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Pfizer Boosters To Begin Today After CDC Director Breaks With Advisers; Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas Holds Press Briefing On Border Crisis. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired September 24, 2021 - 14:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:33:07]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Starting today, millions of Americans can get a Pfizer coronavirus booster shot. And President Biden is urging everyone that's eligible to go now. He also vowed that he will get his third shot soon.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Also, this morning, in a rare move, the CDC director broke with her own advisory committee.

CNN's Nick Watt has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The booster shot is free and easily accessible.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And the rollout ramps up today.

BIDEN: When to start the shot and who will get them is left to the scientists and the doctors.

WATT: For now, only those that got the Pfizer vaccine, and not all of them, the CDC now recommends these people should get a booster at least six months after the second shot, everyone 65 and up and 50 to 64-year-olds with underlying medical conditions.

Also, these people "may" get the booster, 18 to 49-year-olds with underlying medical conditions, and adults at increased risk of infection in their occupational or institutional setting.

The CDC's vaccine advisers did not vote in favor of the last group.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We may as well say everyone 18 and over.

WATT: The CDC director disagreed. Why?

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: Our health care systems are once again at maximum capacity in parts of the country. Our teachers are facing uncertainty as they walk into the classroom. It was a decision about providing rather than withholding access. WATT: Meantime, more than 70 million eligible Americans still haven't

had the first COVID-19 shot.

BIDEN: Refusing to get vaccinated costs all of us. I am looking forward to vaccination requirements wherever I can.

WATT: Here in California, the Oakland school board just voted in favor of a vaccine mandate for all eligible students 12 and up.

SAM DAVIS, BOARD MEMBER, OAKLAND UNITED SCHOOL DISTRICT: The infection has been really disruptive.

WATT: California is considering something similar statewide.

[14:35:01]

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): The decision will be made in the course of the next few days, with lot of partners, with 1,050 school districts in the state California and the largest school system.

WATT: In rural Randolph County, Georgia, volunteers staged a voluntary "Vax to School" event last weekend.

SANDRA WILLIS, VACCINATION ORGANIZER: I don't know why people are not caring enough for their child to get the vaccine.

WATT: In New York, there's a Monday deadline for teachers and health care workers to get at least a first shot. Thousands haven't.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): What is looming for Monday is completely avoidable and there's no excuses.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: OK, our thanks to Nick Watt there.

Let's go straight to the White House now where Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is speaking about the crisis at the border.

ALEXJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: -- months-long standard operating procedures at the border, which we have been applying to all migrants encountered at the border during this very challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of this morning, there are no longer any migrants in the camp underneath the Del Rio International Bridge.

I will walk through what we have done, how we have done it, explain the processes and provide the data you have requested.

But first, I want to make one important point. In the midst of meeting challenges, we, our entire nation, saw horrifying images that do not reflect who we are, who we aspire to be, or the integrity and values of our truly heroic personnel in the Department of Homeland Security. The investigation into what occurred has not yet concluded. We know

that those images painfully conjured up the worst elements of our nations ongoing battle against systemic racism.

We have been swift and thorough in our response.

First, we immediately contacted the Office of Inspector General and launched an investigation into events captured in the disturbing images of horse patrol units. We ceased the use of horse patrol units in the area.

The agents involved in these incidents have been assigned to administrative duties and are not interacting with migrants while the investigation is ongoing.

I directed the personnel from the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility to be on site in Del Rio full time to ensure adherence to the policies, training, and values of our department.

The highest levels of the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility are leading the investigation, which will conclude quickly. The results of the investigation I will make public.

The actions taken as a result of what we have seen in those images, the investigation will be compelled, results will be compelled by the facts that are adduced and nothing less.

Let me be clear. The department won't tolerate mistreatment of a migrant, will not tolerate any violation of values, principles and ethics.

Now I would like to turn to our operational response. DHS led the mobilization of the whole-of-government response to address the challenging situation in Del Rio.

DHS immediately worked to address the acute humanitarian needs of the migrants themselves by partnering with federal and nongovernmental agencies and entities.

We rapidly deployed basic services like drinking water, food, clothing, portable toilets.

I am grateful to the Red Cross for providing more than 17,000 hygiene kits and the World Central Kitchen for contributing more than 14,000 meals per day to supplement other food programs.

