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Eight People Killed in Texas Mall Shooting; Celebration to Continue Across U.K. Today; U.S. Says Misinformation Encouraging Migrant Surge. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 07, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Paula Newton.

Ahead right here on CNN newsroom --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard like a bunch of shots, but we thought it was firecrackers at first. And then a lot of people just started running like straight to our door, just trying to come in and everything.

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NEWTON: Eight people are dead after a gunman opens fire at a Texas outlet mall. What we're learning about the shooter and the weapon.

The U.K. just crowned a new king and queen. What would the late Queen Elizabeth make of all of it? We'll talk with a woman who called her boss.

And confusion at the U.S. border with Mexico as a COVID-era rule used to expel some migrants is set to expire. How can the U.S. solve its immigration problems?

So, residents of Allen, Texas, are in shock and mourning after their city became the latest in the United States to suffer a mass shooting. The deadly rampage happened at a crowded mall on Saturday, and some of the scenes were captured in a video which we will warn you may be hard to watch.

NEWTON: You see people running for safety as the gunman opens fire. Authorities say at least eight people were killed and seven were wounded.

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CHIEF JONATHAN BOYD, CITY OF ALLEN FIRE DEPARTMENT: Seven deceased individuals on scene. We transported nine individuals to the hospital to area trauma facilities. Of those that we transported, two have since died. Three are in critical surgery. And four are stable.

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NEWTON: Police say the gunman was also killed by an officer who just happened to be on the scene. CNN has obtained this photo of what appears to be the shooter lying on the ground with an AR-15-style weapon nearby.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Texas with more on how the shooting unfolded.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the site of the horrific shooting at the outlet mall in Allen, Texas, where authorities have announced that there are eight victims in all. Six of those victims died here at the scene. Two of the victims were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

Now, there are also, we are told, seven other victims that are being treated for wounds that were suffered here in this shooting attack at this outlet mall. Three of those patients are in critical condition. So, many people still fighting for their lives.

It was an extremely chaotic situation as the shooting scene unfolded here just before 4:00 Central Time on Saturday afternoon. We're told by witnesses that there was what they believe to be the gunman, a man dressed in cover. We saw a picture of this, covered in tactical gear with ammunition on a body vest, as well as an AR-style assault rifle laying on the ground next to him.

So, that is someone that was witnessed the end of this shooting. And what is interesting is that we were told that many of the victims that were killed were just beyond the lights that you see behind me near the H&M store. And from what we've been able to gather and piece together from speaking with witnesses, the area where the gunman was taken out was around the corner, some distance away in this large outlet mall shopping center parking lot.

So, it's not exactly clear how much time elapsed from the initial moment of the shooting to when it all ended. We are told by authorities here that it was an Allen, Texas, police officers who was able to take out the shooter and bring the shooting attack to an end. But much more beyond that, we don't know. We don't know if investigators so far have been able to identify who the gunman is or what the motive might be in this situation.

Many of the witnesses we spoke with say in those initial moments when the shots started firing, many people ran, took cover inside the department stores, seeking shelter and hiding places in the storage areas in the back. And for many people, it took almost two hours for law enforcement investigators to come through the scene and clear out those areas, letting them know it was at that moment okay to be able to come out.

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They were escorted out of the buildings with their arms in the air and out of the parking lot area here. So, on Sunday, investigators will continue working this crime scene, continue looking into the motive and the background of this shooter. And that is what they will be doing for some time. But as of now, the latest information we have is that there were eight victims in all, not including the gunman, and three people still in critical condition fighting for their lives.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Allen, Texas.

NEWTON: Now, earlier, our Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Charles Ramsey spoke about the shooting and explained how police will likely carry out their investigation.

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CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: If it's an outdoor scene, if there is bad weather coming in, they've got to figure out how they can do something to kind of protect the scene. So, they'll go through that pretty carefully so they don't have to run the risk of having evidence wash away or anything like that. But they'll be at it all night, however long it takes.

