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More Than 11,000 Migrants Wait In Northern Mexico; Holiday Return Season Brings Fees, Shorter Refund Windows; Storm Forces Closure Of Interstate, Snarls Travel After Holiday; Teams Work To Overturn Wrongful Convictions. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 26, 2023 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We're learning new details on the scale of the migrant surge at the U.S.-Mexico border. Community leaders say more than 11,000 people are already waiting in shelters and camps on the Mexican side of the border, hoping to enter the United States through legal pathways.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: And more are on the way. A caravan of thousands of migrants is currently headed north through Mexico to an already overwhelmed U.S. border. You're looking at video of that group marching through Mexico toward the U.S. border on Christmas Eve. It's a trip that could take them weeks.

CNN's Rosa Flores is in Eagle Pass, Texas for us. And Rosa, you have some new reporting on migrant apprehensions in that area where you're in.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, there's no question. The number of apprehensions here in the Del Rio sector where I am, I'm in Eagle Pass, Texas, it has dropped. According to a law enforcement source, yesterday there were about 2,000 migrant apprehensions in this area. Last week, the daily average was about 3,000.

And you can see that behind me because when we talked last week, there were thousands of migrants in the field that you see behind me. Right now, that field looks empty.

Now, this is a lot of Border Patrol work, too. They're decompressing. They're trying to figure out ways to process these individuals as quickly as possible so they're not outside waiting. But there are many factors that the Border Patrol is dealing with right now.

And according to a senior CBP official, they're not out of the woods yet. They are dealing with smugglers who are trying to push migrants into the U.S. southern border illegally. And different parts of the border are dealing with different challenges.

In Arizona, for example, large groups of migrants are being dropped off by smugglers in very desolate and rural areas. And we've also learned from a CBP official that pseudo-legitimate travel agencies abroad are promising trips to the United States. And lo and behold, they end up connecting passengers to smugglers south of the border. Now, that might explain this scene. This is a recent video that we took in Arizona. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: I work for CNN, and I'm wondering where you're from, what country you're from.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senegal.

FLORES: Senegal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senegal.

FLORES: Senegal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senegal.

Senegal, Senegal, Senegal. Everybody's from Senegal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: And Jessica and Brianna, according to the CBP official, one of the nationalities being targeted were Senegalese. I also met, while I was in Arizona, individuals from Guinea and individuals from Mauritania from these areas in West Africa.

[15:35:02]

And according to the CBP official, these organizations, these illicit organizations are targeting these populations, making many promises, and then sometimes dropping off 500 or 1,000 in very rural areas in Arizona. And as you might imagine, that creates a logistical nightmare for Border Patrol, who then have to transport these individuals to processing facilities.

DEAN: All right. Rosa Flores for us with the latest from Eagle Pass, Texas. Thanks so much.

KEILAR: All right. You need to return some of the gifts you received this holiday. You might have to pay for it. Why some companies are making it harder to return online orders.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: It was sort of a Merry Christmas for retailers. While many Americans increased their spending, but it was at a slower pace than last year. Holiday sales increasing a little more than 3 percent. That's according to data released by MasterCard Spending Pulse. But it came -- but it barely rose -- I'm sorry -- above inflation.

[15:40:00]

KEILAR: Now that the holiday return season has started, it's becoming harder to navigate as well, with some retailers charging for returns and exchanges. Here to discuss, we have CNN Consumer Reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn. OK, Nathaniel, you know, returns, it's like part of it, right? It's the second part. You can have fun with it, I guess, with the holidays here. Is this the end, though, of free returns?

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN CONSUMER REPORTER: Yes, I hope neither of you guys got any ugly sweaters or any Christmas gifts you want to return, because you're going to be charged for it, potentially. 81 percent of retailers are now charging for at least one method of returns, particularly if you want to send it back by mail.

So, you look at some of the return fees for companies like H&M, Abercrombie, J. Crew. J. Crew is $7.50, Macy's $9.99 fee. And then even Amazon has started to add a $1 fee if you return products to the UPS store, and there's a closer Whole Foods nearby. So, you're basically going out of your way to return to the UPS store.

DEAN: Why are they adding these fees?

MEYERSOHN: Jessica, it's expensive for the retailers to send back these returns for customers, and we've seen return rates spike. So, you look at 2019, about 8.1 percent of all merchandise was returned. That jumped to 16.5 percent in 2022 last year, and that's particularly because we're buying more online.

