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Trump Signs Executive Actions Cracking Down on Immigration; Trump Pardons Virtually All 1,250-Plus January 6 Convicts; Trump Plans to Rename Gulf of Mexico Gulf of America. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired January 21, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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


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[10:00:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Immigration crackdown. This morning, cities across America are bracing for mass deportations. President Trump taking a series of executive actions, effectively shutting down the border for anyone seeking asylum.

Plus, vindicating violence, Trump pardons more than 1,200 January 6th defendants, including people who viciously beat police officers.

And later, an escalating threat.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: China is operating the Panama Canal and we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama and we're taking it back.

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ACOSTA: The president of Panama is now speaking out about that.

Good morning. You were live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

We start with the major crackdown on undocumented immigrants that is expected to begin at any time now after President Trump declared an emergency at the southern border. City and state leaders across the country are preparing for a potential wave of mass deportations. The administration already shutting down the app that allowed migrants to apply for asylum, leaving many of them in limbo.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

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ACOSTA: Trump is also beginning the fight to remove constitutionally protected birthright citizenship here in the U.S.

Here with us now to discuss is Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California. He's on the Homeland Security Committee. And, Congressman, thank you so much for being here.

I do want to talk to you about what Trump's border czar saying today is the day when he takes the, quote, handcuffs off of ICE. What are your thoughts right now as we're starting to see what looks like the beginning of these mass deportations?

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): Well, I think first, what's really important is that everyone agrees, of course, we want a safe border. We want a secure immigration system. But what Trump has proposed and what he's trying to do is inhumane, illegal and against the constitution this idea that we're somehow going to start these mass deportations of people who, by the way, who are these folks? These are the folks in our kitchens and our favorite restaurants. These are the post folks that are working hard in our offices and businesses, taking care of our kids, people in our kids are going to our schools. We're going to mass deportations across the country is completely inhumane.

And this idea that we're going to somehow remove United States citizens, people that were born in this country, because one of their parents or their parents might be undocumented, is completely illegal. And so we've got to be very clear that what Donald Trump wants to do is not supported by a majority of the American people. It's inhumane and it's not what this country was actually founded on.

ACOSTA: And I'm sure you saw this. Trump signed an executive order attempting to revoke birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants born here in the U.S. Opponents say, of course, this violates the Constitution's 14th Amendment. What are your thoughts on that?

GARCIA: I mean, completely unconstitutional. I think he's going to continue to try to push and push to do things that are actually not allowed under the law, but we know that Donald Trump doesn't care about the law. He's someone that continues to break the law, support people that are criminals. He pushes the boundaries of what the courts have said, and unfortunately we have a Supreme Court that oftentimes bends the knee to whatever Donald Trump wants to do.

And so I think we're in a very dangerous situation. And that's why I'm hoping, and that's what we're hoping, that the courts actually push back on this. Because it's not constitutional what he's trying to do.

ACOSTA: And I did want to ask you about the inauguration yesterday. Elon Musk, I'm sure you saw this, the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, he spoke yesterday. And during his speech, he used a hand gesture that looked like a Nazi salute. Let's watch that.

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ELON MUSK, HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY: You know, there are elections that, elections that come and go. Some elections are, you know, important, some are not. But this one, this one really mattered. And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you.

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ACOSTA: After this moment went viral, Congressman, the Anti- Defamation League released a statement.

[10:05:03]

We can show this saying in part, it seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.

Of course, if you go on social media, there are lots of other people with lots of other opinions and say this looks very much like a Nazi salute, no matter how they're trying to clean it up. What was your reaction to that?

GARCIA: That was a Nazi salute. And he didn't just do it one time. He did it twice for emphasis. And he talked to anyone, historians, folks that actually study the Nazis and study this actual kind of disgusting display have been very clear about what that was. And he should not just apologize, he should be condemned for those kinds of actions.

