Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
: Mississippi River Flood Worries; Talking to Bin Laden's Wives; Obama Gives Speech About Immigration Reform
Aired May 10, 2011 - 14:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Randi. Thank you so much.
And hello to all of you. In about half an hour, staying with Randi's theme there, speaking of immigration, we will be hearing straight from President Obama. He is in Texas, in El Paso today, and he will be there to talk specifically about immigration reform.
And you know our A team, our best political team, will be listening for him to comment specifically to comment on border security as well as the impact that immigrants have on our economy overall and the children at the center of the failed legislation known as the DREAM Act. All part of comprehensive immigration reform. And if he wants to follow through on a campaign promise, the president has got some work to do with those Republicans in both the House and the Senate.
Folks, this is shaping up to be a very hot-button issue come 2012, so we're going to bring you that event live at the bottom of the hour. So, wait for that.
But, first, I want to begin with our big story, and that is the potential for disaster slowly rolling down the river. The Mississippi is cresting near Memphis. Look at these pictures here.
Folks, it is just about 48 feet. That is mere inches below the record that was set back in 1937. But the crest is not the end of the story here, not the end of the floodwater right around Memphis, Tennessee. And it is certainly no comfort to cities and towns, many, many of them downriver, where the mighty Mississippi is expected to reach a level no one has seen since this.
We have pulled this one out of some old, old files for you. This is the great Mississippi flood of 1927. It broke levees in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri. In fact, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing everything is can to try to divert some of the water.
And we're getting our closest look at that process yet. Take a look at this. This is the Bonnet Carre Spillway. We talked a lot about it yesterday. We are going to continue that conversation today. They also started opening the floodgates here yesterday and opened up 40 more today.
And now there are plans to open a second spillway. And that has a lot of people worried, because, in 1973 -- this is the Morganza Spillway -- 1973 was the last time the Morganza Spillway right around Baton Rouge, was opened, sending the Mississippi River rushing on to land.
Now, keep in mind, back then, there were a lot more farms and a lot fewer people in its path. We will talk with Chad here standing by as to what could happen if the Morganza Spillway is opened in just a moment.
But I want to get straight to -- straight to the water, if I may, straight to Rob Marciano standing by in some of it there in Memphis.
And, Rob, just, if you can, give me a little bit of what you are seeing. How deep is the water right there?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, it is cresting now. So, we have been patiently waiting for it to begin to recede.
And I don't have a lot of patience, and it is not receding all that quick, so it is not a good recipe.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: But I can tell you this, that Riverside Drive, which is where we are, has been part of the river which should be way over there now for a good couple of days.
As you mentioned, half-a-mile in width is what it normally is. Nowadays, it is three miles wide, and all this river is trying to get downstream. And, of course, the tributaries that are feeding into this area are just jammed up like a traffic jam. And so those are the really areas around Memphis that are dealing with the most inundation and the most that folks who are out of their homes and into shelters, because the river is just and over their banks there.
Beale Street behind me -- most of downtown is OK, Brooke. You go three to four blocks away from the river, and it is just fine. So, Beale Street, for the most part, all the blues clubs and all those institutions, they're fine.
Elvis fans, Graceland is fine as well. But it is the surrounding areas that really got hit hard. And folks who are evacuated from those areas may not get back to them for several days to come, because, even though the river is cresting now, it is going to take five days just for this point of the river to go down one foot.
After that, it will start accelerating a little bit, but the next five days, we're not going to see much of a change here. The only good news is that it's not --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Rob Marciano, I'm glad you brought that up, because it's one issue when we talk about the fact that you mentioned it is cresting. And then, finally, ultimately, the water recedes. But it doesn't just go away like that. It's not just -- I know you're saying five days, but it will take weeks, correct me if I'm wrong, but weeks for all this water to go away.
MARCIANO: Yes, and then the cleanup after that is going to be -- is going to be horrendous.
I mean, just -- you really can't see to much from the camera angle, but, obviously, there's sticks, there's other debris and a lot of rocks that have been wiped -- pushed up from the, you know, more or less a flood surge or storm surge. There's garbage. There's other unhealthy -- heck, there's a flip-flop.
And there's some other stuff that, yes, you know, if folks are eating their lunch, I don't want to talk too much about, but not everything is draining and getting into the proper pipes that it should. And I think you know what I'm talking about there, so it is kind of an unhealthy situation.