You've got eight victims here. You've got, you know, six of them there at the scene. You've got the shooter there at the scene. So, yes, they've got a lot of work to do. So, they'll be going at it all night long.

With the weapon, by now they've already traced it. They know -- I mean, where was it purchased originally? Was this a private sale? I mean, how did this guy get his hands on the gun? I mean, they're going to trace the history of it, and they're going to talk to every individual along the way if he's not the original purchaser of the firearm.

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NEWTON: Earlier I spoke with Dallas Morning News Reporter Isabella Volmert, and she explained that she's had to rely largely on witnesses at the scene to learn how events unfolded at the mall since information from authorities has been very limited.

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ISABELLA VOLMERT, REPORTER, DALLAS MORNING NEWS: We only have just received confirmation about how many people were killed in this attack just a couple of hours ago. So far, information from authorities has been fairly limited throughout the day.

NEWTON: You know, that's one of the shocking things. We had the press conference, and there wasn't much released, including we didn't know the identity of the shooter at this point. How can you really, at this point, understand what happened? I mean, when we saw the aerial videos, this wasn't the normal kind of mall. It was an outdoor mall. And so you wouldn't expect this kind of place to have much security, right? VOLMERT: Well, I'm not sure on that regard. But I can say that what we have learned from this shooting throughout the day has been very largely from people at the scene. There were many, many witnesses there. There were many people who were affected there that day. We heard that there were about 500 people waiting outside of the mall after the shooting this afternoon. And we talked to many people there about what they saw and what they saw of the gunman when he arrived at the mall.

NEWTON: And what did they describe to you? What did they see?

VOLMERT: Several people said they saw the gunman himself. We heard from one person who was very close to the shooting. And from there, it was chaos. People running, people were scared. And afterwards, people wait waited a long time to be reunited and people waited a long time for any official word, as well.

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NEWTON: Now, President Biden was briefed on the shooting in Texas after he returned from church on Saturday. The White House says it is in touch with local and state officials to offer their support.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has those details.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden has been briefed on the shooting in Allen, Texas, and, additionally, that the White House is closely monitoring this situation. White House officials have been in touch with local law enforcement and local officials to offer any potential support as well as federal officials as well.

We look back at the previous statements that President Biden has issued in the wake of these mass shootings. He is very quick to call for action. We are no longer in a phase where a president of the United States would see a report like this and talk about thoughts and prayers and not immediately pivot to what he sees as the legislative solution.

That is exactly what we have seen from President Biden in the wake of recent shootings. He has said, how many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress take action? That was the statement that President Biden released after that shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, last month. And we have seen President Biden in the wake of these shootings quickly talk about the need for a ban on assault weapons, a ban on high-capacity magazines, safe storage laws.

And what we've also heard from President Biden more recently is that he believes he has done all that he can from an executive action standpoint and that ultimately now the burden rests on Congress. We know, of course, that the dynamic in Congress, though, remains unchanged.

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Republicans control the House of Representatives, and even in the Senate, Democrats have a slim majority, certainly not a filibuster- proof majority, to be able to move the kind of legislative solutions that they would like to see.

NEWTON: Pro-Russian officials say they foiled a Ukrainian drone strike in the occupied Crimea Peninsula. Now, a short time ago they said their forces shot down at least two drones launched on the city of Sevastopol. A third one reportedly crashed. And none of them caused any damage. And that happened after suspected drone strike caused a massive fire at a fuel depot in Sevastopol last weekend.

Meantime, Moscow is blaming Ukraine and several western nations for an apparent attack on a pro-Kremlin military blogger about 400 kilometers east of Moscow. The Russian state news agency said the Zakhar Prilepin was wounded after his car was hit by a roadside bomb on Saturday. Investigators say they later arrested a suspect who reportedly confessed that he received his orders from Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Security Services neither confirming nor denying its involvement in the blast east of Moscow.