And, you know, something looks good online, but then you see it in person, doesn't quite fit, or it's the wrong color, so you end up bringing it back. And retailers are trying to crack down.

KEILAR: Yes, that happens a lot.

DEAN: Sometimes things don't fit.

KEILAR: They don't look, they look better on the mannequin. OK, so what other trends are we seeing with returns here?

MEYERSOHN: Yes, there are some pretty interesting trends in this industry that's really kind of blowing up. So, retailers are tightening their return windows. You can also sometimes bring it back box-free or you don't need a label. And then some stores like Staples, they'll actually offer a discount if you bring them your Amazon returns.

And this one is really interesting. We're starting to see stores just say, we don't want your return. You can keep that product, and it's particularly for smaller items that aren't as expensive, and it's just too costly for the retailer to pay for that shipping.

DEAN: Wow. We're just giving up.

KEILAR: Say what?

DEAN: Keep it.

KEILAR: I have some ideas, Nathaniel. All right, Nathaniel Meyers, thank you so much.

DEAN: Let's talk now about some other headlines that we're watching this hour.

New York Mayor Eric Adams says local protests over the Israel-Hamas war are fueling security concerns ahead of next Sunday's New Year's Eve celebrations. Citing an attempt to disrupt the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Adams says the city will deploy a range of technology to help with security, which in the past has included aerial drones.

He also says police will utilize new strategies to keep officers at their assigned posts when incidents happen so that new vulnerabilities are not created when officers are moved around.

Apple will appeal a trade commission ruling blocking imports of its newest Apple Watch in the U.S. after the Biden administration declined to intervene. The ban affecting the Series 9 and Ultra II watches, among other newer models, because they allegedly infringe on patents registered to another company.

Apple says while it appeals, it will also submit a redesign for U.S. customs approval. The company also says customers who purchase the affected models before the ban will not see any service disruptions.

U.S. home prices hit another record high in October, rising for the ninth straight month. That's despite mortgage rates lingering above 7 percent in October. Prices were up 0.6 percent from September. Experts say that's the fastest annual rate of the year and marked the strongest national growth rate since 2022.

KEILAR: Today, while many Americans are trying to get home after Christmas, millions more are under winter weather alerts. There is a storm sweeping across the Plains and into the Rockies, and that forced authorities to close a stretch of Interstate 90 in South Dakota as they warned that whiteout conditions could make travel difficult to near impossible. And then in Nebraska, over 70 miles of highway were closed due to low visibility.

DEAN: CNN's Chad Myers is joining us now with more on this. Chad, it doesn't look like ideal driving weather where that blizzard is.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, and the wind and the crosswinds across your interstate, especially I-80, I-90, like you said, 70, 76, all seeing these winds. Not so much very heavy snow, but it's the blowing snow. We call it a ground blizzard. It snowed, yes, in some spots it has snowed almost a foot.

And I'm watching some storm chasers. You think about them when they're chasing tornadoes, but there are storm chasers in parts of Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas with live pictures on YouTube if you want to see what the snow looks like if you haven't seen it in a very long time. But there are blizzard warnings still in effect right now, ice storm warnings again.

[15:45:00]

Up into Hayes, South Dakota, a foot of snow, and likely with these winds you're likely not going to see a foot anywhere. It's either going to be a 3-foot drift or the ground's going to be completely bare. And the winds are still blowing, visibility's here, down to a quarter of a mile at times. That's no fun when you're driving. Almost like the lake effect event where you're driving, it's fine, and then all of a sudden, a big wind gust comes and takes all that snow across that flat land and then just blows it over your visibility.

There will be some rain across the east. This could be a little bit of a flood event for parts of the northeast, 2 to 4 inches of rain likely.

Let's move you ahead now. We're going to take you all the way to Wednesday at 1 o'clock. Kansas City, you're seeing some snow right now, but it's not sticking for the most part. After dark, that sun is going to go away. I know you can't see it, but when that sun goes away, those roads are going to ice up without a doubt, Kansas City all the way from Topeka to Hayes and the like. So yes, it's on its way. That's what it looks like. Stay off the roadways if you can.

KEILAR: Very good advice there. All right, is this going to let up?

MYERS: Yes. It's all over by Thursday.

KEILAR: I thought you were going to give us one word, yes. It always does, so to your point.

DEAN: Not one word wasted, Chad Myers, Thank you.

