Reporter but its 2,000 miles, Pacific Ocean to the gulf mx co. Desert, mountains, tarmland, cities. Concrete, scrub grass and a whole lot of sand and one long river. How exact laaly are you going t build a wall on this . To comp remend the border, you got to see it and its overwhelming vastness, the people on both sides. The reality. Whats your message to the president about this section . We have kids who cross the border every day to go to school. In one hour well talk you all 1,933 miles from michigan texas to sand yag o, california. This is all in america live from the border. Im standing at the site of what the president plans to declare a National Emergency. If the house passes a bill to avoid a second shut dng, he will sign it, and declare a National Emergency, then head to maralago oafter declaring a a National Emergency. The president has turned into a National Symbol of trumpism. M jacob in el paso, at the border crossing. In antelope wells, New Hampshire and Gaddy Schwartz in san diego, california. The border is a vast expanse of desert and mountains and farmland thats near lathe size of the eastern seaboard. A geographically and diverse area the president is saying the totalality of which is an emergence. There are challenges across the region to boo sure and there is no invasion and it is very hard to look at the actual data and conclude theres an unprecedented disaster. Crossings have decreased dramatically. Right afrom the border with juarez, we have correspondents where President Trump is planning to declare a National Emergency. They have driven across the border to see what is really happening here. We begin with cal perry in san beneato o. Cal. Reporter chris, the debate over the border and a wall may seem like politics unwashington d. C. But in texas its a way of luf. The border between texas and mexico stretches from bustling cities to tiny towns, over mountains and along the rio grand. From the heart of the country all the way to the gulf. We drove the entire length of the border, starting in the sit a of el paso. 40 minutes outside of town as the terrain turns to desert, the border wall ends, just past the temporary detention city set up to house thousands of migrant children. And the gap until you reach a ranch in fort hancock. Whats your message to the president about this section right here . Come down and finish the wall. Reporter where less than 100 people live, migrants improvise ways to cross the border. 20yearold hernandez began the journey unguatemala. The border between mexico and the u. S. Follows the rio grand southeast. Here the landscape talks over. You come to big ben state park, the most rural part of the state and you understand immediately why the ports of entree are used so often. The natural barrier makes it virtually impossible to cross, which is why a wall would be completely impractical. The border winds along the river through beautiful, unpopulated wilderness. A return of civilization and so the return of the wall. You can see the wall picking back up here for the obvious reason. Its possible for people to cross here. Beyond eagle pass, the wall become as small fence and the elements can be hostile. There are no paved roads close to the border in this part of texas so if you decide to cross, youre definitely talking your life unyour hands. No cell lines, which is why people leave giant blue buckets out. Theyre fulled with water. New sections are of the wall could threaten the National Butterfly center. This is a remnant of native habitat, set aside for conservation and its all going to be destroyed. What will happen to the National Butterfly center if a wall goes in . Well, it will look like a prison yard for one, which is never good for echo tourism and lose our property that will be south of the border wall. Reporter Border Patrol are out in force picking up large groups of people, the vast majority of which are families. Agents can see whats happening on the mexican side of the border. They want tuse leave so they can cross more bodies. So theyre motioning for you to go away . Yes. Theyre not scared of anything right now. They want me to leave so they dont have to worry about their guide getting caught. Skblr reporter the final stretch of wall is in browns vill, texas and some 13 miles through marshland until reaching the gulf of mexico. Chris, the giant skzs of wall, that was own laapropriated in 2006. Those pieces went in in 2009. The gap will be filled in. So the section of wall took ten years to complete. I guess the first question is having gone along the entire edge of this border in texas, what do you think of it being an emergency . Reporter theres no state of emergency, certa emergency for example the central processing center. 1500 people are packed in there. It is attica pasty. So its a facility jacob visited. There are still children in cages in the facility. Theyre meant to hold 15 people. There are 30 people jammed in shoulder to shoulder. We saw young girls crying and shaking and praying. We asked an official from customs and Border Protection inside the facility what they needed. One of the first things he said were judges. Just an indication its not just the wall here. Thanks for being with me. I want to turn to msnbc correspondent 400 mules southeast of me. Shes across the border from the texas town of eagle pass. Thanks for being with me. Reporter good evening, chris. The Trump Administration has made it more diffdprlt migrants to be able to apply for asylum at the u. S. Border. Instead the administration reached an agreement with mexico to keep the Asylum Seekers south of the border. A policy known as metering. So we travelled to the sister cities