There's kind of varmints running around, too. We saw a number of snakes earlier this morning, so I'm trying not to get too deep. Forgive me.
BALDWIN: Yes.
MARCIANO: So, that's the kind of stuff that we have to deal with now. And then, once this recedes, all that junk, for the most part, is going to be here. They're going to have to clean that up.
BALDWIN: Right.
MARCIANO: So, days, if not weeks for the water to recede, and then weeks, if not months for them clean up after the water is gone -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Not that you, Rob Marciano, are afraid of snakes, but folks on the West Coast, lunchtime, don't want to go there, right? Right.
MARCIANO: Exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Rob, thank you.
I do want to talk to Chad, because you made this perfect point yesterday in talking of all the, if I may -- this is a very highly meteorological term -- the ick that is in the Mississippi River. He brought up the perfect point, the fact that once this finally all goes away, the water, it is the cleanup effort.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Go ahead.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Even on a good day, there's not good stuff in the Mississippi River.
Now, you have to understand that the river has come up. We have had power plants. We have had sewage plants. We have had septic tanks, all kinds of things now overflowing as this water came up. So, there is stuff in this water that you just do not want to touch.
BALDWIN: I don't want to get ahead of myself, though, and talk cleanup, because the whole story next, once it goes beyond Memphis, is of course all the cities and towns downriver.
And I have to ask you this, because I read --
MYERS: This is -- this is Tunica.
BALDWIN: This is Tunica.
MYERS: This is down river.
BALDWIN: And these are aerial pictures that we're just getting. And, of course, big business there, casinos, they're all worried.
But one of the quotes I read from Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, he talked about the pig in the python. Have you have ever heard of this expression, pig in the python?
MYERS: No.
BALDWIN: My question to you is, is there literally like some big bulge in the river that rolls on down, and that is where -- is that making sense?
MYERS: Now I get it. Now I get it.
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: Yes, like the bulge in the snake.
BALDWIN: I'm speaking your language? Yes.
MYERS: Like the bulge in the snake, yes.
BALDWIN: Yes.
MYERS: That is exactly what it looks like.
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: OK? That is actually -- that's a very good point.
BALDWIN: Pig in a python.
MYERS: Except it is a very large, long pig, because this pig is not going to start going down for four more days in Memphis.
BALDWIN: So, it is four days long?
MYERS: It is a four-day-long pig inside the python.
BALDWIN: Wow. MYERS: And, so, the water here -- this is a live shot from WMC. We have been watching this all day long as they have been floating, flying down the river and going to the river park and to the Tunica Queen, seeing this. These are all casinos, from Hollywood to Gold Strike, all of it, not one single car in any parking lot.
They all have been evacuated. There's water on the first floor, water in the parking garages. And this is just costing this town millions, if not more than that. Plus, you are talking about -- you are talking about concessions. You talk about people that actually should be washing clothes, should be doing all of that secondary stuff that makes people -- this is -- you get your money here.
Tunica makes their money on the convention, on the people that come in, not even if they are gambling, but they -- you know, they buy things. They park -- they park their car. The valet guy, everyone now is hurting with this.
BALDWIN: You know what? Someone who knows a lot about that is Valerie Morris. She is the regional V.P. of Caesars.
And, Valerie, I don't know where you are right now. I know you are on the phone. Talk to me about some of your casinos in and around Tunica. Are they flooded and how it is looking?
VALERIE MORRIS, REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT: Well, yes, I'm in Tunica today.
And we have three casinos, the Harrah's, Horseshoe, and Tunica Roadhouse in Tunica. And I will tell you that Harrah's is -- has a lot of water standing in the parking lots. The water is all the way up to the ramps to walk into the main casino, probably six, seven feet high.
And the casino tower that has -- that is next to the actual casino is the lobby area and the valet parking lot, the porte cochere is completely underwater. But there is no damage or structural damage to the property at this point, other than just more cosmetic -- when the water recedes, what is going to happen with all the -- with, you know, the parking lots and light fixtures and those sorts of things.
The other two properties, like Horseshoe and Roadhouse, they have absolutely no damage. The water berms and the levees that we have built around them have kept it completely airtight. So, we are not seeing any damage whatsoever, but there is water in the parking lot.
BALDWIN: And, Valerie, I have Chad Myers standing next to me.
