CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Henry Cuellar

Interview

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BROWN: Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar, he represents a border district in South Texas below Del Rio. Congressman, thanks for coming on.

President Biden called it horrible, wrong, an embarrassment to see U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback charging at migrants and that there will be consequences. Vice President Harris drew comparisons, you know, as well saying it was horrific. Do you agree?

REP. HENRY CUELLAR (D-TX): Well, you know, certainly we've got to give the Border Patrol the due process. You know, you can't accuse them and blame them and say they're going to pay without letting the facts in. So there is an investigation. I support the investigation.

I think everybody needs to be treated with respect and dignity, whether it's Haitians or people from El Salvador, Honduras, or any other of the 85 countries where people are coming from into the Southern border.

BROWN: I'm wondering what you think about Vice President Harris's role in all of this, and if you think she should be doing more? She has yet to visit the U.S.-Mexico border.

CUELLAR: Well, you know, it's a very difficult job, and I don't know if she asked for this job, but it was just given to her. You know, my suggestion is what President Obama did. You know, the Vice President at that time was Joe Biden. He was in charge of working with Central America. In fact, myself and Kay Granger in the appropriations, we worked with him to get the first $750 million that went to Central America, and then he had a border czar.

We've asked that a border czar be appointed, somebody that has a specialty with our due respect to the Vice President. She doesn't have that specialty. She was given that job. I don't know if she wanted it or not, but it is a very difficult job, and I think we need to have somebody with the specialization of dealing with the border.

BROWN: No, I mean it definitely is a really, really tough assignment to say the least. I mean this has been a complicated issue going on for years and years and years, but do you think she should be doing more? Do you think she should have already visited the border by now?

[19:45:17]

CUELLAR: Well, either she gets rid of that title or ask the President to get rid of that title. Or if you're given that title, then I think you need to show up.

You know, sometimes all you need to do is just show up. Show, you know, either the immigrants or the Border Patrol, or the border communities, which is something I feel that the administration has left out, the border communities and mayors, the county judges, you heard the mayor and the county judge of Del Rio, they were just under a lot of pressure, because you had in about three weeks, you had about 15,000 people that came in at that particular time.

So even if she just shows up, she might not have the knowledge, but even if she does shows up and does what Bill Clinton used to say, "I feel your pain," you know, just show up. I mean, I think that would probably send a strong message to not only the border communities, but to the immigrants, but also especially to the men and women in green and blue, that look, they're under a very difficult situation.

So it's not an easy job being a Border Patrol or somebody at the bridge, or even I.C.E. agents. I mean, look what happened in the valley. You had some Haitians that overpowered a bus driver that was transporting them or you had three I.C.E. agents that were hurt when they were transporting or even here in Laredo, I'll just say this at the minimum, there's been a lot of activity because some people don't want to be flown out of the United States.

But out of the 15,000, Pamela, that were there in Del Rio, about 2,800 have been flown out to Haiti, and then about 12,300 have been released into the United States, 12,300 have been released. They want to ask for asylum, but with all due respect, political assassination, earthquakes don't count for a reason to come under the asylum.

I think the people that were flown out should have been sent to where they had residence. For some of them, for many years, were living in Chile or Brazil, but then they decided to come here for either a pull factor or push factor.

BROWN: I want to ask you about what this has been doing in your own party. You are very clear that you believe the Vice President should show up, she should go to the border. We should know she has been to Central America. She has not visited the border.

She's been in this role for many months now. You say it would be smart to have a border czar. But this border situation is exposing rifts in your party. Listen to Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D-CA): I am unhappy and I'm not just unhappy with the cowboys who were running down Haitians and using their reins to whip them. I'm unhappy with the administration. What the hell are we doing here? What we witnessed was worse than what we witnessed in slavery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And you have other Democrats weighing in on this, Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono, you know, pushing back on this. You also had Beto O'Rourke pushing back on this.

I mean, some Democrats have been really outspoken, saying that they were not happy to say the least of what was going on with those Haitian migrants. Why is there so much disagreement within your own party about this?

CUELLAR: Well, look, first of all, we should have never, never been in this situation. We should have never been in this situation at all. And this is why back on December 11th of 2020, I called the transition team. This is why a week after the Inauguration of President Biden, which I supported. I support the President. But I think the way he is handling the border, he is listening to the wrong people with all due respect, because I've talked to some of those people.

He is listening to the wrong people. We should have never been in this situation of what, you know, what we're seeing right now. We should have never been in this situation.

I warned them since December 11th of 2020, and a week afterwards, week after week, I would call them, but they kept saying, everything is okay. Everything is okay. Everything is okay.

I saw this buildup of people that were coming in since last year and I tried to warn the administration, but again, you know, they're listening to too much in my opinion to the immigration activists. They need to listen to other people and listen to the border communities, the judges, the mayors that we have down here.

They need to listen and not get in this situation that we are seeing ourselves and it is pulling people left and right. You know, it really is pulling people left and right because of what we're seeing and I just -- you know, I just -- it is very unfortunate. I like the President. I support the President, but he is listening to the wrong people. He is listening to the wrong people when it comes to immigration.

[19:50:21]

BROWN: And it's interesting you said, you knew about this since December. There was a D.H.S. official who said -- told reporters of migrants' arrival came as a surprise. So, it just raises all sorts of questions about the-disconnect here and we'll continue trying to press for answers on all this.

Congressman Henry Cuellar, thank you so much.

CUELLAR: Thank you so much.

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