Unlike the journalists at ABC, who last week buried the tardy visit by Kamala Harris to the border, CBS on Monday actually grilled Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the ongoing disaster that is the southern border.
This Morning co-host Tony Dokoupil singled out the Vice President, “Mr. Secretary, there's been some bipartisan criticism that you visited El Paso and not the Rio Grande valley where many of the migrants make the actual crossing.... What was the decision?”
He then repeatedly demanded to know whether Harris wants to know just how bad things are at the border:
TONY DOKOUPIL: Mr. Secretary, why not visit Fort Bliss, just ten miles away and has hundreds of unaccompanied migrant children reportedly in very difficult conditions?
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: The Vice President and the President directed Xavier Becerra, the secretary of Health and Human Services, to visit Fort Bliss which is under his responsibility. He's doing so today.
DOKOUPIL: It was just ten miles away. Why not include it on the Vice President's trip?
MAYORKAS: Well, you know, we had quite a bit to see, and we were able to meet with the CBP, Customs and Border Protection, personnel in the central processing center and port of entry.
In other words, the Vice President was too busy to see the migrant children suffering in poor living conditions? Dokoupil even brought up Title 42, a Trump policy that allows for rapid expulsion of illegals:
Mr. Secretary, I just want to get a question in on Title 42. That's a Trump-era policy that allows the administration to essentially block asylum claims from tens of thousands of single adults and migrant families. Your administration has been looking to repeal Title 42. Where does that stand, and if you do repeal it, are you prepared for the inflow?
Dokoupil followed-up: “And you're prepared either way?”
Kudos to CBS for actually asking tough questions about Harris and the border. Let’s hope that ABC wakes up to what real journalism can be.
The tough questions on CBS were sponsored by Allstate and Progressive insurance. Click on the links to tell them you appreciate it.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
CBS This Morning
6/28/2021
8:05TONY DOKOUPIL: Vice President Harris says the Biden administration remains focused on the root causes of illegal immigration. She was making her first trip to the southern border since Harris was assigned the — the lead to respond to an increase in migration along the border there. She visited a Customs and Border Protection facility in Texas on Friday. Went to a port of entry and met with community leaders in El Paso.
KAMALA HARRIS: Our administration, it is important to be clear, is working to build a fair and a functional and a humane immigration system. We feel very strongly about that. And as you know, we inherited a tough situation.
DOKOUPIL: Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joins us now, accompanied Harris on the trip. Good to see you. We heard her say the Vice President say the administration inherited a tough situation. What was that situation as you saw it on Friday?
...
DOKOUPIL: Mr. Secretary, there's been some bipartisan criticism that you visited El Paso and not the Rio Grande valley where many of the migrants make the actual crossing. What was -- make the actual crossing. What was the decision?
MAYORKAS: It was my decision to visit El Paso. It's one of the busiest of the nine sectors across the southwest border, and it also provides the opportunity to see the full expanse of our work. Not only the central processing center where we encounter migrants, bring them to shelter for transfer to Health and Human Services, but we were able to visit the port where we propel lawful trade and travel through that port of entry. So we were able to see the full expanse. And El Paso is quite busy. In fact, we encountered just over 113,000 individuals this fiscal year.
DOKOUPIL: Mr. Secretary, why not visit Fort Bliss, just ten miles away and has hundreds of unaccompanied migrant children reportedly in very difficult conditions?MAYORKAS: The Vice President and the President directed Xavier Becerra, the secretary of Health and Human Services, to visit Fort Bliss which is under his responsibility. He's doing so today.
DOKOUPIL: It was just ten miles away. Why not include it on the Vice President's trip?
MAYORKAS: Well, you know, we had quite a bit to see, and we were able to meet with the CBP, Customs and Border Protection, personnel in the central processing center and port of entry. The Vice President was able to meet with migrant children and understand why they fled their home in desperation.
...
DOKOUPIL: Mr. Secretary, I just want to get a question in on Title 42. That's a Trump-era policy that allows the administration to essentially block asylum claims from tens of thousands of single adults and migrant families. Your administration has been looking to repeal Title 42. Where does that stand, and if you do repeal it, are you prepared for the inflow?
MAYORKAS: Title 42 is not an immigration policy. It is a public health policy that the Centers for Disease Control implements. And the CDC as it is commonly known will continue Title 42 or discontinue it if and when the public health situation so dictates. It's driven by what is in the best public health interests of the American people.
DOKOUPIL: And you're prepared either way?
MAYORKAS: We are planning -- this is what we do. We know how to address difficult situations, we develop plans, we execute our plans, we have incredible personnel in the department of homeland security.