so close you could see them on the other side and the president s policy and its effect on everyone we spoke to was loud and clear. Eagle pass, texas, a quiet, unassuming place, population 30,000, but the voices of residents are being drowned out by more than 2100 Law Enforcement agents. A lot of people wont say nothing because theyre scared of what will be done to them. Reporter the reason for the extra security lieus just across the rio grand river in the mexican city. Now force under to an immigrant showdown with its texas 21. All the Law Enforcement presence, what is the message its sending . Ultimately that youre not going to be able to cross uloogally. In any way shape orfashion. Reporter is necessary to have this display . At this level, no. Reporter this is what we found. You have the mexican fed rallies and the mexican army, the red cross, the local Migration Institute all surrounding the shelter behind me. Some 1800 migrants, mostly from honduras who arrived via caravan just over a week ago now being kept by mexican authorities unwhat use ou in what used to be a factory. How would you describe this place . She says its like being in jail. Year told only a couple of aid groups are allowed inside. And so far field migrants are allowed out. That desperation hit a brocking point on wednesday. Brocking point on wednesday reporter mexican authorities are getting ready to move almost 200 migrants from the shelter. Theyre getting on the buses and being taken to other states in mx co. The only reason theyre allowed to do that is because theyve secured humanitarian visas. If they dont have humanitarian visas, migrant are not allowed to leave. Theyrefer sent in small groups to file for asylum. Leaving thousands of migrants waiting indefinitely. What kind of an impact has this had on your child . Mexican Officials Say theyre doing everything they can. End soon and legally in peace and in good relationships. Reporter for her and so many others here, this is home for now but she prayers not for long. She just has faith ungod that theyll theyll able to get to the u. S. Its my understand reporter go ahead. I just wanted to ask. The shelter scene you showed, basically it seems whether its a deal thats been struck for the Mexican Government to essentially warehouse people. Those folks are essentially in a stateless limbo, is that right . Reporter many of the families told me they feel like theyre in prison, crus rr. And that is what is new. Metering is not new but this is from mexico. Keeping these families, these mothers behind this fence here. I mean look at where im standing now. This is new and it is a direct response to what is happening on the other side thoorks fact that cdp can only take 12 to 20 people today and woor wiere ta almost 2,000 whose main purpose was to turn themselves in to seek asylum. Theyre caught onborder battle between these two sit as and just being on the ground for 48 hours, this i think is the epicenter of this border debate right now, this city in mexico. Thank you so much for brungibrun bringing that from the mexican side of the border. For many crossing back and forth is just part of an ordinary day. Reporter thats right. Spot on. And i think what gets lost so often about it both sides of the border is the interconnectiveness of both sides. The president was panonting of very dangerous city protected by a border wall put up some time ago, elpaso. But the reality is the people that live unel paso are the people that live in juarez. They commute back and forth to go to work, go to school and the way the president talks about this is completely foreign to them. All these people behind me are walking back unmexico after spending a day inside of elpasoe. El paso has felt the disproportionate impact of the aggressive deterrent policies. Is the first place he put the to place zeer otolerance. They didnt die in el paso. They died in the el paso sector. For the people that live and work on both sides and traverse it every single day, its a complete laforeign idea, one not based on the realities on the ground. This is what it looks like, walking back and forth. Were going to talk a little later about all the reporting youve been doing over the last several years on this. And 28th congressional district. Youre on that conference commit a that struck the deal that apoors luke its going to be suned. What is your reaction to the announced intent to declare a nationalmergency . I disagree with the president because his visions of the border, all he sees is a crisis and whos dead wrong. For us we see the border as a place to raise our families, grow businesses. Its a place of community and opportunity. If you want to look at violence, for example. According to the fbi, the crime rate, the National Crime rate for example, murders, is 5. 3 murders for 100,000. The border crime rate is a lot lower and ill take my home town of laredo. You compare to washington d. C. , its more dangerous in washington two or three or four times more dangerous here. The crisis is not at the border. Stums i think its dealing with our president , all due respect to hum. What do you imagine are the next steps if the president does invoke this Legal Authority many think is a dubious constitutionality . Its certainly dubious. I think the Supreme Court has weve already talked about whether the president can declare a emergency. Theyll say if theres an emergency, maybe he should have called it months agobut he coops waiting and tries to use it as a leverage. He didnt get the money on the wall he wanted. He didnt even get that close so now he wants to use that because hes obsessed at this 13th century called a wall. What do you think the i want to read concern from susan collins, republican in the senate who says this. Declaring a National Emergency would be a mistake on the part of a president. I dont believe the act constitutes the president relocating billions for specific purposes outicide of the normal appropriations process. What should you as the president do this . The senator is right. Im in full agreement with heir. We have hearings, we have testimony and then we decide in a very bipartisan way to put the appropriation bill. So we decide what goes into akountsz. And the president wants to come in by himself and change everything that congress did . That just doesnt make sense. Again hes obsessed with this 14th century solution called a wall. Is the reason that money wasnt there or the 5. 