Now, Prilepin was a Telegram channel -- had a Telegram channel with some 300,000 followers. Another pro-Kremlin blogger was killed in an explosion in St. Petersburg last month, but Ukraine claims it did not have any role in that attack.

Ukraine, meantime, says its Patriot air defense system has gone head to head with a Russian high-tech missile. Ukraine obtained the U.S.- made weapon to protect its skies, and as Sam Kiley reports, the patriots have reportedly delivered what Kyiv calls a slap in the face for Russia.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Ukrainians are claiming to have made a very significant breakthrough in the realm of aerial defenses with what they say is the downing of a hypersonic Kinzhal missile fired from inside Russian territory against the capital here in Kyiv in the last few days. They say it was knocked out of the sky by a U.S.-made Patriot missile.

Now, the country here in Ukraine only has one battery of Patriot missiles, and the missiles themselves were assumed to be incapable of hitting a hypersonic missile, a missile that travels many times the speed of sound and was assumed to be simply too fast for these batteries.

Now, by confirming this kill, as it were, of an incoming missile, this is a major boon to the morale the Ukrainians. But when they get up to full capacity, they will only have, it's understood, two batteries of patriots, one from Germany, and the other from the United States.

They are saying that they desperately need more aerial defenses, particularly after the recent attacks that have been focused very heavily on Kyiv and in anticipation of what is likely to be a Ukrainian summer offensive against Russian positions, in which control of the air space is going to be absolutely critical.

So, they are continuing to demand or beg the international community for more of these air defenses, and at the same time, continuing to fight very, very bitterly on that eastern front around Bakhmut, where the leader of the Wagner Mercenary Group Prigozhin, has said he will be pulling his troops out on May the 10th because, in his words, they're being starved of the amount of ammunition they need in order to preserve their lives.

He claims that they're close to capturing the city and that he'll be handing over operations there to Chechen fighters under the Russian flag, effectively under the Russian Ministry of Defense, a very dramatic development in his ongoing complaints about the conduct of this war by the ministry of defense and the generals under Putin.

Sam Kiley, CNN, in Kyiv.

NEWTON: There's a glimmer of hope that hangs over Sudan at this hour as representatives of the two warring factions went to Saudi Arabia reportedly for face-to-face talks. Now, a prominent Saudi diplomat's tweet Saturday morning suggested representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces had indeed arrived in Jeddah, but, so far, there's no confirmation that a meeting has taken place.

Now, Turkey says it's moving its embassy in Sudan because of security. The Turkish foreign minister says the move to Khartoum to Port Sudan is temporary, in fact, but necessary after the car of its ambassador was fired on in the Sudanese capital. A supposed ceasefire is apparently under way in the country, but people on the ground in the country told CNN earlier that Rapid Support Forces were trying to take control a strategically located hospital to try and use them as bases.

Funerals, meantime, have begun in Serbia after two mass shootings this week. Services were held Saturday for a security guard killed along with eight children when a gunman went on a rampage in a school in the capital, Belgrade.

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Police say a 13-year-old is in custody and undergoing psychiatric treatment. A day later, eight more people were killed in separate shootings in villages south of the capital. The country is holding three days of mourning for the victims with flags flying at half mast.

So, the party not over in the U.K. We'll look at what's up today as the coronation weekend continues. Plus, what would Queen Elizabeth have thought about Saturday's events? I'll ask her former assistant press secretary.

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NEWTON: Festivities continue right across the U.K. a day after the historic coronation. Some of the events taking place today, thousands of street parties are expected to be held across the country. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will also be hosting a coronation big lunch, which will be attended by U.S. First Lady Jill Biden. Now, later in the day, a coronation concert will be held on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Now, Saturday's historic coronation was packed with pomp, pageantry and plenty of history.

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And, of course, CNN's Max Foster, he has the highlights for us.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A day of destiny. The patient prince, crowned at last. Charles III, king of the United Kingdom and common wealth realms.