So, gross, disgusting, but more of what we can expect, I think, from Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

ACOSTA: And I do want to ask you about Trump pardoning nearly all of the January 6th rioters. We mentioned this at the top of the program. You actually visited the D.C. jail where some of these defendants were detained.

What are your concerns about this because, I mean, there's obviously the potential for some of these rioters, some of these people who attack the Capitol to go out there and reoffend? I mean, what happens if one of these pardoned criminals goes out and commit commits another act of violence?

GARCIA: Well, let's be real clear what Donald Trump did. He completely went in and essentially pardoned, commuted sentences some of those violent people that we know of, whether it relates to damage and trying to overthrow our government. These are people that stormed the Capitol because Donald Trump told them to do so. They attacked police officers. Police officers, as you know, were either greatly harmed. Some died after the attack because of what happened. And they desecrated the Capitol offices, storming the House floor. And yet Donald Trump, with the stroke of a pen, frees them.

I mean, these are dangerous people who -- many of them should not have access to guns, should not have any sort of access to being out in the public. I visited these folks in the D.C. jail on behalf of the Democratic House conference.

ACOSTA: Yes. What did you find when you went to the jail?

GARCIA: First of all, they had no remorse. They kept chanting, let's go Brandon. They kept saying they were proud of what they did. These are people that should know business being free and certainly should be held accountable for their crimes through the court process.

And so, look, Donald Trump did a lot of shameful things yesterday. I think this is the top of one of the worst.

ACOSTA: And what do you make of this idea that we heard, bandied about before the inauguration that, well, this time around Donald Trump will be different, things will be toned down, he'll be much more you know, closer to the middle of things and maybe learn the lessons from the last time around? What did today and yesterday tell you about all of that?

GARCIA: I mean, the opposite of that is -- you know, what we're going to see is the opposite of that. He's going to double down on what he knows he can get away with. The man was told through the court system, through his supporters through the election, that you can break the law, you can you can attack people, you can be racist, you can essentially support the most wealthy in this country, bring in billionaires to help run the government, and then you're going to be rewarded.

And so I think that we've got to be very clear that Donald Trump and his administration is going to be a threat to our democracy, a threat to our institutions, and we've got to push back.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Robert Garcia, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

All right, coming up happening now, more of Trump's picks face questioning up on Capitol Hill. Doug Collins, the nominee for secretary of Veterans Affairs, is in the hot seat right now. That's Senator Rick Blumenthal at one of the hearings taking place up on Capitol Hill. Collins was a Republican Congressman from Georgia, is a colonel in the Air Force Reserve.

And the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is questioning Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. She is Trump's nominee for U.N. Ambassador. Stefanik serves on both the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees.

Coming up, some of the most violent January 6th rioters are getting a pass from President Trump. A look at the most egregious offenders, next.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: So, this is January 6th. These are the hostages, approximately 1,500 for a pardon, full pardon.

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ACOSTA: Just hours into his second term, President Trump essentially erased the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history. The president has granted clemency to more than 1,500 people charged in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. More than 140 police officers were injured during the seven-hour siege, which led directly or indirectly to the deaths of four Trump supporters in the mob and five police officers, Michael Fanone, a former D.C. Police officer highlighted in this video, you can see it right there, and others tried to block the assault. Fanone suffered a concussion and was attacked with his own taser and went into cardiac arrest.

Here's his reaction to the mass pardons.

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MICHAEL FANONE, FORMER D.C. POLICE OFFICER, INJURED IN JAN. 6 ATTACK: So, I have been betrayed by my -- rest assured, I have been betrayed by my country and I've been betrayed by those that supported Donald Trump. Tonight, six individuals who assaulted me as I did my job on January 6th, as did hundreds of other law enforcement officers, will now walk free.

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ACOSTA: CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us now from the D.C. jail where the first two defendants were released overnight. Katelyn, what are you seeing? What happens next?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, there's the expectation that more of the people detained at this jail, this local facility, a holding facility, essentially will be released this morning.

