Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Hunter Biden's Federal Trial; TikTok Lawsuit; New Executive Action on Immigration; Bipartisan Border Bill; President Biden's Policy Shift; Mexico's Cooperation. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired June 04, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Any moment now, President Biden will deliver remarks on the border crisis and his plan to tackle the flood of undocumented migrants crossing into the U.S., an action which could be opposed by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: The president's son, meantime, is in court for his federal trial on gun charges. The prosecution laying out its case for the jury and making it clear, quote, no one is above the law. It doesn't matter who you are or what your name is.

KEILAR: And TikTok accused of operating, quote, like a virtual strip club, unquote, for children. Utah is suing the app, accusing it of enabling the sexual exploitation of minors. The company is fighting back. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN News Central. We are following breaking news.

Any moment now, President Biden is set to unveil a new executive action that will dramatically curb the flow of illegal migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border between legal ports of entry. And the sweeping measure would effectively shut down the southern border in those places to asylum seekers, once unlawful crossings hit a daily average of 2,500. It's the president's most aggressive attempt to address the border crisis, an issue that has long been one of his biggest political vulnerabilities. And he's making this announcement just weeks before his first debate with former President Donald Trump. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is live now at the White House for us. Priscilla, the president is expected to speak any minute now. We're keeping our eye out for that. Tell us more about what we're expecting to hear.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we expect him to take on the criticism that he has received about the handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, addressing it head on by taking this executive action that is very similar to one that former President Donald Trump took.

Now, as to what it does, it shuts off asylum for migrants who are seeking asylum and have crossed between ports of entry, therefore have crossed unlawfully. It also would allow them to be turned back to Mexico or to their origin country, and it would exempt unaccompanied minors. This is a measure that could be turned on and off depending on the daily threshold of illegal crossings. Now, the president is expected to be flanked by some border mayors as well as by Democratic lawmakers who are supportive of this measure. But it's certainly not supported by all of them. In fact, we have seen over the course of the day some fierce backlash from progressives who say this is far too similar to what Donald Trump tried to do.

But the president has repeatedly defended his actions on immigration and called on Congress to do more. If you recall, there was that bipartisan border bill that failed earlier this year, and the president repeatedly hammered Congress on that. So we anticipate we'll hear more of that in his remarks today. But there is no doubt, Brianna that this is a dramatic and drastic measure for Joe Biden, who in 2019 was saying that the former president shouldn't be clamping down on asylum seekers, that the United States was a refuge to those migrants. And today, he is taking an action to clamp down on those same asylum seekers. So it is certainly a significant policy shift for this White House, which over the years has repeatedly grappled with border crisis.

KEILR: Yeah, we're keeping our eye right now on the podium there at the White House. You can see it here on your screen where the president will soon be speaking. But, Priscilla, we're also learning that President Biden is going to speak with Mexico's president today?

[14:05:09]

ALVAREZ: A source tells me that the president is expected to connect with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Senior administration officials have repeatedly said that this executive action really does also hinge on cooperation from Mexico. And we have seen that time and again as well between the U.S. and Mexico. Recently, Mexico stepped up their own interior enforcement, which helped them significantly in driving down the number of crossings at the U.S. southern border. Mexico has also agreed to take back certain nationalities other than Mexicans, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans back to Mexico to, again, help alleviate the situation and create a mechanism of consequence for the U.S. So this is going to be very- it's going to be necessary to, have Mexico buy into this executive action for it to be implemented in the way that senior administration officials want to see it done.

There needs to be, as they put it, consequence to people crossing the border illegally. But the only way to do that is if Mexico cooperates and those countries of origin cooperate with the U.S. So this is certainly not an easy task. It has been a challenge for this administration from the very beginning. So this is going to be an important call between the two presidents to discuss this executive action and, again, how Mexico intends to cooperate. Remember, Brianna, Mexico just had its presidential election over the weekend. So they're going to be in a time of transition as well. And I was told early on that part of the calculus and when this was going to be released, this executive action, was after Mexico's election. So all of that really coming together in this moment for this announcement by President Biden.

KEILAR: Priscilla, thank you so much for that report. Let's go now to CNN's Rosa Flores. She is there along the border with Mexico. She's in Hidalgo, Texas. Rosa, what impact is this executive action likely to have there at the border?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, reaction is coming in fast and furious. Let me start with the top executive of Hidalgo County here where I am. This official saying that he's happy that this executive action is being issued today. And he says that he, like many other officials on the border, had been asking for some sort of reprieve, some sort of action by the administration that would deal with the immigration issue that we're and also protect the cross- border trade, which a lot of these towns along the border depend on. And so he says that he's happy about that, but he says that this executive order is a Band-Aid. Let me read to you a portion of his statement when he says, quote, But once again, we should note that the solution is but a mere Band-Aid in terms of solving this problem. Comprehensive immigration reform remains the sole solution, and Congress remains the sole venue to achieve this reform.

