MSNBC "Hardball with Chris Matthews" - Transcript: Immigration Crisis
Interview
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Anyway, this afternoon, the president met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to discuss the crisis. And two of the participants of that meeting are with me now, Representative Loretta Sanchez and Representative Juan Vargas. Both are from conflict.
Let me go with Loretta Sanchez first.
Were you satisfied with what the president said today, and what did he say about whether we`re going to change that law, we`re going to let these kids in to stay, or what?
REP. LORETTA SANCHEZ (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, actually, I was pretty impressed by the meeting this time around.
And the president on the issue of the minors seemed to indicate a pretty straightforward position. At least, my take on that was, Chris, that, one, if these children were coming from countries simply because it was an economic hardship, there weren`t opportunities for them, but they had family back there and were in a pretty safe place, then these children would go through the process and be sent back.
But he did say that one of the reasons he wanted more funds was in fact to be able to do the investigations that are required to see what types of situations are going on where these children might live, and which ones would actually be in harm`s way, might have somebody going after their family or those particular kids, and that those might have an -- an ability to have a refugee status here in the United States.
MATTHEWS: Congressman Vargas, where did he stand on changing the law that was passed in 2008 that gives these kids a better chance to stay here?
REP. JUAN VARGAS (D), CALIFORNIA: Oh, I`m absolutely against changing the law. This law is important.
MATTHEWS: Where is he? Where is the president?
VARGAS: Well, I think that -- you know, I will be honest with you.When we came here, I thought he was in favor of changing it, modifying it. When I left, he didn`t say this, but he all but said, no, you know what? I think we can do it under existing law. There`s some leeway there, so I don`t think he`s going to be pushing for a change. He better not.I think he is going to get great resistance from the Hispanic Caucus and a lot of Democrats. I mean, this law is important. We shouldn`t change it.
MATTHEWS: Why? Make your case.
VARGAS: Because these are kids. These are different than adults. If you have adults, OK, maybe you can send them back, and maybe they can survive. These are little kids. Just think of the desperation that these kids are under and their parents when they send them on this very, very treacherous trip to get here. And then just to take and send them back, where they will be killed, a lot of these guys, or these kids -- girls be raped? Why would we do that? That`s not...
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MATTHEWS: But what would you do? What would you do if you were president? What would you do?
VARGAS: What I would do if I was president is, I would say, we`re a very generous nation. We`re a very charitable nation, and I`m going to be as magnanimous as the American people. I`m going to give these kids a chance. And I`m not going to send them back to any death.
Now, if they`re here under false pretenses, and they really have a pretty comfortable life or a life that they can survive, then, I`m sorry, you have got to get back. But I`m not going to send them back to death or torture or rape. I wouldn`t do that.
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MATTHEWS: Well, -- what do you -- what do you -- what do you deal with -- let me ask you the question. Nobody is heartless, I don`t think. What do you do about the pattern that has been established that the first 50,000 get in, the next 50,000 -- when does it stop?
If these people down there are putting them on buses or bringing them up here, the coyotes and the cartels, who knows who is involved, when will it stop? What do you think about that, or don`t -- are you just willing to live with that, Mr. Vargas?
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VARGAS: Well, you know, the reality is, it`s going to taper off.I mean, we`re already seeing that. I live on the border. I live in San Diego. We don`t get as many people crossing there as they do in Texas, but it`s starting to taper off. Everyone tells you that.
But I -- come on. You know, we are the most generous nation in the world. We treat kids right. We shouldn`t just send them back. I think that`s not -- that`s not our tradition. Those are not our morals. I really appreciated when the president said, God sees these children the same way he sees my girls. They`re the same in God`s eyes.
And I think they`re the same in the eyes of most Americans.
MATTHEWS: OK, your thoughts, Loretta Sanchez, on that very question. Should we change the `08 law and -- or keep it the way it is, so they have a real opportunity to stay here a couple years maybe to make their case?
SANCHEZ: Well, Chris, I would keep the law as it is.
I was one of the people who was a co-sponsor of the law when we passed it. We passed it three times, several times on voice votes, as you know, the last one with a vote, a unanimous vote, in the Congress.This really was to be applied to young children because of the trafficking situation that we saw many of those fall into. And so I would hate to take away that. As you know, I have been a big proponent of
stopping the sex trafficking, especially of minors.
So, I think that there`s a way that we can use the law.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: By the way, it`s not 50,000 kids all at once coming under this law because they think they`re going to be treated in a different way.In fact, we`re seeing that most of the people coming across the border are adults and they don`t -- this law does not apply to them. They are being swiftly taken aside and deported.
So, this whole idea that somehow there`s 50,000 kids just coming across, that`s not true. In fact, right now, it has slowed down on the Texas border to about 100 children a day.
MATTHEWS: OK, well, some have used the crisis we`re talking about at the border as an opportunity for fear-mongering.
I want you to react to this. Yesterday on the House floor, U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas said the crisis of illegal immigration was putting, quote, "our continued existence as a country at risk." He cited arrest figures in sexual assault in Texas to make the case that the administration was not defending the women of America. Let`s watch.
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MATHTEWS: Meanwhile, U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey of Georgia is ringing his own alarm bells. Last week, the former physician wrote a letter to the CDC with this dire warning. Quote, "Reports of illegal immigrants carrying deadly diseases such as swine flu, dengue fever, Ebola virus and tuberculosis are particularly concerning. I have serious concerns the diseases carried by these children may begin to spread too rapidly to control. In fact, as you undoubtedly know, some of these have no known cure."
Well, he`s warning about the Ebola virus, a disease that doesn`t exist anywhere in the Americas, according to Dr. Kent Sepkowitz, an infectious disease specialist. In a "Daily Beast" article, the doctor called Gingrich`s suggestion unusually dim witted.
Anyway, yesterday, NBC`s Luke Russert asked Gingrey about his Ebola claim. Let`s watch this exchange.
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MATTHEWS: Let me ask both of you, what do you think of Gohmert`s comment, which is like most of his comments and Gingrey`s comments, which are also like most of his comments.
Ms. Sanchez, first. What do you make of the charge of Ebola virus awaiting us at the border?
SANCHEZ: Well, we know the Ebola virus is not in North America, so that`s as ridiculous as it can get. But I would say to my colleague, I mean, because we have seen them cut the funds to the CDC, to the Centers for controlled Disease, so if all of a sudden, you know, they`re using this body as like, oh, my God, here`s a problem -- well, there was a problem, but you haven`t been funding them.
And secondly, this president is asking for moneys, so in fact when the children come and we get them, we can in fact one of the things we need to do is check them to see if they are well.
MATTHEWS: Sure.
SANCHEZ: But we can`t do that if we can`t afford doctors at the border.
MATTHEWS: We`ll let the charge of sexual assault go for the moment. Anyway, thank you, U.S. Congressman Vargas and U.S. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.
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