Transcript: Laredo, Texas, Mayor Victor Trevino on "Face the Nation," May 14, 2023
The following is the transcript of an interview with Laredo, Texas, Mayor Victor Trevino that aired on "Face the Nation" on May 14, 2023.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to Mayor Victor Trevino for a look at what's going on in the southwestern border of Texas in Laredo. Good morning.
MAYOR VICTOR TREVINO: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It's great to have you here. A few days ago, you said your city was boarding up like a hurricane in preparation for the end of Title 42. Does your city have the resources it needs? Do you feel like the hurricane has passed?
TREVINO: Well, first- first of all, there's no doubt that we're seeing historic challenges in our border. And as a doctor, I had already been seeing this. Even before the end of Title 42 our local hospitals were already at or near capacity, and there's no pediatric intensive care unit. But everything that we have been doing since the declaration of emergency has held up, and we have not been overwhelmed at this point. But yesterday, we did receive around 700 migrants. And however, because we receive the overflow from El Paso and Brownsville, we're still high alert. And until we see the numbers at the Border Patrol custody centers go down, this is when we can say the episode had passed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You just said that there is no pediatric health center in your area. You said you were already medically underserved as a community. What's the health situation for the migrants, particularly the children that are coming?
TREVINO: Yes, before they are mainly individuals, now they're family units. And family units have children that have traveled miles and miles, and obviously they will need some medical care. So because we don't have the pediatric intensive care unit in our city, that makes it concerning, because as it is we're at capacity most of the time in our hospitals, and ambulances sometimes have to wait outside the emergency room, or one to two hours, before we can treat patients. Now with this surge, this was very concerning, that's why we activate- activated the declaration of- of disaster.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The mayor of El Paso was just with us and he said he was getting what he needed from the state and federal government and thanked Homeland Security. Do you agree? Are you getting what you need?
TREVINO: Well, we're getting the buses, and migrants come in, they get processed, they get sent to our NGOs. And the- the amount of migrants we're expecting initially, the big flow, is not here yet. And a lot of things have to do with Mexico taking some- some migrants. And the- the asylum rules have changed. You have to ask for asylum in- in different countries before you get here. And also Title- Title 8 changed, you have to, if you get deported, then you- you could face being barred for five years. And also it was the event of the TRO that changed things a little bit. You have to get a court date before you get paroled, and- and the tensions into the- into the NGOs.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right, you're- you're talking about all the things the Biden administration has tweaked to make it essentially more difficult for those going through asylum, though still having that legal pathway there, more difficult meaning there are more restrictions around it. When you hear presidential candidates talk about shutting down the border, what do you think about that?
TREVINO: I think this is not a Democratic or Republican problem. It's an American problem. And things should have in been done a long time ago. Immigration reform is long overdue. And what we're seeing now is a result of that, and as Am- as Americans has said, we need to do better as a country, and the leader of the free world. We- these are things that we are the example of, humanitarian efforts. But we have to have the laws also to coincide and do a balance with that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I- I think a lot of Americans would- would agree with that. Where do you see the disconnect between the conversations in Washington and what you are seeing on the ground?
TREVINO: I think that's one of the reasons we have to have real time information from Border Patrol and people that work and live here, border mayors. And cooperation is crucial. We need to have these- these things set and they- they need to listen and come down here to see what the actual situation is. And that is the disconnect I see that- that has been happening. Unless they get the real time information and the real perception of what things are, then I think they can move on and make adequate rules.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, Doctor, Mr. Mayor, thank you for your time. Good luck to you.
And one quick note, I called Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol. So my apologies to those agents. It's Border Protection. We'll be right back in a moment