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Iran Fires Missiles and Drones Directly at Israel for the First Time Ever; Inside Mexico`s New Efforts to Curb Illegal Immigration. Aired 4- 4:10a ET
Aired April 15, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Hope you had an awesome weekend. Spring is certainly in full bloom here in the South. Went to the Dogwood
Festival with all kinds of arts, crafts, and plenty of bouncy houses with my daughters. Even met some of you from Howard and Woodward here in
Atlanta. I`m headed up to New York City tomorrow to interview some Olympians for the show, so it`s going to be a big week.
All right, let`s get to the news. And we do start with some very serious news out of Israel. On Saturday night, local time, the nation of Iran
launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel.
Iran says the attack was in retaliation for a suspected airstrike, which they believe Israel carried out earlier this month against an Iranian
consulate complex in Damascus, which is the capital of Syria. That airstrike in Syria reportedly killed at least seven Iranian officials,
including a top commander in Iran`s elite Revolutionary Guard.
Saturday in Israel, the government reported that 99% of the projectiles that Iran fired were intercepted by Israel`s vaunted Iron Dome or defense
systems, as well as by defense systems from its partners, including the United States.
Israel`s Iron Dome uses sensors and computers to calculate the trajectory of an incoming missile or drone, and then fires its own missile to
intercept and destroy that incoming projectile.
Saturday night, these defense systems seem to have worked, with Israel reporting no injuries suffered directly from an Iranian projectile,
although it is believed that a seven-year-old girl fell victim to shrapnel from an Israeli interceptor missile. The U.S. says no Iranian cruise
missiles hit Israel and no targets of great significance were hit.
This is the first time Iran has ever fired directly at Israel, and it sets a dangerous precedent. During a phone call, President Joe Biden told
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would not take part in any assaults on Iran, but reiterated the U.S.` dedication to the
country`s security. The U.S. is encouraging Israel to view the Iranian assault as a win because it showed the strength and ability of Israel`s
defenses.
Next up, we take you to the U.S.-Mexico border, where arrests for illegal border crossings were down slightly in March. The downtick is noteworthy
because typically there`s an increase in migrant crossings during the spring. But this year, Border Patrol arrested 137,480 people coming into
the U.S. from Mexico, a drop of 2.3% from the more than 140,000 apprehensions in February.
Part of the cause for the downturn, increased patrol and enforcement by Mexican officials on that side of the border. CNN`s David Culver takes you
on the ground to see how a change in policy in Mexico is making an impact on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): You can see behind me here, there`s a huge gap in the wall. And this is where Mexican officials tell us
that a lot of the smugglers are either directing or bringing some of the migrants to so that they can easily cross.
(Voice-over): Which makes these rugged back roads the preferred and profitable routes for cartel-backed migrant smugglers.
We`re about an hour east of Tijuana, driving with Mexican migration officials along the U.S.-Mexico border. But we detour after learning a
group of migrants has been rescued, as officials here say.
We pull up and find about a dozen folks who describe to me their attempts to claim asylum in the U.S.
(On camera): He said, he tried to cross, but Mexican officials stopped him from being able to go.
(Voice-over): That`s because Mexico is now stepping up its efforts to stop migrants from crossing illegally into the U.S. Mexico is now pouring
resources, like the National Guard and Mexican Army, in to help patrol and detain migrants like these. Eventually transporting them to southern
Mexico.
DAVID PEREZ TEJA, HEAD OF THE MIGRATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE: Where we separate them by nationalities and then from them we determine the
deportation process.
CULVER: What`s happening here goes beyond stepped-up patrols. In recent months, Mexican officials have built base camps, deploying troops to some
of the most popular illegal crossing sites.
(On camera): A smuggler`s van. Are there several of these vehicles just left abandoned and?
PEREZ TEJA: Like seven vehicles in total.
CULVER: In this area alone?
PEREZ TEJA: In the area.
CULVER (voice-over): As we pull up, we realize we`ve been here before.