My question to you, Chad, is, when will they see the brunt the flooding?
MYERS: I think you may get four more inches of water.
BALDWIN: Four more.
MYERS: And that -- it sounds like four more inches to your crest would not hurt those levees you built.
MORRIS: Great. We love hearing that.
BALDWIN: But what about -- you know, this is big business in Tunica, right, your casinos, and so what about not just the folks who I guess want to frequent your businesses, but all your different employees? What about them and their pay?
MORRIS: Well, you know, our employees are the best. They deserve the best. Caesars Entertainment has committed to pay our employees through the end of May, and then we will reevaluate whether or not the pay needs to be continued.
But we are really hoping that we're open by Memorial Day weekend. But we are paying our employees. And we're -- and so they are out volunteering and doing lots and lots of things in the community while they are being paid. But they are also ready and willing to help us clean up as soon as we can get open.
MYERS: Ms. Morris, let's talk about these levees for just a second. These are not Army Corps levees you're talking about. These are levees that you built, that your company built on purpose. Have they ever been tested?
BALDWIN: Huh.
MORRIS: My understanding, through the engineers that we hire, they have been tested in other markets.
Now, have they been tested here in Tunica? We have seen that now that they hold the water and that they're standing firm. And, you know, and the good thing is, is that we also had 200 -- or 20,000 sandbags that were filled up by employees to help with these -- these levees. And they truly are holding, and they are holding tight around Horseshoe and Roadhouse.
So I think we're going to be open actually in the next two weeks.
BALDWIN: Valerie Morris, keep us posted.
MORRIS: Thank you.
BALDWIN: At least the good news from my friend Chad Myers here is four inches, hopefully, won't do too much more damage for her.
MYERS: You still have four more days for all those levees to not become saturated and break, right? And that's --
BALDWIN: The boiling that you talk about.
MYERS: The boiling, the saturation, the breach through the side. And maybe those levees are not as big as the ones that are on the -- that the Army Corps would have built. They made -- the Army Corps' could be 20-feet tall.
You get water to boil -- or to borrow underneath, there could be disastrous breaches before this is all done in the levees, not for the -- not for the casinos so much, but for anybody.
BALDWIN: Yes. Yes.
MYERS: You definitely have be on your guard. You have to know. If you are below a levee and you know that if the levee breaks, you are going to be in trouble, you need to make sure that you know who to talk to, who to listen to and when to go if you have to go.
BALDWIN: We will follow up with her. There are so many people we will want to follow up with her with regard to this story. We will be talking about it for weeks.
MYERS: Of course.
BALDWIN: Chad Myers, thank you very much.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: See you later in the show.
Now this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We obviously are very interested in getting access to the three wives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every hour that is passing that we don't have access to these individuals is dangerous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: What do they know, the wives here? And will they tell it to the CIA? Pakistan finally giving in, granting -- granting U.S. officials access to Osama bin Laden's three wives. Coming up next, a senior Pakistani official there speaks out to CNN for the very first time. Do not miss that.
Plus, this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, to enforce our laws, and also to address the status the millions of undocumented workers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The president may want cooperation from both sides of the aisle, but most agree he's not going to get it. President Obama reigniting the immigration reform debate this hour, El Paso, Texas. Folks, we're going to bring you to you live as soon as we see it happen at the bottom of the hour.
Stay right here. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Do you remember the guy in Pakistan who sent a tweet about hearing the helicopters in that neighborhood and then he live- tweeted about hearing an explosion? Had no way of knowing he was tweeting about that -- what became the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound?
Well, we have all been sitting here wondering all along what was that explosion? Consider this. The two helicopters that had the assault teams on them, you know, they weren't actually supposed to land there in that compound. So, the plan was, those SEALs would rope down onto the compound.
But the chopper you see on the far side, that thing stalled, went down. So the second chopper had to land outside the compound walls. Here -- there you go -- your explosion, and that would be the sound of those quick-thinking Navy SEALs blasting through the compound wall in pursuit of Osama bin Laden.
Now, we are still awaiting word as to when the United States will get to interview bin Laden's three wives, you know, the ones being held currently by the Pakistani government.
Well, today, CNN's Reza Sayah had an exclusive interview with Pakistani's interior minister. And he says the willingness to give these women up shows Pakistan isn't hiding anything. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REHMAN MALIK, PAKISTANI INTERIOR MINISTER: We are giving the access, so they can interrogate them, they can investigate them. So this -- this element of suspicion should finish.