A handful of men across the country will experience the holidays with their families for the first time in years after they've had their prison sentences overturned. The monumental effort that goes into getting those convictions thrown out and what comes next for those who are released.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A handful of men across the country are experiencing the holidays with their families for the first time in years after having their prison sentences overturned for crimes they didn't commit. There's a monumental effort that goes into getting these wrongful convictions thrown out.

DEAN: And joining us now to talk more about this is Kenneth Nixon, a man who knows all too well what it's like to be wrongly convicted. In 2005, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for an arson house fire that killed two children in Detroit. After 16 years in prison, he walked free in 2021. His convictions dismissed, charges dropped, prosecutors acknowledging he was innocent and had not received a fair trial. Kenneth, thanks so much for being with us.

He's now the president of the Organization of Exonerees. What a story you have to tell. What is your reaction when you see a string of overturned cases and wrongfully convicted prisoners freed like your story? KENNETH NIXON, PRESIDENT, ORGANIZATION OF EXONEREES: Well, first off,

thank you for having me. And my reaction is that this is great. It's great news when we figure out that we've got it wrong. And I think that it's important that we continue to acknowledge that the system makes mistakes.

KEILAR: How much do you worry, Kenneth, that there are so many more people who are in the same situation as yours that haven't been identified, that don't have the resources or the wherewithal to find a similar path forward?

NIXON: That question keeps me up at night. I worry about that a lot. But, you know, in the good faith of things, conviction integrity units have become a very integral part of the way that the system operates.

The people that are still incarcerated that do lack the resources, conviction integrity units and innocence projects represent that level of hope that not everyone has an opportunity to see. Lack of resources is a huge, huge problem across the country when it comes to wrongful convictions because this is something that it's a very small field, but it's one that requires the ability to move mountains to have a conviction overturned. And I think we're growing to a good space, but there are still thousands of people incarcerated for crimes that they did not commit.

DEAN: And do you feel like because there are these innocent projects. I know that the Michigan's Cooley Law School Innocent Project championed your case. There are these groups that are instrumental. Do you feel like there are more groups that are forming or able to get more support? You know, in a lot of cases, social media can play a big role in kind of spreading the word and getting more support for people's cases.

NIXON: Absolutely. There have been organizations popping up all over the country that are very instrumental. Social media is a very great tool in bringing awareness to wrongful convictions. But the reality is without innocence projects and conviction integrity units, it's all for nothing, right?

The media can't convince a judge to release anybody. That takes the prosecutor's office, that takes defense attorneys, that takes teamwork. It takes resources for people to be able to find evidence to prove their innocence.

So, I think that we have to find a way to work together. So often the system, what we have right now is people are working in different areas and we shouldn't be, right? I think there's a great role to be played by the media and society and bringing awareness to wrongful convictions.

But it all starts and stops with the prosecutor's office and conviction integrity units and the ability to find that new evidence, having the resources necessary to make sure that those units are fully funded. These innocence projects are fully funded and have the resources they need. KEILAR: And where do you see the biggest vulnerability in the system

that leads to people like you being wrongfully convicted? I mean, we're familiar with all kinds of things from the point of the arrest, to prosecutors who are under a lot of pressure to deliver numbers on prosecutions, even, you know, no matter what the outcome is, to people who have been accused having defense attorneys that are not good, that should just get cases dismissed and that shouldn't even go to trial. Where do you see the biggest vulnerability?

[15:55:00]

NIXON: I think the biggest vulnerability, it falls back on the police, right? Everything starts and stops with the police investigation. From the moment that you make contact with an officer, everything starts and stops there. However, the trainings and prosecutor's offices just making sure that prosecutors are aware of the things that can go wrong, right.

And every wrongful conviction that I've seen or been a part of, it's never one single thing that goes wrong. There's multiple layers of failure from multiple different people. Whether it's on a local level officer or some supervisor in a prosecutor's office that saw a red flag but still ignored it and sent the case forward. These are things that could prevent wrongful convictions.

Just having that awareness that something could be going wrong here and having the ability, the stomach to say, I'm not going to do this is huge. So, training and really just being a part of standing up for what's right can make a huge difference in this.

KEILAR: Kenneth, thank you so much for being with us. Your work is such a gift and we really appreciate you talking to us today.

NIXON: Thank you for having me.

KEILAR: All right, happy holidays to you, Kenneth. And that is it for us here in Washington. It was great to be with you today.

DEAN: Always a pleasure.

KEILAR: So much fun. I'll be back tonight on "THE SOURCE" at 9 p.m. Eastern.

"THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts after this short break.