London stood still as well-wishers lined the streets, huddled in the rain to join the celebration of British monarchy. Leaders, dignitaries, family members and celebrities, more than 2,000, gathered in Westminster Abbey for this once in a generation event.

Prince Harry entered alongside other royals, including Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. The prince and princess of Wales arrived behind the king and queen and followed them into the Abbey in what appeared to be a break from the schedule.

King and queen married in 2005 arrived in splendor. The couple wore their respective robes of state. Camilla in the robe of state originally made for Queen Elizabeth II. The deeply religious ceremony moved through several stages, first, the recognition. Charles faced the four points of the compass, symbolically presenting himself to the people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I here present unto you King Charles.

FOSTER: Breaking from tradition, Charles read a prayer aloud.

KING CHARLES III, KING OF ENGLAND: We may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace.

FOSTER: Another first, a gospel choir. Before the oath, Charles acknowledged the role of the Church of England to foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely.

70 years since his mother before him, Charles fulfills his destiny and takes his place in the holy lineage of kings and queens.

Made for the last King Charles in 1661, the sovereign crown comprises solid gold set with rubies and sapphires and other gems. Would the crown fit?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God save the king.

EVERYONE: God save the king.

FOSTER: Queen Camilla received her own coronation. Like her husband, she was anointed with holy oil and the keeper of the jewel house then presented the consort's ring, marrying her to the king, to God, and their people.

From Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, a vast procession of 4,000 ceremonial troops accompanied the royals into a new era, a new Britain, ruled by its newly crowned monarch.

Max Foster, CNN, Buckingham Palace, London.

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NEWTON: So, not everyone celebrated the historic coronation. London police say the arrested three people Saturday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance after learning they planned on throwing rape alarms to disrupt the coronation.

Now, another 52 protesters were arrested during the coronation for a variety of offenses. Some groups criticized the police for their approach toward demonstrators, but authorities said they have a duty to intervene when protests become criminal.

Now, for more on the coronation, We want to bring in Zaki Cooper, former assistant press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II. And I thank you for joining us, especially after everything we just took in from Saturday.

And, of course, there is an obvious question I want to ask you. What would the queen have thought of Saturday and how it all unfolded? Clearly, she knew her son had prepared for this for so long.

ZAKI COOPER, FORMER ASSISTANT PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN: I think she would have been absolutely delighted. She would have been thrilled to see her son being crowned king in this way, as she had been 70 years before. I mean, a slight irony with the British weather, and we're famous for it, is that it rained both for the queen's coronation of the 2nd of June, 1953, and we also similar weather for yesterday's coronation of the king. But I think she would have been proud and delighted.

She had gone on different engagements with her son to see his work, with the prince's trust. And I think she would have been thrilled to see him crowned king yesterday at Westminster Abbey.

NEWTON: And quite a concession as well, you'll admit in the sense that it's Queen Camilla, right?

[03:25:00]

And that is his wife and his partner in the monarchy now?

COOPER: It is, absolutely. I mean, as we said, they got married in 2005. And back then, it was uncertain as to how the British public would take to her. But I think she's been incredibly dutiful in her own engagements. She's developed a passion in certain areas, such as children's literacy and domestic abuse. But she also has been an incredible support to the king. There's no doubt about that how important she is in supporting the king and keeping him going.

NEWTON: The queen herself will have realized that there is hard work ahead for her son, especially in establishing purpose and relevancy for the monarchy that he's inherited. We've said a lot about how King Charles wants to do it, but how do you think he can more effectively mold that monarchy?

COOPER: Well, I think a lot of it is about carrying on the good work of his mother. I mean, the bread and butter of monarchy are the engagements that the king and other members of the royal family carry out, visiting all sorts of places across the U.K., whether schools, hospitals, churches, other places of worship, community centers, and really getting into the heart of communities, all over the U.K., but also overseas as well.