Doctors Without Borders also very concerned about this executive action. I've interviewed them across the border in Reynosa, the port of entry that you see behind me. I've interviewed women who have been raped, extorted on the Mexican side while they wait for their immigration process on the U.S. side to happen. They are very concerned about this, about how this could put migrants in a very vulnerable situation. Doctors Without Borders issuing a statement saying in part, quote, today's decision will trap vulnerable people. Including young families in insecure cities in Mexico and put them in grave danger. I talked to an immigration official in Mexico who confirmed this. They are concerned that a closure of the border on the U.S. side could put a lot of pressure on the Mexican cities along the border because they have limited capacity for migrant shelters. And they're concerned that in a few days those could go over capacity. Now, the ACLU saying that they plan to sue the Biden administration. Here's what they said in a short statement saying, quote, We intend to challenge this order in court. It was illegal when Trump did it and it is no less illegal now.

Now, what would the Biden administration say to all of this criticism that is coming in to our newsroom? They would say that this executive order is legal. That the Department of Justice is ready to defend it in court. That they are following all international conventions and protocols. And that there are humanitarian exceptions to this rule that would bar, in essence, asylum on the border. That there are humanitarian exceptions for unaccompanied migrant children, for certain medical conditions, and also for severe victims of human trafficking. Now, big picture, Brianna, what the administration appears to be doing here is imposing legal consequences to the illegal entry into the United States. We've heard them say that before. And this just puts it right front and center. I mentioned to you before, I mean, this is really border security on steroids happening very quickly, removing migrants very quickly if they have no legal basis to stay in the United States. Brianna. [14:10:09]

KEILAR: Rosa Flores, live for us from Hidalgo, Texas. We do appreciate the report. Jessica.

DEAN: And for more on President Biden's executive action on the border crisis, we're joined now by John Sandweg. He served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, under President Obama. John, thanks so much for being here with us. We know about how the Biden administration is talking about how it's using this authority that President Trump actually used for some of his policies, like the Muslim ban. How do you see the Biden administration hanging this order on that authority?

JOHN SANDWEG, FORMER ICE ACTING DIRECTOR UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, look, I mean, clearly the Biden administration had that, those, the history of the Trump using this authority in mind when they crafted this proposal. Now, look, there's still some details we haven't seen yet, but based on all the information the White House has put thus far, they've tried to more narrowly tailor this in a way and I think they're thinking about the courts when they did that. Remember, not just, Trump didn't just try to use this authority for the Muslim ban, but also in 2018, he did try to use a very similar approach at the border to restrict asylum for people who would legally cross between the ports of entry. So, look, I think at the end of the day, in that case, the Ninth Circuit str down Trump's effort and ultimately it failed. I think the Biden administration had that in mind, but it remains to be seen what happens in the courts. Clearly, there will be serious legal challenges to this.

DEAN: And using your expertise, your experience, how much of an impact can something like this have? Will this particular executive order have immediately?

SANDWEG: I mean, it could have a dramatic impact, right? I mean, this will allow the administration to close the border when you hit a pretty low threshold of 2,500 in a day, and then it'll be closed for a set period of time. Right now, we're doing about a hundred, even with the reduced flows we see right now, we're doing over a hundred thousand asylum claims a month, right. So, this will make a significant impact. But long term, as I think some of the folks have already said, this is not going to get solved really until we have congressional action. I know this is a cliche in Washington, you know, and the Democrats always say, hey, we need Congress to act. But the reality is we have a backlog of millions of cases in the immigration courts. We have Border Patrol agents who are strained at their capacity, ICE agents who are strained at their capacity. And the effectiveness of everything we're trying to do at the border hinges on us surging resources there.

Politically, I mean, really, and also this is no surprise. This is the first time we've seen this. This has been going on for 10 years now. This is a problem that everyone's trying to blame each other. But it was existed during the Trump administration. It's existed during the Biden administration. We collectively have failed to act. It's that failure that we're paying the price for now. This is going to help, but it's not going to solve everything.