7 million, the compromise hammered out between you and others, republican and democrat, its just not necessary. Is that your position . We want to have sensible Border Security where we balance the trade and truism with Border Security. I liver on the border. I know what the border is. I dont go in for a few minut s i know the border better. If you want to stop drugs, most drugs come through ports of entree. Soyou build a wall, it doesnt stop the drugs coming through our ports. You got to be smart. Folking on the ports of entree, cay nine personnel. In 2001 border putroel apprehended 1. 6 million individuals. Last year . 303,000 individuals. And if you want to look at most of the people here, 67 are here illegally came through a legal veegsau or permutt. Soyou put a wall, theyre going to fly. And all due respect to our neighbors, most over stays are canadians. So maybe were looking at the wrong border. District along that border, thank you for talking a little time tonight. This week began with the president coming here, to el paso to whip up support for his border wall but led by rising democratic star beto orourke across the street. O obviously the big news is the president is going to sign the appropriation and declare some unspecified National Emergency. Its hard to make a rational case for an emergency dkleration or troops on the border or any amount of Additional Border walls or fnsi walls fencing and slats, even if its only 1 and a quarter. Its never been as safe and secure as it is now and asman a people know, el pasos been one of the safest in the u. S. For the last 20 yeefrs. In fact a little less safe after we had a wall. Mccallen is safe, the border sit as are safer than the average city on the interior. Theres no rational reason to do this. Reporter ive been interviewing you for years and you would always say el paso is one of the safest cities in america and the president turned that against el paso. For a while it was scary and no, it is safe and its because of the wall which there is part of back there and you think thats not true. No. I know thats not true. You see 20 years go and el paso is the second or third safest in the United States barb none. We build a wall in 2008 after the 2006 secure fence act voted for by republicans and democrats alike and el pasos crime rate actually increase after that. I dont know if its correlated but what i can tell you is didnt have to do with the wall. Reporter like this stretch they could come across. But its not like the city of el paso is under an invasion . It was not. And a really important thing to remember is weve always had some level of migration from mexico and Central America, most of it from people wanting to work jobs in this country that no one with else would do legally. And esengs that he will same number of people keep coming to work only now theyre undocumented. Today the lowest numbers of apprehension in my lifetime. Im 46 and those coming are turning themselves in and theyre coming to flee the most violent countries on the planet today, most off within little kids or little kids without their parents. We have asylum laws we must follow, International Obligations to which we must ad here and a sns of moral purpose we should live up to. The walls not for going to solve any of that. You were at a rally when the president came to town. Whats the message there . For people looking at this in detroit or new jersey or oregon. What is the message . It was so powerful and so profoundly positive. Nothing negative about it. It was a celebration of what mocks elpasoso special. The fact were one of the safest cities unamerica because weir rar city of umgrants. 1 4 were born in another country. You make the state of texas, by extension the country a safer place by treating people with dignity and are spect, not militarizing communities, not adding near 20 billion a year woor with were spending on Border Security. I think el paso helpedset the example monday night. Dan crenshaws been very out spoken in favor of the border particularly. And he tweeted this. Im passing it along. He didnt txt me. If you could, would you take the wall down now . Knock it down . Yes. If theres a referendum in the city, that would pass . I do. Hes what we know after the secure fence act we have built 600 miles of wall and fencing on a 2,000 mile border. Its cost us 10s of billions to build and maintain and pushed Asylum Seekers and refugees to the most hostile stretches of the u. S. Mexico border, insuring their suffering and death. More than 4,000 human beings, women, children, dead, not in cages, as we have walled off their opportunity legally petition for asylum, to cross in urban centers like el paso, to be with family, to work jobs, to do what any human being should have a right to do, what we would do face would the same circumstances. What im haring is more ambitious than just we shouldnt build a wall. It sounds