If we had some skeletons covered, do you think we would allow the access to the wives and the children of Osama? I think this issue will prove that we are very clear that we didn't know about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And Reza now joins me live from Islamabad.
And, so, Reza, how did the interior minister actually explain that bin Laden was living in that compound for at least five years, after all of those years of Pakistan saying, he is not here?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he called it an intelligence failure, but he was quick to point out that it wasn't all Pakistan's fault.
He said that even the most powerful countries in the world have intelligence failures. And he pointed to the attacks of 9/11 as an example. It was pretty a similar approach to what we heard from the prime minister of Pakistan yesterday as he addressed Parliament.
It was an attempt to deflect accountability, at the same time insist that Pakistan is committed to its partner, committed to Washington and the fight against extremists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALIK: I was happy that he's killed, but I was not happy the way the operation has been done.
SAYAH: Why?
MALIK: Because the sovereignty the country, we cannot compromise. I wish that the American parties had shared this information with us.
SAYAH: But do you understand why, not just Washington, but Pakistani people lose trust when it is discovered that bin Laden was hiding here in Pakistan all these years?
MALIK: We should not be saying right under the nose the military, no.
Say, al Qaeda, a group of terrorists who knew Pakistan very well. And I won't be surprised even many more are found in Pakistan, because when 9/11 happened, and when the action was taken in Tora Bora, most of them went into hiding in Pakistan. We are digging them out of their (INAUDIBLE) and, you know, we are -- we are the ones who are suffering.
SAYAH: Who is to blame for this intelligence failure? Is it partly you? After all, you are responsible for the internal security of this country?
MALIK: I confess that there was an intelligence failure, part intelligence failure. That is why the prime minister of Pakistan has ordered the (INAUDIBLE) investigation to it. We will find -- and there are tons of reference to find out that how did he get the house, what -- the people living there, I mean, how many servants there, and, you know, how this construction took place. All these things will be made public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAYAH: Now, Brooke, as far as the wives go, it is not clear when U.S. intelligence officials are going to have access to these three women. A Pentagon spokesman today said Islamabad and Washington are in talks, they're discussing the matter, and they're making progress.
BALDWIN: OK, Reza Sayah in Islamabad -- Reza, thank you very much.
And now the mighty Mississippi is making a mighty, mighty mess in Memphis -- coming up, how much longer the high water is going to linger, and then where it is headed next.
Also, quick reminder: We are live, standing by. Folks are already seated waiting for the president to speak. He will be in El Paso, Texas, talking immigration reform. The speech scheduled to start in just a couple of moments. We are going to bring it to you live when it happens. Stay right here.
You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Again, live pictures, El Paso, Texas. We are just about -- just in the 10-minute mark here for the president. He will be launching this big new campaign, his big push for immigration reform.
The president is about to make a speech here, El Paso, Texas. And, of course, everywhere the president speaks has some sort of significance and purpose. This is no exception today. Keep in mind El Paso right across the border -- oh, the president is early.
So, let's listen, President Obama.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, El Paso!
Well, it is wonderful, wonderful to be back with all of you in the Lone Star State.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Everything is bigger in Texas.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: I love you back!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Even the welcomes are bigger.
So, in appreciation, I wanted to give a big policy speech outside on a really hot day.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Those of you who are still wearing your jackets, feel free to take them off.
I hope everybody is wearing sunscreen.
Now --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We live here!
OBAMA: You say you live here. You don't need it, huh?
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Well, it is a great honor to be here. And I want to express my appreciation to all of you for taking the time to come out today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love you.
OBAMA: Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: You know, about a week ago, I delivered a commencement address at Miami-Dade Community College, which is one the most diverse schools in the nation.
The graduates were proud that their class could claim heritage from 181 countries around the world, 181 countries.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Many -- many of the students were immigrants, themselves, coming to America with little more than the dream of their parents and the clothes on their back.
A handful had discovered only in adolescence or adulthood that they were undocumented. But they worked hard and they gave it their all, and so they earned those diplomas.
And at the ceremony, 181 flags -- one for every nation that was represented -- was marched across the stage. And each one was applauded by the graduates and the relatives with ties to those countries.