We search medical resources and capacity, including over 150 medical professionals to provide health services to ensure safety of the migrants, employees, and surrounding community.

We provide personal protective equipment, including face masks, and climate-controlled tents for vulnerable populations.

Let me go through operational response.

Simultaneously with humanitarian response, we and Department of Homeland Security implemented a series of operational measures to process migrants consistent with existing laws, policies and procedures.

In particular, CBP, Customs and Border Protection searched 600 agents, officers, and DHS volunteer force personnel to the Del Rio sector to provide operational support.

[14:40:06]

We also -- DHS officers and agents conducted 24-hour patrols for general safety as well as to identify anyone who might be in medical distress.

ICE, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice provided transportation support to transfer migrants out of Del Rio to other Border Patrol sectors with capacity.

Working with the Departments of State in Haiti, DHS increased the number of removal flights to Haiti commensurate with the country's capacity to receive.

Importantly, USAID has established a $5.5 million program to provide on-the-ground assistance to repatriated Haitian migrants.

Nearly 30,000 migrants have been encountered at Del Rio since September 9, with the highest number at one time reaching approximately 15,000.

Today, we have no migrants remaining in the camp under the international bridge.

Migrants continue to be expelled under the CDC's Title 42 authority. Title 42 is a public health authority and not an immigration policy.

It is important to note that Title 42 is applicable and has been applicable to all irregular migration during the pandemic. It is not specific to Haitian nationals or the current situation.

Some more data. To date, DHS has conducted 17 expulsion flights to Haiti with approximately 2,000 individuals. Those who were not expelled under Title 42 are placed in immigration removal proceedings.

Let me take a step back and explain the process.

There are two exceptions to the applicability of Title 42, the public health authority.

Number one is, if an individual has an acute vulnerability such as an urgent medical care and, two, if, in fact, our operational capacity is such that we are not able to execute the Title 42 authority with the Centers for Disease Control.

I should also say there's a convention against torture exception if someone claims torture, which is a distinct legal standard.

Individuals, as I mentioned, with acute vulnerability can be excepted from the Title 42 application.

Approximately 12,400 individuals will have cases heard by an immigration judge to make a determination whether they'll be removed or permitted to remain in the United States. That's a piece of data that's been requested of us.

If someone is not subject to Title 42 expulsion for the three reasons that I explained, acute vulnerability, operational capacity limitations or a convention against torture exception, then the individual is placed in immigration proceedings.

That means they go before an immigration judge in an immigration court.

If they make a claim that they have a basis under law to remain in the United States, then the judge will hear and adjudicate that claim. If a judge determines that the claim is not valid, the individual will be removed.

An estimated 8,000 migrants have decided to return to Mexico voluntarily. And just over 5,000 are being processed by DHS to determine whether they will be expelled or placed in immigration removal proceedings under Title 8.

We have previously articulated publicly, previously expressed in light of the fact that we had such a significant number of individuals in one particular section in Del Rio, Texas, that we were moving people to other Customs and Border Protection processing centers to ensure the safe and secure processing of those individuals.

And we will assess the ability to exercise the Title 42 public health authority in those processing centers. And if any of the exceptions apply, then we'll place those individuals in immigration enforcement proceedings.

[14:45:55]

But if we are able to expel them under Title 42, because that is, indeed, a public health imperative as determined by the Centers for Disease Control, we will do so.

And with that, I'm take your questions.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for answering our questions.

The first question, I was hoping you could explain more about agents on the border acted in a way that violated policies or procedures. Can you tell us what they did wrong to start?

And the second question has to do with what this episode -- how it informs your thinking about the current and ongoing asylum review and whether perhaps, if the administration were to take a more permissive stance toward asylum, membership in a particular social group, this episode could be seen as one of many in the future.

MAYORKAS: So I think, if I may, you're conflating two very different phenomenon, two very different processes.

First of all, the images, as I expressed earlier, the images horrified us in terms of what they suggest and what they conjure up in terms of our history. And that page of history hasn't been turned entirely.

That means there's much work to do and we are focused on doing it.

But I will not prejudge the facts. I do not, in any way, want to impair the integrity of the investigative process.

We have investigators who are looking at it independently. They will draw their conclusions according to standard operating procedures. And the results will be determined by the facts that are adduced.