luke youre saying the kinds of ways, starting post 9 11, cvp, work force has gone up, spending has gone up. You say you dont think any of that has been good for the country . Its perverse. The response to legitimate concerns and problems. International terrorism orchestrated by al qaeda, carried out by people from saudi arabia, we punish people from mexico, deport 400,000 mexican nationals from a response to 9 11. Wall off 600 miles of the u. S. mx co border precisely zero terrirists or terririst organizations have used the border to attack a sidge american. So we do this whether its the war on terrier, the war on drugs. We project our fears and anxieties el paso and punish the people who love here. Theres no reason to do that. But it is the fear and the ang zu zity that is stoked by people who frankly should know better. Father of three. Hope you have valentines day plans i do. Were going to see willy nelson. The site of what the president call as National Emergency. And we go west where dash and further ws to arizona reports on the loves lost in the desert. All the way to california where Gadi Schwartz goes to the wall and all that is all in america live at the border rols on. N am live at the border rols on what do you look for when you trade . I want free access to research. Yep, td ameritrades got that. Free access to every platform. Yeah, that too. I dont want any trade minimums. Yeah, i totally agree, they dont have any of those. I want to know what im paying upfront. Yes, absolutely. Do you just say yes to everything . Hm. 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Tell your doctor about all your medicines and medical conditions. Check insulin label each time you inject. Taking tzds with insulins like toujeo® may cause Heart Failure that can lead to death. Toujeo®, ask your doctor. Lets groove tonight. That can lead to death. Turn up your swagger game with one a day gummies. One serving. Once a day. With nutrients that support 6 vital functions. And one healthy you. Thats the power of one a day. We are live at the border in el paso texas. The state line is just a few miles to the ws of here. On the other side is new mexico. 100 miles of wall and fencing. Until fairly recently a place where few people tried to cross. And germane lee has in antelope wells, new mexico. Reporter its really hard to over state how remote and isolated this region of the state really is. Which mags for an incredibly dangerous and arduous journey crossing from the southern border. In a town called sunland park where the mayor is more interested in Building Partnerships than walls. The southern border of mm new mexico stretches across roughly 200 miles of rugged terrain and barren desert, making it hard to know where the u. S. Ends and mexico begins. Sunland park is that point where state of texas and mexico meet. Its one region one culture here because i have family that lived here in sun lntd park on the weekend and during the week they go back to visit their mom, aunts in mx mx. Reporter people not only cross on the weekends but every week day some 800 children carrying their pass ports. Theyre u. S. Citizens,many of their parents are not. Once they are here, were level Playing Field as everyone else because we have the same expeck taugzs. Reporter may seem complicated because there is a actual barrier but here toage kate kids. We want our kids to have those opportunities. We want them to be successful people who can contribute back to the tax base and love in the count raand be productive. Reporter for people just tuned in, it feels like a big crisis orchaos but what we find here is a Community Fill would love. Anything negative, woo do our best to keep it outside and we come in and we embrace the kids and create our own culture. Skblr reporter the border take ash sharp drop to the south. Thaw say the migrants crossing are bad neighbors you dont knoif youre gotag get hit in the head. Reporter how do you protect yourself . We have to care a guns. I mean thats just its plain and simple. Reporter what does that feel like to have to think about it . I dont want to put anyone in harms way. But if push comes to shove and my familys first. We have six deputies and a sheriff out here and they patrol 3500 square miles. Reporter of three points of entree, the antelope station is where theres been an tick of migrant. Were in clover dale, about as far west as you can go in new mexico. Unthat direction is arizona. To a few miles to the south over here. And clover dale is the last out post in the state. So isolated theres one building left standing. Tremain, you dade great job showing how remote it is there. More migrants are crossing there despite how unforgiven the terrain is. Reporter the government basically uncan tr basically controls how men a migrants can apply for asylum. So instead of going to the busier ports of entree, they come to dangerous stretches of this vast wide open landscape here at antelopeuals where temperatures dip to Single Digits at night. Its long, dangerous. But also crossing through ranch land and as you heard the young lady mention theyre scared. Foks are arming themselves. They feel they have a better chance this way than one of the busy ports. In antelope wells, new mexico. Jouning me from new mexicos capitol city, the first democratic latino ogovernor in the country. She pulled most of her states from the border. We start with that decision. Why did they pull it . Youve bsaid in the segment, right after i was elected i went right to sun lnland park and wa reviewing and asking questions of the National Guard and Border Patrol agents and theres no emergence. And frankly they could not justify the