We know the king will carry out state visits. He's already been to Germany. And he will carry out further state visits. He will also host foreign leaders, heads of government and heads of state the of other countries. We are expecting President Biden to visit the U.K. later this year.

So, I think a lot of it is about carrying on the important work that the queen, Queen Elizabeth II, carried out with also a few tweaks. I'm sure the king will bring his own stamp and own personality to the role in his way.

NEWTON: Yes, and his own causes, to be sure. Unfortunately, there is a lot of family drama as well that goes along with this role. I mean, principally his son, Harry, who was in attendance but not with his family, and did not really have a role at all in the coronation. How difficult will that be for the king? And, obviously, it must have brought great pain to the queen as well, knowing that her son will not have the support of his entire family going forward?

COOPER: Well, look, I think it was fantastic that Prince Harry was there. Obviously a lot has happened, and there's water under the bridge. But let's be honest, what family doesn't have its dramas? So, I think one of the things that makes monarchy and the royal family so relatable are these sort of ups and downs of family life. So, I think people can understand that.

At the same time, I think yesterday was a joyous day of celebration. It was wonderful to see members of the royal family there along with so many other heads of government and heads of state. There were representatives of 203 countries in Westminster Abbey.

So, it was a fantastic day for the U.K. on the global stage. The worldwide audience would have been massive, a lot of people watching in the U.S. and in countries all over the world. So, I think it's an incredibly special day, which the international appeal of the British monarchy, which is unmatched and unrivaled by any monarchy.

NEWTON: But you don't feel that that international appeal really has been diminished because the queen was so well thought of. Charles, arguably, has to go a ways to try and earn that. And then, again, the drama -- forgive me, all families have their drama, this is quite a drama and it's not been discreet at all, right? It's out in the open.

COOPER: Well, I think the queen had had 70 years on the throne. And you build up a familiarity and an admiration and respect over time. I mean, that was an extraordinary reign. It was the longest reign by any monarch. And the king is coming to this obviously at the age of -- he became king at the age of 73, now 74. And it's a different thing. He's at a very different stage of life. Obviously, his mother became queen when she was in her mid-20s.

But I think, on the other hand, we've got to know the king as Prince of Wales and all the good work he's done through the prince's trust and other charities. And, of course, part of the international appeal is baked in, in the sense that the king is the king of 15 countries. He's head of the 56-nation commonwealth. But also, there are particular and special relationships that the monarchy has with certain countries.

And, remember, the king himself has traveled widely. For example, he's been to the U.S. over 20 times. He went on a famous 12-city tour of the U.S. in 1977. So, I think the king has a lot of admirers on the global stage, but granted it's a different position to be in to his mother, who had been queen for 70 years.

NEWTON: Yes, absolutely. But, certainly, it was quite breathtaking to take it all in, especially the ceremony of it, even though his reign had started earlier than that. Zaki Cooper, thank you so much.

[03:30:00]

Your perspective is incredibly important, given your relationship with the queen. I really appreciate it.

Now, still ahead for us, a Republican lawmaker offers thoughts and prayers after a mass shooting and pushes back against critics who say that message is not enough.

Also ahead, Atlanta Police release one of the 911 calls from Wednesday's mass shooting there. We'll bring you the very latest.

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NEWTON: The city of Allen, Texas, is in mourning this hour after eight people were killed in yet another U.S. mass shooting. Police say the gunman was also killed by an officer after he opened fire on a crowded mall as dozens, in fact, hundreds of people were out shopping. Seven victims were taken to the hospital, and some are in critical condition.

A Republican Congressman from Texas said he was praying for the victims' families, and he pushed back against critics who say prayers are not enough. Now, this was in response to questions about what would happen after the shooting in terms of changes to gun laws in Texas.