(On camera): We`ve seen so many people cross through this property. This right here.
(Voice-over): At this spot late last year, we met U.S. residents fed up with migrants coming through their land.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They can come through the front door.
CULVER: Our cameras captured hundreds each day and night.
(On camera): That has stopped in recent weeks. And it`s stopped primarily because of what we`re seeing on the Mexico side of things. This is a remote
base on the border. You`ve got Mexican immigration officials. You`ve got National Guard. And you`ve got Mexican Army, who are here 24-7.
PEREZ TEJA: We have our fridge, microwave, coffee, everything.
CULVER: You have moved resources to live 24-7 on the border. Why is it so important for Mexico to be doing that?
PEREZ TEJA: We want to prevent migrants to get in touch with the criminal group.
CULVER: The number of migrant encounters reported by U.S. Border Patrol appears to reflect the impact of Mexico`s actions, dropping 42% from
December to January alone and seeming to stay low. But officials warn cartels and their smugglers frequently adjust their tactics and keep close
watch.
(On camera): They`re watching us right now.
PEREZ TEJA: They see when we are patrolling and we -- when we leave a spot.
CULVER (voice-over): It`s a crisis that has also sparked uneasiness for Mexican residents.
(On camera): It`s gotten so frustrating for these folks in particular that a community got together, wrote a letter to their governor petitioning for
more resources. And it`s for that reason that you have, well, you can see right here, members of the Mexican National Guard who are now patrolling
neighborhoods like this one to keep migrants from coming through.
(Voice-over): Authorities here urge migrants to use the U.S.`s CBP One app rather than to risk crossing with smugglers. Like Mexican officials at this
location even help pre-screen up to 500 migrants daily for the U.S. asylum interview process.
(On camera): So he`s in communication with U.S. officials, on the other side, and they`re sending documents back and forth to make sure that they
have the right information.
(Voice-over): While this is a more orderly way to claim asylum, it can take a while to get an appointment. Marta Achila says she`s waited five months
for this day.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CULVER (on camera): So I asked why they didn`t go through the smuggling route, which so many choose to do. And she said that, for one, it costs an
extreme amount of money. And the other aspect of it for her was they wanted to be able to enter legally through the appointment and try to build a
better future there.
(Voice-over): The road ahead is uncertain for both the migrants and for those protecting the border. We see that firsthand as we leave the remote
border camps.
(On camera): The reason we`ve stopped and then pulled over is because there are these spikes that we`ve noticed all along the different dirt roadways
that take us to the border wall.
(Voice-over): Evidence of a smuggler`s desperate attempt to salvage their profits. There are dozens, if not hundreds of these.
(Voice-over): And while it slows them down momentarily, for now they forge ahead in their efforts to curb the flow of a migrant crisis that`s
consuming resources on both sides of the border.
David Culver, CNN, Tijuana, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten-second trivia.
How much does the New York Public Library charge for its daily late fee? 15 cents, a dollar, 25 cents, or nothing?
Go on and do your thang if you said, nothing. The New York Public Library is one of several large library systems to get rid of late fees entirely to
encourage people to use their resources without the fear of a fine.
Today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, we`re taking a trip to a library in Fort Collins, Colorado, where a copy of the book "Ivanhoe" was returned
more than 100 years late.
Reports say that the book was found in Kansas, and when it was returned, the last checkout date you can see was the year 1919. Good thing this
library doesn`t collect fines, because if it did, employees say the century-overdue novel would have racked up more than $14,000 in late fees.
You know, a book fell on my head the other day. I only have my shelf to blame. All right, bibliophiles, thanks for spending part of your day with
me. We are sending some love and good vibes to Seneca East Middle and High Schools in Attica, Ohio. We see you, Tigers.
And this shout-out goes to Monahans High School in Monahans, Texas. Let`s go, Lobos.
I`m out tomorrow, but you`ll be in great hands, and I will see you right back here on "The 10" on Wednesday. Crush it today.
END