presence of the National Guard in terms oof a National Security issue. And so we have so many things that we nieed to boo edoing and the federal government is not meeting its responsibility on immigration issues and any stretch of the imagination. I actually gave the National Guard and Border Patrol several weeks to answer questions about the kind of activities, what they were doing, what kund of emergencies they were seeing, what kind of National Security issues were present and they were not able to defend anything of that nature and as a result i made a decision to pull those troops from the border. The president is announced an intention to declare some kind of nationalmergence. The details are yet to be determined or announced what would you do were the government to use that Emergency Powers to do things in new mexico . Im certainly going to join, i hope the chorus of so many elected leaders and Law Enforcement folks that this is a terrible and unfortunate tactic that president is taking. Its an additional effort at more campaignlike stunts. His own department of justice is booing reported by National News outlets dont think its going to pass any legal muster because there is no emergency and it really sets the worst kind of precedence for separation of powers. Efects governors, congress. And we will join whatever legal action and efforts to make sure that we keep the executive branch in check. This is nothing more than a power grab and its stoking fear and frankly it makes us less safe and is using resources that are intended for other purposes in this country. You just won an election just a few months ago and im curious. Youve got a state that is a border state. You look at the national plutical discourse. How ranking in the number one to number three or four issues in that campaign you just ran in your state on the border, where were these issues . The president talks about the state of emergency, was that at the senlter of the campaign you just ran . No. In fact in my general i was running against another former member of congress. We were both in congress in the general election. We were both against the wall because we live here, we know the impact it has on families, on humanitarian efforts and most important laeour economy. The fabric of what makes this a multicultural safe state and we are real a working in new mexico to bolster our conomy. Sowe were both on the same page on that issue and immigration and the border wall were not primary issues in the campaign because were living in a totally different reality than whats being manufactured by the president. All right. Governor of new mexico. Thank you somuch for mockiakinge time tonight. The state of arizona has 373 miles of border. So long and varied the stories are as nuanced as the terrain. Nbc news correspondent morgan rathford live reporter right now their rin a bigger battle over this freshly placed wire you can see covering the fence behind me. But the reality is this fence is just a small portion of the entire arizona border. In fact 2 3 of that border only ehad short vehicle barriers or no barriers at all and that means for each type of terrain theres a completely different type of battle at the border. The arizona mexico border 373 miles of treacherous terrain. One giant barrier. From the mountainous natural barriers in the east to manmade raiser wire in the center, and barren desert out west. Deadly mountainous terrain like this has already claimed nearly 3,000 lives in the last 20 years. Year round. Even when the temperatures 110 degrees. Reporter his lifes mission is to remember each and every migrant who died. Why do you do it . Because im part of the im part of the migration. Reporter this is your story too . Every time i come here i connect this loss to losses in my own life. Reporter hes placed 900 krau crosses in five years. This administration is using the desert to kill people and theyre due dying from lack of water. Reporter which is why they leave behind a jug of water. They figured if someone died here, morare coming behindthem. People have left messages to you after leaving the water bottle . Whoever finds them, yeah. Bless us. Reporter even if the migrant were to try to avoid the desert,en the theyd run into this. A 22foot high wall covered in brand new wire. This is arizona. But that is mexico. She moved here to be closer to her husband whos waiting in mexico to apply citizenship in the u. S. Just how hard it is. There are more than 5,000 tim foley calls him safl certified tracker. Whos the founder of the arizona border recon. A group of volenner tos from all over the country. Where are the cameras that youre using . Theyre hidden. Reporter dressed in camouflage and armed with his pistol, he goes aught to patrol this patch of the border, placing hidden cameras and looking for any susan of what he calls criminal activity. A lot of people might say youre a bunch of racist whose want to hunt down mexican people crossing the border. Thats because they have a preconceivered notionf who we are and anyone whos trying to protect the border, thaw call them racist. Yet the second largest makeup of our group is hispanic males. Reporter you have hispanic males helping you . Is. You talked about the wire put up behind you. Why has that been a source of friction . Reporter a lot of people here said look, were not necessarily opposed to some form of a bauerier because weve gron up with a fence for the past 20 plus years but what theyre bothered bu is the brand new rauzer wur. It feels threating andmany say they feel like theyre living in a war zone. But what really struck me is something evet told me, the woman whose husband is unmexico. Its