DEAN: Yeah, I mean, a lot of people have said that because Congress has not act- again, to your point, over various administrations, Republican and Democrat, and various control of Congress, Republican and Democrat, they have not acted. And in this last February, they had this bipartisan deal that was really the most comprehensive thing they'd seen in a very long time that President Trump told Republicans to bounce. And that's what happened. That being said, and John, in part because he wants to make immigration a big part of this race. So to that point, there is a take that President Biden is doing what he's doing today because he has a debate coming up in a few weeks, because Trump is going to push him on this over the next several months, because Americans care about it. That it is a political act. Do you think that's fair?

SANDWEG: Look, I mean, let's be honest. Politics always plays a role in these decisions. I'm not prepared to say today that politics or the upcoming debate didn't play a role in this decision. The practical reality is this, though. The president is faced with a crisis at the border. There's no denying that anymore. Now, we have hundreds of thousands of people coming in monthly. We have completely overwhelmed our immigration courts. The president did go to Congress and say we need resources to fund those immigration courts so we can process the claims. We need resources for the border patrol agents who really are breaking under the strain of this as it's been going on, as I said, for eight to ten years. Congress refused to act. You know, I'm not saying that that bill was the greatest bill. I'm not saying that today's actions-I mean, there's progressives who are very upset about the fact that the United States for the first time is saying that people who are fleeing persecution may not have an opportunity to seek refuge in the United States. These are serious consequences, right? It's a serious reversal. But the bottom line is there is efforts to make with Congress. Congress has refused to act and the president's left no choice.

DEAN: All right, John Sandweg, thank you so much. Really, really great to have you on. We appreciate that context. Thank you. Still ahead this hour on CNN News Central, prosecutors use Hunter Biden's own words against him as they play nearly an hour of audio clips for jurors. We'll have the latest from the courtroom where the president's son is being tried. We're also following a disturbing update in New York, where the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer is expected to be charged now with a fifth murder. Plus wages are up, but a new study finds CEO pay is up even more. What gives? These stories and more, all coming up this hour on CNN News Central.

[14:15:09]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:09]

KEILAR: All right, we are keeping our eye on the White House, where President Biden is expected here shortly to make remarks and unveil new executive action on immigration and to stem the flow of illegal migration across the southern border. You can see things are starting to get moving here. So we're going to wait as we expect the president is going to be coming in here any moment to make these remarks. But you see officials there in the East Room gathering around the podium. You've seen the East Room before. This positioning of it is obviously different. This is sort of a big day. And this is coming just really a short time, a few weeks before the president has a debate with former President Donald Trump.

This has been a political vulnerability for him, the issue of immigration. And he is going to have this in his pocket when he does do that debate. I think we have Priscilla Alvarez. We have Priscilla Alvarez, who is there. And we did just get notice that this is going to begin here shortly. Priscilla, what should we be expecting? And I also think it's interesting who you see and who you don't see in the audience here, because there are some progressive Democrats who have taken issue with what we're expecting to hear from the president.

ALVAREZ: That's exactly right, Brianna. It is notable who is there and who isn't, because over the course of the day, we've seen that intense backlash from progressives who say this is all too similar to what former President Donald Trump did--

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Priscilla, I'm sorry to interrupt you. Let's listen to the president now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I've come here today to do what the Republicans in Congress refuse to do, take the necessary steps to secure our border. Four months ago, after weeks of intense negotiation between my staff and Democrats and Republicans, we came to a clear, bipartisan deal. It was the strongest border security agreement in decades. But then Republicans in Congress, not all, but walked away from it. Why? Because Donald Trump told them to. He told the Republicans, it has been published widely by many of you, that he didn't want to fix the issue. He wanted to use it to attack me. That's what he wanted to do. It was a cynical and an extremely cynical political move and a complete disservice to the American people who are looking for us to, not to weaponize the border, but to fix it.

Today, I'm joined by a bipartisan group of governors, members of Congress, mayors, law enforcement officials, most of whom live and work along the southern border. They know the border is not a political issue to be weaponized. The responsibility we have to share to do something about it. They don't have time for the games played in Washington, and neither do the American people.

So today, I'm moving past Republican obstruction and using the executive authorities available to me as president to do what I can on my own to address the border. Frankly, I would have preferred to address this issue through a bipartisan legislation because that's the only way to actually get the kind of system we have now that's broken, fixed, to hire more border patrol agents, more asylum officers, more judges. But Republicans have left me with no choice. Today, I'm announcing action to bar migrants who cross our southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum.

