to drill down on that, if i may. Individuals, some of them, are detained. Some of them are placed on alternatives to detention. We remain in touch with them. We monitor them to ensure their appearance in court at the designated time of appearance. Does that answer your question . Reporter it does. And i can provide the data i can provide the data if i need to again. Yes. I got that. The broader question is, it seems there are Border Crises that keep popping up sort of like whackamole every other month or unaccompanied minors, or other is there a type of fematype teams that go to these crises points, or is the goal to somehow stop having these crazy that keep breaking out . You mentioned fema. So two points, if i may. Let me first address well, let me go in reverse. From an operations response perspective, we address the challenge of unaccompanied children in march and i said then that we had a plan. We were executing our plan, and it would take time, and, in fact, within 60 days or so we went from an average time of an unaccompanied child in a Border Patrol station of 124 hours to less than 25 hours. And we did that through our operational capacity throughout the department of Homeland Security, as directed by the president , in an all of government effort. Here, last weekend, we had approximately 15,000 individuals in the del rio section. I committed to addressing that within ten days, and today we have none. And that was because of the department of Homeland Securitys assets with the assistance of others across the government. That is something very different than the fact of the dynamism of a regular migration writ large and the fact that this is a situation that has occurred from time to time ever since i can remember, in my more than 20 years of government service, and the president has spoken very powerfully about this from day one, and before he assumed office. First and foremost and most fundamentally and foundationally, we are dealing with a broken immigration system, and we need legislative reform. And everyone agrees. In a world where unanimity is so hard to achieve, one thing there is, the need for comprehensive Immigration Reform and unfortunately seems to remain illusive but our real dedication to achieving it is unrelenting and we continue to do so. Number one. Number two, we have a threepart plan. We invest in the root causes to address the need, address the reason why people leave the homes in which they live and take a perilous journey that they should not take. Second, the building of safe, orderly and humane pathways, and, third, rebuilding an Asylum System and a Refugee Program that was dismantled in the prior administration. This takes time and we are executing our plans. Thank you, mr. Secretary and great you have and good to see you in the same way we made that request. Starting with the situation in del rio. The amount of agens is a sended, are you considering ill illofeliminating that . We are still looking into that. We still have operational needs across the border with respect to this particular population of individuals, but were going to be taking a look at this. What the horse patrol is customarily used to do for everyones benefit is, you know, horses are able to cross terrain that might not otherwise be traversed. What they often do, and in fact most often do, is as the assess the situation and helping those in distress. The Border Patrol specifically saved lives many times before, but we will take a look. Just because yours is such a Sprawling Department facing multiple issues at once, the situation regarding afghan refugees processed by your department. A few questions on that that havent entirely been answered. Im curious if you know how many cases of forced marriage or socalled child brides dhs found in the system so far to my knowledge, we have not found one, but i will tell you that we have experts at the airport, and beyond, who understand that phenomenon very, very well. Who know how to detect the indicia, the signs of any such activity, and are able to place people in secondary screening, discern the facts and make the decisions that the facts so warrant. We are very skilled in that. Thank you, mr. Secretary. I know you said youd be looking into this, but the president was really clear today. He said the Border Patrol agents on horseback seen in those images is dangerous, said its wrong. There will be consequences. Do you disagree . The president was echoing sentiments of the American Public in response to the images and what those images suggest, but i want to speak to the fact that this investigation will be based on the facts that the investigators learn and the results of the investigation will be driven by those facts and nothing less and nothing more. He said they would pay. Youre not on the same page . I think the president was speaking in terms of the horror he observed from seeing the images and what that suggests. That investigation will have integrity i can assure you of that. I understand youve been saying since january 20th you inheritsed a broken system, a lot of work to be done but thousands living in squalid and limited opportunities to go through Asylum Processes here. Advocates warned of situations like this for months now. What responsibility does the administration take for these situations continuing to pop up in various places . So if youre addressing the situation in del rio, i will tell you that it is unprecedented for us to see that number of people arrive in one discreet point along the border in such a compacted period of time nap is unprecedented. We have the chief of the Border Patrol raoul ortiz, i think a 30year veteran and not seen that before. What we do when we see something unprecedented is we respond and respond we did. Some democrats have wanted you to be more lenient on the asylum claims because of the earthquake haiti went through. Have you considered that at all, sir . Let me speak to that. We studied the conditions in haiti a number of months ago, as is our legal obligation to do so, and based on the Country Conditions that we observed and studied, what we did is, we designated haiti for Temporary Protected Status for those haitian nationals resident in the United States who were here prior to july 29th. And we were mindful of the assassination that occurred, and we were unsure of the results of that assassination in terms of the stability of the political order. Once a new leader took office and things seemed to settle down, we determined that the July 29th Date was eck quitable to address the humanitarian relief of haitian nationals already resident in the United States. We have continued to study the conditions in haiti, and we have, in fact, determined, despite the tragic and devastating earthquake, that haiti is, in fact, capable of receiving individuals, and we are working with haiti and with humanitarian relief agencies to ensure that their return is as safe and humanely accomplished as possible. I was around, i was at u. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on january 10, 2010. The date of the last earthquake in haiti, and that was distinct from the earthquake that devastated people more recently. That had a far greater geographic repercussions than this one now. This one as devastating and tragic as it is was more geographically limited, and we made a determination based on the legal standards and the facts that, in fact, individuals could be returned to the country as a whole. Thank you very much. Just to go back, please, to the mounted patrol officers. You said on saturday, or rather on the 20th, to ensure control of the horse long reins are used. The person who took these photos of the Border Patrol agents says ive never seen them whip anyone. So why is the president out there today talking about people being strapped let me let me correct the statements in your question, if i may. It was on no, no. If i may. It was on friday when i was actually it was on monday, i believe, when i was in del rio. On the ground. And i made the statements without having seen the images. I saw the images on the flight back, and i made the statement that i did with respect of what those images suggested. There, the horses, have long reins, and the image in the photograph that we all saw and that horrified the nation raised serious questions about let me finish about what occurred, and as i stated quite clearly, it conjured images of what has occurred in the past. Let me finish. Theres also a question of how one uses the horse. And how one interacts with individuals with the horse, and so im going to let the investigation run its course. Im not going to interfere with that investigation. The facts will be deter