the rhetoric behind the raiser wire. If you notice its only on the u. S. Side of the border and not on the mexican side so what message does that send . What sumble does that mean . What does that tell people they need fear when they come to our country . Many thanks for that. Further west to the great state of california at 140 miles, the smallest border with mx oco. The california border is the count ras busiest land port of entree with 90,000 people including passengers and pedestrians every day. Much of the california border issallred a walled off by barriers of any kind. Tha live from san diego, california. Reporter hey, chris. Most of the people weve been talking to as we cross the border lands here uncalifornia say it do say doesnt feel like it is a crisis but quick for the walls and fnss up for more than a decade. Stretching across desolate deserts into the pacific, californias 130 mile border starts here at the port of entree where post of the traffic appears to be americans crossing south towards Health Clinics in mexico. Thats definitely new but this wall is the old wall a lot of Border Patrol agents say they dont like because they cant see whats going on in the mx co side. Americans crossing the mexico. Some Trump Supporters there. Wall or no wall . Wall. Reporter wall orno wall . No wall. A massive scene spans the desert with only one way back to actually see the border. Crossing the sand dunes gives you a full understanding of how unforgiving the terrain can be. The a floating fence is what were seeing right here. This is what Border Patrol installed a few years ago. This is some of the tallest fencing in america and its next to the strip mall. Do you think the rest of the United States understands whautsds rr happening on the border . No. I think they think trying to steal our job when in reality there are no jobs to steal. Reporter do you think theres a border crisis out here . No. I think its ridiculous. We dont need a dam wall. Reporter 100 miles into california at the only cafe in camp oo, fox news is up and the crowd is mostly Border Patrol and some nearby say there is a crisis. You used to not see any immigrants passing through but now you see them everywhere. Reporter it passes eight prototype walls built during President Trumps early preferference concrete. A department of Homeland Security test found all prototypes were breachable. Is this the preferred wall . Yeah, this design here is what Border Patrol has oas our preferred. Right now back either direction, its a wall. Kuhn crete and steel wall my guy kz get protection behind. Reporter en the to the busiest land porlt entry with 34 million crossings last year. It runs above an infamous canyon where hundreds of thousands of immigrants cross into the u. S. In the 90s and early 2000s. What changed . They built another fence. One they couldnt get over and people coming through. Another two miles west the fence finally disappears in a place called friendship park. Open for family members sep rotted by the border to talk to each other and touch funger tups under the watchful eye of Border Patrol. And thats what it feels like on the california pseudo. On the tijuana side, its a different story. Authorities say there is a humanitarian crisis with the migrant caravans and families coming from Central America and Border Patrol says thats starting to spill over the border into the san diego sector sawing they have seen an apprehension rate of family units up 600 since october. Chris. Theres news today that a number of rights groups, including the aclu are going to sthu government inover the policy thavl policy theyve implemented and the deal theyve struck with mexico to keep them in tijuana. Reporter were talking about case wheres people have crossed into the United States and they are here, they have been processed and they are taken back and told to wait in mexico. We heard of ten children that cross under to mexico along with 5300 other people and were expecting to see that a lot more. Live in san diego, california. That takes us nearly 2,000 mile span back from el paso tonight, im joined by two people who know a lot about life on the border. Reported extensively on the border including the child separation policy, wheer the mayor of el paso o, texas. The president is going to declare a National Emergency. Im not sure how you define National Emergency. There is an issue with migrants coming over. Today 530 were are leased in mostly Central American families. Yes, they are processed by i. C. E. And we have Law Enforcement and we have the areas where hhs is the entity with care and feeding. One of the things that is very clear, jacob and the mayor is talking about, there is Something Different happening started in 2015 really but intensified, which is the kinds of crossings, where people come from and mismatch between that and the capacity legal, judicial, social services to deal with that. But why and how did we get here is the question we have to ask and you have to look back to bill clinton to understand how the border enforcement got into a little bit with you led to this point. Bill clinton put into prevention through detour rauerrence and l people crossing in the desert and dying. Donald trump put a much more aggressive detour rauerrence po that stood together and solved the idea there is no connection to enforcement and the migration flows is pretty ridiculous, per po the crisis happening is a humanitarian one and happening and connected to enforcement policies of the United States. They are trying to avoid the Border Patrol, they are trying to get into the country and coming for a very legitimate reason. Government is stopping that from happening