With respect to the asylum process, that's an independent process -- and I'm not sure I understood your question.

If you're asking about the definition of a particular social group -- and just for everyone's benefit, the asylum laws provide the first step in the asylum process and is a claim of credible fear.

Economic need, flight from generalized violence does not qualify as credible fear. But rather, credible fear is credible fear of persecution by reason of one's membership in a particular social group.

What is the definition of a particular social group was significantly constrained -- that's an understatement -- in the Trump administration. And there's a body of law that speaks to that definition. And that definition is currently under review?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. Secretary, forgive me.

First of all, just to follow-up on this point. The question was, if this administration were to take a more permissive stance toward that issue, could this be what we experienced the last couple of weeks, the first of many similar instances to occur in this country on the border?

MAYORKAS: What instance are you referring to?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: We have 15,000 migrants the United States government had to now process.

We determined -- we determined the standards to apply in a claim of persecution according to principles that a government should be both domestically and in the international architecture with the treatment of individuals who are fleeing persecution by reason of their membership in a particular social group.

It is not a tool of deterrence to define what a particular social group means.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The people who are under the bridge, you talked about some of them have gone to Mexico, some of them were flown to Haiti. The others, are they spread out at CBP holding facilities? Have some been released into the community or to family members awaiting hearings? What's their status?

MAYORKAS: Let me be clear. Some have been returned to Haiti, indeed. Others have been moved to different processing facilities along the border in light of operational capacity. And then many of them will be returned to Haiti from there.

And if any of the exceptions apply, they will not be returned to Haiti but placed in immigration enforcement proceedings.

I should say "released" is a very general term, and I may need to drill down on that, if I may.

Individuals, some of them are detained, some of them are placed on alternatives to detention. We remain in touch with them. We monitor them to ensure their appearance in court at the designated time of appearance.

Does that answer your question?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It does.

And one other --

(CROSSTALK)

MAYORKAS: And I can provide the data if I need to

[14:50:01]

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes. No, I've got that.

The broader question is it seems there are border crisis that pop up like whack-a-mole. Every month or so, there's another clump of people or another major issue or unaccompanied minors, or.

And is there a plan to maybe have, you know, like FEMA-type teams that go to these crisis points? Or is the goal somehow to stop having these crises that keep breaking out?

MAYORKAS: You mentioned FEMA, so two points, if I may. Let me first address the -- well, let me go in reverse.

From an operational response perspective, we addressed the challenge of unaccompanied children in March. And I said then that we had a plan, we were executing our plan, and it would take time.

And in fact, within 60 days or so, we went from an average time of unaccompanied child in a Border Patrol station of 124 hours to less than 25 hours.

And we did that through our operational capacity throughout the Department of Homeland Security, as directed by the president in an all-of-government effort. Here, last weekend, we had approximately 15,000 individuals in the Del

Rio section. I committed to addressing that within 10 days. And today we have none.

And that was because of the Department of Homeland Security's assets with the assistance of others across the government.

That is something very different than the fact of the dynamism of a regular migration, writ large, and the fact that this is a situation that has occurred from time to time ever since I can remember in my more than 20 years of government service.

And the president has spoken very powerfully about this from day one. And before he assumed office.

First and foremost, and most fundamentally and foundationally, we are dealing with a broken immigration system and we need legislative reform.

And everyone agrees, in a world where unanimity is so difficult to achieve, there's one thing as to which there's unanimity, and that is the need for comprehensive immigration reform. And unfortunately, it seems to remain elusive.

But our real dedication to achieving it is unrelenting, and we continue to do so, number one.

Number two, we have a three-part plan. We invest in the root causes to address the need, to address the reason why people leave the homes in which they live and take a perilous journey that they should not take.

Second, the building of safe, orderly and humane pathways.

And third, rebuilding an asylum system and a refugee program that were dismantled in the prior administration.

This takes time, and we are executing our plans.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Thank you for being here. We suggested it would be great to have you, so good to see you in the week we made the request.

Are you considering eliminating them all together?

MAYORKAS: We're going to take a look. What we were focused on right now is addressing the urgency of the situation in Del Rio under that bridge. We are still getting through it.

Remember, as I mentioned in response to the prior question, we still have operational needs across the border with respect to this particular population of individuals we're individuals. We're going to be taking a look at this.