Now, in Columbus, Ohio, meantime, the police chief has condemned the easy access of guns after a series of shootings on Saturday. At least two people are dead and several more injured in three separate incidents in the capital. The chief says guns are ending up in the hands of too many people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHIEF ELAINE BRYANT, COLUMBUS POLICE: It's tragic that these incidents occurred, and one of the things that we're really concerned about is how many guns are so easily accessible, how many people are walking around with guns.

As you know, the gun laws changed back in June of last year. We were concerned. Obviously, as police, we want to be able to make sure that we make people as safe as possible.

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But when you have a situation where anyone can have a gun with no checks and balances, they don't have to have any type of training, they don't have to have any CCWS, they don't have to have anything to be able to get guns, what we're seeing is the guns are readily available.

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NEWTON: Now, under Ohio State law that was passed last year, eligible adults are allowed to carry a concealed handgun without a license or any training.

Now, Atlanta police have released one of the 911 calls from Wednesday's deadly mass shooting and it paints the picture at the scene at a midtown medical facility where one woman was killed and four others wounded.

CNN's Isabel Rosales has our details.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police are still combing through these 911 calls and plan to release more of them once they're done with that process. But, listen, this one 911 call, from it, we get a real sense of the scary and very serious situation unfolding within the hospital, a place that anyone would have an expectation that they are safe within. Instead, what we saw was an eruption of chaos and violence.

Listen now to what appears to be a worker talking to a 911 operator describing what they are seeing and hearing.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hear gunshots in the hall.

One of the doctors thinks he sees someone on the floor by the elevators on the 11th floor, but it's definitely loud and --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they still shooting?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't -- they're not shooting at this moment, but there were several shots that we heard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And the suspect is named Deion Patterson. His mother, according to a high-level source within the Atlanta Police Department, told investigators that her son was seeking treatment there at the hospital because he was dissatisfied with the service that he was getting from the V.A.

But then according to a CNN affiliate, WSB, that mother told them that, at some point, her son got angry after doctors refused to give him anti-anxiety medication. And that is when he pulled out a gun and started shooting.

What ensued was an eight-hour manhunt. Technology played a critical role here with a system of cameras capturing footage of the truck that the suspect had stolen and then tracking it over into Cobb County about 15 miles away. Officers then rushed to the scene over there.

Then came barking dogs, a resident within a condo complex heard those dogs and was worried that perhaps the suspect was hiding in the pool area. That is when she alerted officers. And, eventually, he was confronted and captured.

Listen now to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. He is calling for change, gun reform change, in response to this shooting.

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MAYOR ANDRE DICKENS, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: This cannot be the new normal. We know the common sense gun laws that we should have. Universal background checks should be just adopted and established as a norm. We should not allow convicted felons to have the ability to buy guns and violent misdemeanors. Anyone that's mentally unstable, we should disallow them to have access to guns as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: All together, four women were injured in the shooting, one killed. Her name is Amy St. Pierre, 38 years old. She worked for the CDC. The family called her a loving wife and a devoted mother of two. We have heard last check from Grady Health System is that two of the injured are in critical condition.

Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.

NEWTON: Thousands of migrants are arriving at the U.S./Mexico border but the U.S. says they're victims of misinformation. We'll explain why the impending end of a government rule may be raising false expectations at the border.

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NEWTON: Thousands of migrants are gathering at the U.S./Mexican border ahead of Thursday's expiry of Title 42. That's the U.S. government rule that enabled border officers to immediately expel migrants during the COVID pandemic. But as Rafael Romo reports, misinformation is encouraging many migrants to think that come Thursday, they'll just walk right into the United States, which U.S. authorities say is just plain wrong.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice over): Yofre Perez says his plan is to press on all the way to the border and beyond. He wants his own American dream. The Venezuelan migrant has already made it as far as Mexico and returning home, he says, is not an option.

We're already here, and we can't go back, Perez. We have to press on as far as we can get, as far as they let us get.

As many other migrants wait in Mexico for an opportunity to cross into the United States, legal or illegally, that is he's driven by hope and determination but confused by the rampant misinformation about what's happening at the southern U.S. border.