and thats why were seeing what were seeing today. You said something about this happens at a bunch of different boredder towns and there will b religious communities processing it. They then go and find them and go and stand around here. You dont strike me as someone thats scared of that or think thats a threat to the well being of the people of el paso. Were not having any issues. We are the safest city for a population greater than 500,000, have been for many years. A physical structure like a fence is part of, you know, control of the borders, which we need. The real root problem is were dealing with the symptoms of a root problem and thats lack of migration, ingrags refommigrati. Nobody has shown fortitude on either side of the isle. So both are culpable and something has to be done. Were doing dacas, dreamers, those that are already here and what were doing out of Central America. We should note there was a deal on the table back in march of 25 billion. 25 billion for the wall to deal with daca and screamers. T dreamers. The mayor makes an excellent point. At tijuana the money spent on enforce sometime processing people, they would be able to come into the country using the legal asylum process, be processed, safe and healthy and not put back into mexico in the dangerous cities, including that one tonight. Jacob and mayor dean margo, thank you for coming by. You bet. Thank you. Lights are all on as night falls here in el paso and there is no obvious emergency in site. Our coverage live from the border continues after this. Our coverage live from the border continues after this. s in 30,000 precision parts. Or it isnt. Its inspected by mercedesbenz factorytrained technicians. Or it isnt. Its backed by an unlimited mileage warranty, or it isnt. For those who never settle, its either mercedesbenz certified preowned, or it isnt. The mercedesbenz certified preowned sales event. Now through february 28th. Only at your authorized mercedesbenz dealer. And relief from symptoms caused feel the clarity of nondrowsy claritin by over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. Like those from buddy. Because stuffed animals are clearly no substitute for real ones. Feel the clarity. And live claritin clear. Driverless cars. All ground personnel please clear the hangar. Trips to mars. 4. 95. Hydroponic farms. Robotic arms. 4. 95. Delivery drones or the latest phones. No matter what you trade, at fidelity its just 4. 95 per online u. S. Equity trade. It appears the border legislation is on its way to pass the house of representatives going to the president next for his signature and something you hear the president say to supports, if you dont have a border, you dont have a country. In some sense, sure, thats true. Orders are a feature but the question for the u. S. Is not does it have a border or not, its what kind of border we will have. For most of its existence, the southern border had nowhere near the massive Security Apparatus its developed in 20 years. The fencing behind me that separates el paso was built in 2008. A lot of people for decades and beck cads used to come and go and come for work and return home to their families, sometimes seasonally. In fact, u. S. Immigration policy for much of this countrys entire history was the kind of open border policy basically anyone not enslaved could more or less show up. The country had a border then, too, and existed as a country. Then another thing you hear not just from the president but really from politicians across the political spectrum is we need to secure the border and yet, no one ever seems to define what the heck that means, what is the goal that you want to reach . It means in practice is always more, more money, more fencing, more drones, more technology. More Border Patrol, more enforcement, more punitive measures and somehow its quiit early never enough and its not about the border and it never has been and you know that because as soon as they were offered a 25 billion package for the border wall, the white house derailed the talks by demanding a drastic reduction in legal immigration. He could have had money for the wall but the wall is not the issue and the border, this real stretch of land with people and families and businesses and churches on both sides of the line is not the issue. The issue is what this country as a whole looks like and who gets to call it theirs, which is why the wall will never be built and always be needed. The border will actually never be secured but always need to be secured. Its because america cannot be and will not be one hopes the kind of nation those folks want, the president , his advisors, one bound by ethnic and racial affiliation rather than a collective vision of a pre society. The border is not what we need secure. What we want is for people to be secure. We want people to feel secure. And that, thats hard. And getting there and all it would mean is something that no amount of fencing is ever going to provide. That does it for our special edition of all in america. Thanks to the amazing reporters that spent many hours traveling the border to bring these stories tonight. The Rachel Maddow show starts now. Incredible, incredible work tonight my friend. That was an amazing hour. Thank you. Thanks to you at home for joining us. Lots to get to and lots going on tonight. The senate has voted earlier today and the house just has voted just started voting tonight on a bill that will keep the federal government from shutting down again tomorrow. As you can see there, this is the vote that has just happened now in the house so the Senate Passed it earlier. The house has now passed it. And this bill passing the house