So, when the Haitian flag went by, all the Haitian kids -- Haitian-American kids shouted out. And when the Guatemalan flag went by, all the kids of Guatemalan heritage shouted out. And when the Ukrainian flag went by, I think one kid shouted out.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: This was down in Miami.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: If it had been in Chicago, there would have been more.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: But then the last flag, the American flag came into view.
And every one in the room erupted in applause. Everybody cheered.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: So, yes, their parents and grandparents -- some of the graduates themselves -- had come from every corner of the globe. But it was here that they had found opportunity. It was here that they had a chance to contribute to the nation that is their home. And it was a reminder of a simple idea as old as America itself, e pluribus unum, out of many, one. We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants -- a nation that welcomes those willing to embrace America's ideals and America's precepts. That's why millions of people, ancestors to most of us, braved hardship and great risk to come here -- so they could be free to work and worship and start a business and live their lives in peace and prosperity.
The Asian immigrants who made their way to California's Angel Island, the German and Scandinavians who settled across the Midwest, the waves of Irish, and Italian, and Polish, and Russian, and Jewish immigrants who leaned against the railing to catch that first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, this flow of immigrants has helped make this country stronger and more prosperous.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: We can point to the genius of Einstein, the designs of I.M. Pei, the stories of Isaac Asimov, the entire industries that were forged by Andrew Carnegie.
And then, when I think about immigration, I think about the naturalization ceremonies that we've held at the White House for members of our military. Nothing could be more inspiring. Even though they were not yet citizens when they joined our military, these men and women signed up to serve.
We did one event at the White House, and a young man named Granger Michael from Papua, New Guinea, a Marine who had been deployed to Iraq three times, was here. And you know what he said about becoming an American citizen? He said: "I might as well. I love this country already."
That's all he said. Marines aren't big on speeches.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: Another was a woman named Perla Ramos, who was born and raised in Mexico, and came to the United States shortly after 9/11, and joined the Navy. And she said: "I take pride in our flag and the history we write day by day."
That's the promise of this country, that anyone can write the next chapter in our story. It doesn't matter where you come from; it doesn't matter.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: It doesn't matter where you come from; it doesn't matter what you look like. It does not matter what faith you worship,
What matters is that you believe in the ideals on which we were founded; that you believe that all of us are created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights --
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) OBAMA: -- that all of us deserve our freedoms and our pursuit of happiness.
In embracing America, you can become American. And that is what makes this country great. That enriches all of us.
And, yet, at the same time, we are here at the border today --
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: -- We're here at the border because we also recognize that being a nation of laws goes hand in hand with being a nation of immigrants. This, too, is our heritage. This, too, is important.
And the truth is, we've often wrestled with the politics of who is and who isn't allowed to come into this country. This debate is not new. At times, there has been fear and resentment directed towards newcomers, especially in hard economic times. And because these issues touch deeply on what we believe, touch deeply on our convictions -- about who we are as a people, about what it means to be an American -- these debates often elicit strong emotions.
That's one reason it's been so difficult to reform our broken immigration system. When an issue is this complex, when it raises such strong feelings, it's easier for politicians to defer the problem until the next election. And there's always a next election.
So we have seen a lot of blame and a lot of politics and a lot of ugly rhetoric around immigration. And we've seen good faith efforts from leaders of both parties.
By the way, I just noticed. Those of you who have chairs, if you want to sit down, feel free. There is no rule about having to stand when I'm -- yes.
(APPLAUSE)
But we have seen the leaders of both parties who tried to work on this issue, but then their efforts fell prey to the usual Washington games. And all of the while we have seen the mounting consequences of decades of inaction.
Today, there are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants here in the United States. Some crossed the border illegally. Others avoid immigration laws by overstaying the visas. Regardless of how they came, the overwhelming majority of the folks are just trying to earn a living and provide for their families.
(APPLAUSE)
But we have to acknowledge that they have broken rules. They have cut in front of the line. And what is also true is that the presence of so many illegal immigrants are making a mockery of those trying to immigrate legally.
Also because so many undocumented immigrants live in the shadows where they are vulnerable to unscrupulous practices that skirt taxes and pay workers less than the minimum wage, or cut corners on health and safety laws. This puts people who follow the rules and Americans who demand the minimum wage and overtime or just a safe place to work, it puts those businesses at a disadvantage.