[10:15:07]

Overnight, the two men released were brothers. They had just been sentenced on Friday and the judge sent them to jail immediately, and they both were convicted and sentenced for assaulting police at the Capitol.

There are a smattering of folks here, someone with an American flag right now. There's someone with a MAGA hat on. There's another person who actually was among the Capitol rioters here. He's here often holding vigil with many of the January 6th rioter supporters. They're here waiting to see if they can get word on who else will be coming out this morning.

There's the expectation who will be coming out quickly. And we're seeing in other places across the country, prisons, federal prisons, where people are serving time after having been sentenced, those people are being released. That includes Enrique Tarrio, the leader, the chairman of the Proud Boys extremist group, convicted and fully pardoned by Donald Trump. He had only served a little bit of a 22-year federal prison sentence. He had been given by a Trump appointed federal judge. And then another man, Stuart Rhodes, the head of the Oath Keepers, he, too, is being released from federal prison after being convicted of seditious conspiracy, sentenced to 18 years in prison. As these releases are happening, people are cheering, especially on social media, where a lot of supporters, family members of Capitol rioters speak out. One of those people, the mother of Enrique Tarrio, saying that this is giving her son his life back.

Another person being released today whose sentence was commuted, Dominic Pezzola, the man who was among the Proud Boys to be the first person to break a window to go inside the Capitol, leading the riot in, he is expected to be released as well, was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Now, the people in prison are serving much longer time. The people in this holding facility here at the D.C. Jail are often here just until they're sentenced, but some of them have been here for significant amount of time as their cases are moving forward.

And the people who were still awaiting proceedings in court, their cases are being dismissed, Jim. I'm seeing many of the updates in the court cases come in like rapid fire this morning with the Trump Justice Department ending those cases and telling judges dismiss them with prejudice, meaning make it so they can never be brought again.

ACOSTA: All right. Katelyn Polantz, thank you very much.

I want to take a moment to mark a stark juxtaposition in American democracy. This was President Trump at his inauguration in the Capitol Rotunda up on Capitol Hill speaking after being sworn in as the 47th president. But take a look at this. This was the exact same room four years ago on January 6, 2021, his supporters walking through, some storming through the Rotunda after breaking into the Capitol. Look at this split screen, four years between those two photos.

Let's continue this conversation. Joining me now is Tim Heaphy. He was lead investigator of the January 6th committee. Tim, good to speak to you again. Thanks so much for joining us.

First of all, just your reaction to these pardons? We just heard Katelyn Polantz lay this out. We're not just talking about people who broke into the Capitol and walked around and that sort of thing on January 6th. We're talking about people who are convicted of seditious conspiracy, people who were convicted of assaulting police officers with American flags and so on.

TIM HEAPHY, FORMER LEAD INVESTIGATOR, JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE: Right, Jim, exactly. Look, this is -- there's no argument here that these facts did not occur. I'm not hearing in the president's announcement or any of the folks who support him suggesting that it didn't happen. It's rather an excuse of the violent conduct. That's what's so frustrating and so outrageous and such a threat to the rule of law.

Oftentimes with pardons, there's been some new evidence emerge, or there's a question as to guilt or innocence. That's not present here. These are people, as you said, many of whom were convicted of or pled guilty to engaging in acts of violence. That conduct has been excused by these pardons, which it really is a horrible threat to the rule of law. ACOSTA: And just a couple of weeks ago, J.D. Vance, the new vice president, made a clear distinction between the rioters and the attackers who were there upon January 6th. Let's listen to this.

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J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: If you committed violence on that day, obviously, you shouldn't be pardoned.

And there's a little bit of a gray area there, but we're very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law.

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ACOSTA: I mean, that is quite a contrast to the action President Trump has taken.

HEAPHY: Yes, he disregarded that advice.

[10:20:00]

J.D. Vance is right, Jim, that there is a range of culpability among those convicted of offenses at the Capitol. There are some who were convicted of misdemeanor offenses, trespassing or destruction of property, others who are convicted of things as serious as the advocacy of the use of force against the U.S. government, the seditious conspiracists. These pardons make no distinction between the most culpable and the least just.