Migrants Perez are part of an expected surge prompted by the fact that Title 42, the Trump-era policy that allowed border authorities to quickly turn away certain migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, is expiring on May 11th.

Migrants like Linda Sarmienta, who comes from Honduras, say there are many doubts in the migrant community because she's heard that the end of Title 42 means that she will be able to enter the country while other people have told her that it will make it even more difficult to seek asylum.

U.S. officials, especially Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, have been clear about the fact that the border will remain sealed.

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The border is not open, it has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to May 11th. And the smugglers who exploit vulnerable migrants are spreading misinformation. They are spreading false information, lies in a way to lure vulnerable people to the southern border. And those individuals will only be returned.

ROMO: Encounters between U.S. border agents and undocumented immigrants had fallen earlier this year but have recently increased to the current level of about 7,000 per day. Migrants like Elton Rojas (ph) from Venezuela say they don't care if Title 42 comes to an end or not. Rojas (ph) says he's determined not to live in what he considers a dictatorship and is willing to take as many risks as necessary for a taste of freedom.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

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NEWTON: Raul Reyes is an attorney and immigration analyst and he joins us now from New York. And it's good to see you.

I have to ask you, how transformative do you think the end of Title 42 will be? You heard the homeland security secretary. He says this won't usher in an era of open borders. Is he right? RAUL REYES, ATTORNEY AND CNN OPINION WRITER: Well, I would say, of course, it's not going to usher in an era of open borders. What is true, and pretty much all migration experts agree with this, is that next week, starting Thursday, we will see a dramatic increase of unauthorized migrants at the border.

[03:45:06]

I think this is the fourth planned lifting of Title 42 just in a couple of years. So, there's a tremendous backup on the Mexican side of the border and there's a tremendous backup of potential asylum seekers. And think about -- I encourage people to think about this. This is a crisis that we see go through year-after-year through successive administrations, no matter who is president, and that really is because instead of looking at realities, administrations continually try to come up with solutions that are driven by politics and focus on punishment, which they prefer to call deterrence.

If you remember during Obama, we saw record removals. He got called the deporter-in-chief. Under Trump, we saw the horror of family separations. And now Biden is proceeding with significant restrictions on the right to asylum. And yet here we are, no matter who's president, no matter which of these approaches they try, here we are again.

NEWTON: And here are the asylum seekers, right? They have humanitarian needs that are going to have to be met. I don't have to remind you, right, it's not just the border communities. Cities like New York, Chicago, Miami, all struggling to accommodate the inflow. What practical steps, given when you just said, what practical steps do you want to see them take to transform the immigration system?

REYES: Well, I think that there are a number of solutions out there. The problem that is they just are not politically palatable to our lawmakers. For example, there is a proposal put forth by Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey. He gave the president and the administration a series of executive actions that he could take on his own to alleviate this crisis. And some of these actions were streamlining deportations, increasing the penalties for smugglers and traffickers, and also pairing up some migrants with states that have a labor shortage.

So, there are some potential solutions there, but to give you an idea of how overwhelmed cities are across the country, since you mention that, right now in New York, asylum seekers and migrants who are paroled here from the border, they get a court date to return for 2033, ten years away, 2033. In Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, I believe they're looking at court dates in 2027.

So, that just goes to show how overwhelmed our border is right now, the failure of our administration to respond to it, and that's one reason why President Biden has a very low rating on the immigration issue. I think only 39 percent of Americans approve how he's handling this issue. And those are pretty much similar to the ratings that past presidents have because no one is willing to take some of the bolder steps necessary to deal with this very contentious issue. NEWTON: And, you know, given how highly politicized this issue is, and I recognize that, and you've pointed out so well, but it's not mattered, the administration now, it's not mattered for several years. You've just pointed out the absurdity of an immigration system that is really broken. A decade, a hearing in a decade, is not going to do anybody any good. Do you think the solutions, though, do lie within South America themselves, or Latin America, to be able to go into those countries and really see some stabilization and then perhaps pair that with a guest worker program or some kind of pathway to enter the United States?