Think about it, over the past decade even before the recession hit, middle-class families were struggling to get by as the costs went up for everything from health care to college tuition to groceries to gas. Their incomes didn't go up with those prices. We are seeing it again right now with gas prices.
So one way to strengthen the middle-class in America is to reform the immigration system so that there is no longer a massive underground economy to suppress wages for everybody else and have a cheap source of labor. I want the incomes of middle-class families to rise again.
(APPLAUSE)
I want prosperity in this country to be widely shared. I want everybody to be able to reach that American dream. And that is why immigration reform is an economic imperative. It is an economic imperative.
(APPLAUSE)
And reform will also help to make America more competitive in the global economy. Today we provide students from around the world with visas to get engineering and computer science degrees at our top universities. But then our laws discourage them from using those skills to start a business or a new industry here in the United States. Instead of training entrepreneurs to stay here, we train them to create jobs for our competition. That makes no sense.
In a global market we need all of the talent we can attract to stay here and start businesses and not to just benefit those individuals, but because their contributions will benefit all America. Look at Intel and Yahoo! and eBay and Google, all those great American companies and the jobs they have created and everything that has helped us take leadership in the high-tech industry, and every one of those was founded by, guess who, an immigrant. So we don't want the next Intel or Google to be created in China or India. We want those companies and jobs to take root here.
Bill Gates gets this. He knows a little something about the high-tech industry, and he said that the United States will find it far more difficult to maintain its competitive edge if it excludes those who are able and willing to compete. So immigration is not just the right thing to do, it smart for our economy it is smart for our economy.
(APPLAUSE)
And it is for this reason that businesses all across America are e demanding that Washington finally meet its responsibility to solve the immigration laws. Everybody recognizes that the system is broken, but the question is will we summon the political will to do something about it?
And that's why we are here at the border today. I want to say I am joined today by an outstanding secretary of the department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, who has been working tirelessly on this issue.
(APPLAUSE)
Our commissioner who is working diligently on border issue Allan Brezlen is here, and we appreciate him.
(APPLAUSE)
So, they are doing outstanding work.
And in recent years among one of the greatest reform were questions about border security, and these were legitimate concerns. What was true is that a lack of manpower and resources at the border combined with ill-considered enforcement once folks were in the country, all this contributed to a growing number of undocumented people living in the United States. And these concerns helped unravel a bipartisan coalition that we had forged back when I was in the United States Senate.
So in the years since "borders first," that has become the common refrain even among those who were supportive of comprehensive immigration reform.
But over the last two years, thanks to the outstanding work of Janet and Allan and everybody who is down here working at the border, we have answered those concerns. Under their leadership, we have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible. They wanted more agents at the border. Well, we now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history.
(APPLAUSE)
The border patrol has 20,000 agents. The border patrol has 20,000 agents, more than twice as many as there were in 2004. This is a buildup that began under President Bush and we continued. I have had a chance to meet some of the outstanding agents and actually saw some of them on horseback, who looked pretty tough. So, we put the agents here.
Then they wanted a fence. Well, the fence is -
(BOOS)
The fence is now basically complete.
Then, we have gone further and tripled the number of intelligence analysts working at the border. I've deployed unmanned vehicles to patrol the skies from Texas to California. We have forged a partnership with Mexico tonight the transnational criminal organizations that have affected both of our countries.
(APPLAUSE)
And for the first time, and for the first time we are screening 100 percent of southbound rail shipments to seize guns and money going south even as we go after drugs that are coming north.
(APPLAUSE)
So, here is the point. I want everybody to listen carefully to this. We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement. All the stuff they asked for we've done. But even though we have answered these concerns, I have got to say that I suspect there are still some who are going to try to move the goalpost on us one more time.
You know, they said we need to triple the border patrol. We are now -- they are going to say we need to quadruple the border patrol, or they'll want a higher fence. Maybe they will need a moat or alligators in the moat.
(LAUGHTER)
They'll never be satisfied. I understand that's politics. But the truth is the measures that we put in place are getting results. Over the past two-and-a-half years, we have seized 31 percent more drug, 75 percent more currency and 50 percent more weapons than ever before.
(APPLAUSE)
And even as we have stepped up patrols, apprehensions along the border have been cut by nearly 40 percent from two years ago, and that means far fewer people attempting to cross the border illegally. And despite reports that have tagged places like El Paso as dangerous, violent crime in southwest border counties has dropped by a third. El Paso and other cities along the border are consistently among safest in the nation.