Migrants will be restricted from receiving asylum at our southern border unless they seek it after entering through an established lawful process. And those who seek to come to the United States legally, for example, by making an appointment and coming to a port of entry, asylum will still be available to them, still available. But if an individual chooses not to use our legal pathways, if they choose to come without permission and against the law, they will be restricted from receiving asylum and staying in the United States. This action will help us gain control of our border and restore order to the process. This ban will remain in place until the number of people trying to enter illegally is reduced to a level that our system can effectively manage. We'll carry out this order consistent with all our responsibilities under international law, every one of them.

In addition to this action, we recently passed made important reforms in our asylum system. More efficient and more secure.. The goal is to deliver decisions on asylum as quickly as possible. The quicker the decision means that a migrant is less likely to pay a criminal smuggler thousands of dollars to take him on a dangerous journey, knowing that if in fact they move in the wrong direction, they be turned around quickly. Two weeks ago, the Department of Justice stated, started a new docket in the immigration courts to address cases where people have recently crossed the border and they're making a decision that will allow for the entry of a border patrol agent within six months rather than six years, because that's what happens now.

[14:25:09]

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security has proposed new rules to allow federal law enforcement to more quickly remove asylum seekers that have criminal convictions and remove them from the United States. My administration has also recently launched new efforts to go after criminal networks that profit from smuggling migrants to our border and incentivize people to give tips to law enforcement, provide information that brings smugglers to justice. We're also sending additional federal prosecutors to hotspots along the border and prosecute individuals who break our immigration laws. One other critical step that we will be taking, and that has made a huge difference, we continue to work closely with our Mexican neighbors instead of attacking Mexico, and it's worked.

We've built a strong partnership of trust between the Mexican President, Lopez Obrador, and I'm going to do the same with the Mexican-elect president who I spoke to yesterday. We've chosen to work together with Mexico as an equal partner, and the facts are clear. Due to the arrangements that I've reached with President Obrador, the number of migrants coming to our shared border unlawfully in recent months has dropped dramatically. But while these steps are important, they're not enough. To truly secure the border, we have to change our laws, and Congress needs to provide the necessary funding to hire 1,500 people more border security agents, 100 more immigration judges to help tackle the backlog of cases, more than 2 million of them, 4,300 more asylum officers to make decisions in less than six months instead of six years, which is what it takes now, and around 100 more high-tech detection machines to significantly increase the ability to screen and stop fentanyl being smuggled into the United States.

These investments were one of the primary reasons that the Border Patrol Union endorsed the bipartisan deal in the first place, and these investments are essential, remain essential. As far as I'm concerned, if you're not willing to spend the money to hire more Border Patrol agents, more asylum officers, more judges, more high- tech machinery, you're just not serious about protecting our border. It's as simple as that. I believe that immigration has always been a lifeblood of America. We're constantly renewed by an infusion of people and new talent. The Statue of Liberty is not some relic of American history. It stands for who we are as the United States. So I will never demonize immigrants. I'll never refer to immigrants as poisoning the blood of a country. And further, I'll never separate children from their families at the border. I will not ban people from this country because of their religious beliefs. I will not use the U.S. military to go into neighborhoods all across the country to pull millions of people out of their homes and away from their families to put detention camps while awaiting deportation, as my predecessor says he will do if he occupies his office again.

On my very first day as president, I introduced a comprehensive immigration reform plan to fix our broken system, secure our border, provide a pathway for citizenship for dreamers, and a lot more. And I'm still fighting to get that done. We must face the simple truth to protect America as a land that welcomes immigrants. We must first secure the border and secure it now.

The simple truth is there is a worldwide migrant crisis. And if the United States doesn't secure our border, there's no limit to the number of people who may try to come here because there's no better place on the planet than the United States of America. For those who say the steps I've taken are too strict, I say to you that be patient and goodwill of the American people are going to be wearing thin right now. Doing nothing is not an option. We have to act. We must act consistent with both our law and our values, our values as Americans. I'll take these steps today, not to walk away from who we are as Americans, but to make sure we preserve who we are for future generations to come.

Today, I've spoken about what we need to do to secure the border. In the weeks ahead, and I mean the weeks ahead, I'll speak to how we can make our immigration system more fair and more just. Let's fix the problem and stop fighting about it. I'm doing my part. We're doing our part. Congressional Republicans should do their part. Thank you very much.

(CROSSTALK)

UNKNOWN: Mr. President. Mr President

(CROSSTALK)

UNKNOWN: Mr President. Is Netanyahu playing politics with the war?

BIDEN: What was that?

[14:30:00]