REYES: Those are all -- in my view, those are all potentially practical and sensible solutions. But let's be clear here. You know, this goes to the question of who is the villain, quote/unquote, in this situation. And the villain here is Congress. Because, remember, presidents can set immigration policy. However, they cannot make immigration law. Some of the ideas you're talking about, such as significant investments across Latin America, maybe helping to stabilize that region, changing immigration law to allow new legal pathways, that is the job of Congress. And that is the job on both sides that they have largely abdicated.

I mean, right now in 2023, this is the ten-year anniversary of the last time the country attempted any significant type of immigration reform. Remember the so-called Gang of Eight in 2013? Again, a whole decade has gone by and we're basically facing the same situation. And what's incredibly unfortunate is these waves of unauthorized migration are very likely in the future to get worse because they are increasingly likely in the future to be driven by things like climate change. So, we are way past overdue for some type of fix but Congress has not fulfilled its responsibilities here.

NEWTON: Yes. And an important reminder, if Congress doesn't fulfill its responsibility, human smugglers continue to make a fortune and, unfortunately, really take advantage of people, their lives still in peril at this hour, trying to get to that U.S. border.

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Raul Reyes, we'll have to leave it there for now. Thanks so much.

REYES: Thank you.

NEWTON: And we will be right back.

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NEWTON: So, NBC's Saturday Night Live was not live on Saturday night. It was, in fact, a rerun. That's because of the ongoing writers strike. Former cast member Pete Davidson was supposed to appear this weekend, but instead he handed out pizza on the Writers Build picket line in Brooklyn. I hope that pizza was good. Davidson said he was there to support the writers. Other late night network shows have also gone dark because of that writers strike.

Mage has won the 149th Kentucky Derby, beating out the second-place horse Two Phil's. But the classic race was overshadowed by several horses, including a favorite, being scratched from the competition and by the deaths of two more horses at the historic Churchill Downs track.

CNN's Patrick Snell reports.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: While the run for the roses is always one of the biggest days on the U.S. sports calendar, but the buildup to this year's Kentucky Derby well and truly overshadowed, rhough, two more horses, Chloe's Dream and Freezing Point, having to be put down following races that were held earlier in the day on Saturday.

[03:55:07]

Now, PETA, that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, putting out at statement saying, Churchill Downs is a killing field. Freezing Point is the latest casualty. He's the second horse to die today at the track, making it an appalling seven deaths in advance of the Kentucky Derby. They should play Taps at the derby instead of My Old Kentucky Home.

Two of the horses that died earlier in the week were trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. He was suspended and the horse he was training for the derby, Lord Miles, being pulled from the race. Saffie says he's been made out to be a scapegoat and did nothing wrong.

Five horses had to drop out of Saturday's race. The latest was Forte, who began the morning as the betting favorite. He injured his foot in training on Thursday. Well, that meant 18 horses started the first leg of horse racing's coveted Triple Crown, and a thrilling race it would be in this, the 149th edition of the derby, a close contest seeing Mage with a stunning late surge to seal a famous victory.

The three-year-old chestnut colt ridden by Venezuelan Jockey Javier Castellano edging out Two Phil's, who finished second, and Angel of Empire, who finished third, this in front of the over 150,000 fans in attendance. Mage will now have a chance to continue the chase for the elusive Triple Crown at the Preakness Stakes later on this month. The third leg is at the Belmont Stakes in June.

But in the end, a winter saver for Mage, albeit one that now caps off a sad and indeed really troubling week at historic Churchill Downs. Back to you.

NEWTON: Thank you, Patrick Snell. And I'm Paula Newton. I want to thank you for being here.

Kim Brunhuber picks things up for me. This is CNN Newsroom.

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