It's important to point out everybody, the least to the most culpable, has been convicted for acts, not speech, that there's this false narrative that these are political prisoners prosecuted because of their political beliefs, absolutely false. Everyone, from the least to the most culpable, was only charged with things that they did, not things that they said.

ACOSTA: And, Tim, I mean, how do you sort through some of the big questions at play here? I mean, you have the president of the United States referring to these people, many of them when they went to jail and so on, as hostages. He has attempted time and again to rewrite the history of January 6th. Many of his allies and supporters have attempted to rewrite the history of January 6th.

But you and I, we can look at this video that we're showing our viewers right now with our own eyes, we can listen to the violent assault that occurred. We can look at the injuries to people like Michael Fanone. We understand what the truth is and yet the president of the United States continues to lie. And I use the word lie because it is a lie by calling these people hostages. Are you concerned about the long-term damage to what the truth is about January 6th?

HEAPHY: Yes, Jim. I think what we're seeing here is the straight up justification of violence, right? There used to be a sort of a baseline in this country, regardless of party or ideology, that we don't abide violence, that we have a system in which you can raise your hand and express a strong perspective. But you can't take the law into your own hands and act violently.

These pardons justify violence in the name of this cause, in the name of these lies, this false narrative that the election was stolen. That's a new frontier and I do think that's extremely troubling.

ACOSTA: And are you concerned that a message has been sent that you can get away with political violence in this country?

HEAPHY: Yes. Look, if you accept the premise, as I do, that criminal consequences deter bad conduct, then the excuse of criminal conduct arguably emboldens similar criminal conduct. So, yes, I do worry that there's this sense out there that people can get away with committing acts of violence because there's this backstop or there's this protection currently in the White House. So, that does make me fear for future spasms of this political violence going forward.

ACOSTA: And, Tim. I mean, I'm sure you heard this yesterday, Donald Trump on a number of occasions accused people on the January 6th committee of various acts of malfeasance, destroying evidence and so forth and so on. What is your response to all of that? I know you know it, it is not true. But I wanted to give you a chance to respond because the president was on T.V. all day yesterday making this comment over and over again

HEAPHY: Yes. Again, Jim, I've said this repeatedly, as have the members of the committee, there's nothing destroyed. There's no evidence that has been hidden. Everything that the select committee found was made public, was preserved, was sent to the archives, and there really -- there is no there, there. It is yet another lie, an extension of the big lie of election fraud, that there has been some sort of nefarious conduct. It's just inaccurate.

ACOSTA: All right. Tim Heaphy, there is still such a thing as truth and there is still such a thing as lies and we'll sort them both out and lay them out for the folks to decide. Tim Heaphy, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

One of the people Trump pardoned is the man who assaulted Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. Sicknick died the next day of strokes, but the D.C. medical examiner said all that transpired on January 6th played a role in his condition.

Sicknick's family just released a statement. I want to read the whole statement to you. This is what they write. There are no words that adequately describe the pain of losing Brian and the suffering we have endured every day since never to end. The pardons are intended to end a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated on the American people to begin the process of national reconciliation. You can see that in quotes there.

It is up to the American people to decide whether this purpose will be achieved. Involving far more serious questions than how our family feels about the death of a son and brother and the undoing of the justice that was previously determined by the court's sentencing of Brian's assailants. It is our hope that the truth of what happened that tragic day will survive irrespective of partisan political objectives.

We are proud of our son's defense of American democracy and the continued efforts of his fellow officers to safeguard the seat of government and the Constitution, which guides it.

[10:25:04]

Our hearts go out to them as they cope with all that has occurred, and we pray for their strength and fortitude to continue their important mission.

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ACOSTA: President Trump is laying out his top priorities with a wave of executive orders. One of them is making waves in the Gulf of Mexico.

[10:30:00]

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TRUMP: A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.