(APPLAUSE)
Of course, we shouldn't accept any violence or crime. We have always got more work to do, but this progress important, and it is not getting reported on.
And we're also going beyond the border, beyond the border, we are going after employers who knowingly exploit people and break the law.
(APPLAUSE)
And we are deporting those who are here illegally. And that is a tough issue, and a source of controversy. But I want to emphasize we are not doing it haphazardly, but we are focusing our limited resources and people on the violent offenders and people convicted of crimes, not just families and not just folks who are looking to scrape together an income. And as a result, we have increased the removal of criminals by 70 percent.
(APPLAUSE)
That's not to ignore the real human toll of a broken immigration system. Even as we recognize that enforcing the law is necessary, we don't relish the pain that it causes the lives of people who are just trying to get by and get caught up in the system. And as long as the current laws are on the books it is not just hardened felons subject to removal, but sometimes families who are just trying to earn a living, or bright, eager students, or decent people with the best of intentions.
And sometimes when I talk to immigration advocates, they wish I could bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that is not how democracy works. What we need to do to keep up the fight to pass genuine comprehensive reform. That is the ultimate solution to this problem, and that is what I am committed to doing.
(APPLAUSE)
Yes, we can. We can do it.
CROWD: Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
OBAMA: The most important step we can do is to strengthen the borders so that fewer people have the incentive to enter illegally in search of work in the first place. This allows agents to focus on the worst threats on both sides of the borders from drug traffickers to those who would come here to commit acts of violence or terror. That is where the focus should be.
So, El Paso, the question is whether those in Congress who previously walked away in the name of enforcement are now ready to come back to the table and finish the work that we have started.
(APPLAUSE)
We have to put the politics aside, and if we do, I'm confident that we can find common ground.
Washington's lagging behind the country in this. There's already a growing coalition of leaders across America who don't always see eye to eye but are coming together on this issue. They see the harmful issues of a broken immigration system for the businesses and for their communities and they see why we need to act.
They are Democrats and Republicans and people like former Republican Senator Mel Martinez, former Bush administration Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, leaders like Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York, evangelical ministers like Leith Anderson, police chiefs from across the nation, educators, advocates, labor unions, chambers of commerce, small business owners, Fortune 500 CEOs.
One CEO had this to say about reform - "American ingenuity is a product of the openness and diversity this society. Immigrants have made America great as the world leader in business and science, higher education and innovation." You know who that leader was? Rupert Murdoch, who owns FOX News and is an immigrant, himself.
I don't know if you are familiar with Rupert Murdoch's views, but let's just say that he does not have an Obama sticker on his car.
(LAUGHTER)
But he agrees with me on this.
So there is a consensus around fixing this problem. And now we need Congress to catch up. Now we need to come together around reform that reflects the values in a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, reform that demands that everybody take responsibility.
So, what would comprehensive reform look like? We know that the government has a threshold of responsibility to secure the borders and enforce the law. That is what Janet and all of her folks are doing. That is what they are doing.
(APPLAUSE)
Second, businesses have to be held accountable if they exploit undocumented workers.
(APPLAUSE)
Third, those who are here illegally, they have a responsibility as well. So they broke the law. That means they have to pay their taxes. They have to pay a fine. They have to learn English and undergo background checks and a lengthy process to go through before they are legal. That's not too much to ask.
(APPLAUSE)
And fourth, stopping illegal immigration means reforming the outdated system of legal immigration.
(APPLAUSE)
We should make it easier for the best and the brightest to not only stay here, but also to start businesses and create jobs here. In recent years a full 25 percent of high-tech start-ups in the U.S. were founded by immigrants. That led to 200,000 jobs here in America. I'm glad that those jobs are here. I want to see more of them in this country. We need to provide them the chance.
(APPLAUSE)
We need to provide our farms a legal way to hire workers that they rely on and a path for those workers to earn legal status.
(APPLAUSE)
And our laws should respect families following the rules, reuniting them more quickly instead of splitting them apart.
(APPLAUSE) Today, the immigration system not only tolerates those who break the rules, but it punishes folks who follow the rules. While applications -- while applicants wait for approvals for example, they are often forbidden from visiting the United States. Even husbands and wives may have to spend years apart and parents can't see their children. I don't believe that the United States of America should be in the business of separating families. That is not right. That is not who we are. We can do better than that.