What the patrol is used to doing, for everyone's benefit, is horses are able to cross terrain that might not otherwise be traversed. And what they often do and, in fact, most often do, is assess the situation and actually assist in helping people in distress.

And that horse patrol, the horse patrol that the Customs and Border Protection employs, the Border Patrol specifically, has actually saved lives many times before. But we will take a look.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And just because yours is such a sprawling department, you face multiple issues at once, the situation regarding Afghan refugees that are being processed by your department, we have had a few questions on that that haven't entirely been answered.

I'm just curious if you know how many cases of forced marriage or so- called child brides are in the system.

MAYORKAS: To my knowledge, we have not found one.

But I will tell you we have experts at the airport and beyond who understand that phenomenon very, very well and know how to detect the signs of any such activity.

[14:55:08]

And are able to place people in secondary screening, discern the facts, and make the decisions that the facts so warrant. We are very skilled in that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

I know you said you'd be looking into this. But the president was clear today. He said those Border Patrol agents on horseback seen on those images will pay. He said it's dangerous. It's wrong. And he said there will be consequences.

Do you disagree with that?

MAYORKAS: I know the president was echoing the sentiments of the American public in response to the images and what the images suggest.

But I want to speak to the fact that this investigation will be based on the facts that the investigators learn. And the results of the investigation will be driven by those fact and nothing less --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The president said they will pay. So --

(CROSSTALK)

MAYORKAS: I think the president was speaking in terms of the horror that he observed from seeing the images and what they suggest. That investigation will have integrity, I can assure you of that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. Secretary, I understand you guys have been saying since January 20th, you inherited a broken system, there's a lot of work to be done here.

You had thousands of people living in squalid conditions, limited opportunities to go through asylum processes here. Advocates have been warning about this situation for months now.

How much responsibility does the administration take for these situations continuing to pop up in various places?

MAYORKAS: So if you're addressing the situation in Del Rio, I will tell you that it is unprecedented for us to see that number of people arrive in one discreet point along the border in such a compacted period of time. That is unprecedented.

We have the chief of the Border Patrol, Raul Ortiz, who is, I think, a 30-year veteran, and he has not seen that before.

And what we do when we see something that is unprecedented is we respond, and respond we did.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Some Democrats have wanted you to be more lenient on the asylum claims because of the earthquake that Haiti went through. Have you considered that at all, sir?

MAYORKAS: Let me speak to that. We studied the conditions in Haiti a number of months ago, as is our legal obligation to do so.

And based on the country conditions that we observed and studied, what we did is we Haiti for temporary protected status, for the Haitian nationals resident in the United States were here prior to July 29th.

And we were mindful of the assassination that occurred and we were unsure of the results of that assassination in terms of the stability of the political order.

Once a new leader took office and things seemed to settle down, we determined that the July 29th date was equitable to address the humanitarian relief of Haitian nationals already resident in the United States.

We have continued to study the conditions in Haiti. And we have, in fact, determined, despite the tragic and devastating earthquake, that Haiti is, in fact, capable of receiving individuals.

And we are working with Haiti and with humanitarian relief agencies to ensure that their return is as safe and humanely accomplished as possible.

I was around -- I was at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on January 10, 2010, the date of the last earthquake in Haiti. And that was distinct from the earthquake that devastated people recently.

That had far greater graphic repercussions. This one, as devastating as it was, was more geographically limited.

And we made a determination, based on the legal standards and the facts, that, in fact, individuals could be returned to the country as a whole.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you very much. Just to go back, please, to the images of these mounted Border Patrol

officers, you said on Saturday, or rather on the 20th, "to ensure control of the horse, long reins are used."

The person who took the photos of the Border Patrol agents says, "'ve never seen them whip anyone."

So why is the president out there today talking about people being strapped?

MAYORKAS: So let me correct the statements in your question, if I may.

(CROSSTALK)

MAYORKAS: No, no, if I may. It was on Friday when I was -- actually, it was on Monday, I believe, when I was in Del Rio on the ground.

[14:59:53]

And I made the statements without having seen the images. I saw the images on the flight back. And I made the statement that I did with respect to what those images suggested.

The horses have long reins. And the image in the photograph that we all saw, and that horrified the nation, raised serious questions.