(APPLAUSE)
And we should stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents.
(APPLAUSE)
We should stop denying them the chance to earn an education or serve in the military, and that is why we need to pass the Dream Act.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, we passed the Dream Act through the house last year when the Democrats were in control. But even though it received a majority of the votes in the Senate, it was blocked when several Republicans who had previously supported the dream act voted no.
(BOOS)
That was a tremendous disappointment to get so close and then see politics get in the way. As I gave that commencement at Miami-Dade, it broke my heart knowing that a number of those promising bright students, young people who worked so hard, and who speak about what is best in America, are at risk of facing the agony of deportation.
These are kids who grew up in this country. They love this country. They know no other place to call home. The idea that we would punish them is cruel. It makes no sense. We are better nations than that.
(APPLAUSE)
So we are going to keep fighting for Dream Act and keep up the fight for reform.
(APPLAUSE)
And that's where you come in. I'm going the do my part to lead a constructive and civil debate on these issues. We have already had a series of meetings about this in the White House in recent weeks. We have leaders here and around the country helping to move the debate forward.
But this change ultimately has to be driven by you, the American people. You have got to help push for comprehensive reform, and you have to identify what steps we can take right now, like the Dream Act, like visa reform, areas where we can find common ground and begin to fix what is broken.
So I'm asking you to add your voices to this debate. You can sign up to help at WhiteHouse.gov. We need Washington know that there's a movement for reform that's gathering strength from coast to coast. That's how we'll get this done. That's how we can ensure in the years ahead that we are welcoming the talents to all whom can contribute to this country and that we're living up to the basic American idea that you can make it here if you try.
(APPLAUSE)
That's the idea that gave hope to Jose Hernandez. Is Jose here? Jose's right over there. I want you to think about this story. Jose's parents were migrant farm workers. And so growing up, he was, too. He was born in California though he could have just as easily been born on the other side of the border if it had been a different time of year, because his family moved around with the seasons. So two of his siblings were actually born in Mexico.
So they traveled a lot. And Jose joined his parents picking cumbers and strawberries. And he missed part of school when they returned to Mexico each winter. Jose didn't learn English until he was 12-years-old. But you know what, Jose was good at math and he liked math.
And the nice thing is that math was the same in every school. And it's the same in Spanish as it is in English. So Jose studied, and he studied hard. And one day he is standing in the fields collecting sugar beets. And he heard on a transistor radio that a man named Franklin Chang-Diaz, a man with a surname like his was going to be an astronaut for NASA. So Jose decided, right there in the field, well, I can be an astronaut, too.
So Jose kept on studying and he graduated high school, and kept on studying, and he earned an engineering degree. And he kept on studying and he earned a graduate degree. And he ended up at a national laboratory, helping to develop a new kind of digital medical imaging system.
And a few years later he found himself more than 100 miles above the surface of the earth staring out of the window of the shuttle Discovery, and he was remembering the boy in the California fields with that crazy dream that in America everything's possible.
(APPLAUSE)
Think about that, El Paso. That's the American dream right there. That's what we're fighting for. We are fighting for every boy and every girl like Jose with a dream and potential that is just waiting to be tapped. We are fighting to unlock that promise and all that holds not just for their future but for America's future. That's why we're going to get this done. And that's why I'm going to need your help.
Thank you. God bless you, and may god bless the United States of America. (APPLAUSE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And there you have it, the president speaking for just about half an hour there in El Paso, Texas, just across the border from Juarez, Mexico, talking about immigration, border control, talking about security, talking about living the American dream.
Quickly I want to go to Gloria Borger. I do have one quick question for you. In terms of themes here, two themes I picked up -- one, that immigration is smart for our economy, and, two, our border has never been more secure. What did you make of that half hour?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, I think the president made it very clear that he's doubled the number of border agents since 2004, that this is good for the court tree as you point out economically. And he also said, look, the political will in Washington has to be there. Brooke, there's a fight for Hispanic voters right now. The president is very popular with Hispanic voters, but he was a lot more popular in 2008.
BALDWIN: We'll talk about his popularity among Hispanic voters, and I'm going to ask you about some of the specifics he laid out in page six of eight of the speech here, and when he got the big boo. A lot more to come. Let's get a quick break in. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, we just heard from President Obama speaking in El Paso, Texas, talking comprehensive immigration reform.
