U. S. Homeland security secretary spoke about immigration and Border Security and hamas economic limit washington dc by Alejandro Mayorkas. [background sounds]. [background sounds]. Okay can i have your please. N and have a conversation the secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas known to many as la. Thank you. And so why dont we dig right into it. Why did you want to leave a very prosperous law firm job to be homelandtary of security did you ever have second thoughts aboutd that. No second thoughts. What a privilege it is to leave a place one loves to be able to go to a place one loves. Another way that a bridge the two worlds is by borrowing and stealing intelligence of jamie, is the chair and cochair of a Homeland Security council in the department of Homeland Security that jewel think that i am, i just stole Matthew Ferraro from the law firm to join us to be a senior counselor on technology. Okay and well let me talk about the elephant in the room, because you relate second secretary in history of our country, to be impeached. I was like living through that impeachment process and is finally overgh now. To the mess of my knowledge it is over. [laughter] and so, youre quite frankly, i have saidd publicly the number of times, and it did not allow it to distract me that was actually sincere. And i focused intensely on the work throughout and on week where was an issue of greater prominence in the life of the department and mightve spent 20 minutes on it in a religious focus onin my work ahead is in fact on loved ones to equality is behind his know it will rogers was said and paraphrasing him cover the countries never save is the house is in session right so you never know it may come back right. One would hope not right. So lets talk about the border. It appears that there are a lot of people coming it over the border obviously the sum of the subjects of people that wanted to impeach you because some people wanted to impeach over is really getting more people coming in over the border illegally was aga just the appearance of that. On a no, then number of encounters at the southern border, is very high. It is very very important, number one to contextualize number two to explain it in from a context perspective of the world is seeking the greatest level of displacement since at least world war ii and i think that there reaching report 70 3m displaced people in the United States and so the challengeat of migration is not exclusive to the southern border north of the western hemisphere and it is global and what i. Jacky partners, across the thinking, it is the first issue the race enter challenge. What is the reason for that. Will so one has the customary reasons of displacement. Violence. Insecurity. Poverty. Corruption. , authoritarian regime, you know increasingly extreme weather events that will help people leave. Why are we experiencing what we are. It is for those very reasons why the people leave their countries of origin. We also remember in our hemisphere, we overcame covid19 more rapidly than any other country. That we had in the post covid19 world, 11 million jobs fulfilled. We are a country of choice as a destination card and one takes those forces and then one considers the fact we have an immigration system that is broken fundamentally. And we have a level that we do and when we speak of a broken system in theak me just capture that essence equally as a kevin the average time between encounter and the point of final adjudication of asylum is seven plus years and approximately, 70 percent of the people who needed initial threshold for asylum little standard, about 7y stay for seven plus years. The ultimate adjudication is about 20 percent qualify. Its quite a disparity for the people in the meantime, they leave and are able to stay is sometimes they have children. U. S. Citizen children, they tender schools, dinner places of worship, basically so if i understand but why wouldnt somebody isra going on legally always say that there seeking political asylum because basement we just to be a part seven years when i just think no smuggling drugs and of just a political Asylum Seeker voted to do that. Because they separate drug smuggling from migration. The fact of the matter is, we havebe an extraordinary number f people claiming this asylum. An agreement reduced number of people qualifying for it. The reality is that people do claim asylum when in fact they areac clean poverty and generalized violence and that is not an asylum case make the initial threshold, were asylum case is low and purposely low. One of the things that the Bipartisan Legislation wouldve done, is raise it. In country if somebody sees political asylum and think legitimately the political assignment, is a law that they automatically get it if they are legitimate needs theres no notice or anything i many people we can accept from the sun. No quota on the asylum population and one just has to persuade judge. You been Homeland Security secretary and the president of biden from the beginning of the administration so how many people would you say since the time implement over the border or t the southern border say illegally seeking asylum, bringing drugs doing. To differentiate because we rna a political environment. It demonizes individuals encountered at the border. And theres a vulnerability painting with a broad brush, people who are fleeing and coming to the United States. Someone a separate them and i want to be separate drug smugglers from individuals seeking asylum for event if they dont have a basis to remain in the United States. Seeking ais better life. As of the number of encounters that weve been very well publish this past year this past month and we had about 134,000 encounters this past month but since heat had be beginning of e ministration millions of people smack several million smith with perception is by get some republicans but outside perhaps maybe others more people becoming it under President Biden under President Trump is that true or not. Thats true. Noww in 2019, there was a mistae hundred percent increase the number encounters at the southern border over 2018. In the situation the hemisphere which going the people to leave their country, and in 2020 was. A tremendously suppressed migration throughout the hemisphere enter the world because of the covid19. People coming of the border the southern border, what percentage of them are really drug smugglers. The majority of fentanyl over 90 percent of the fentanyl smuggled into this country smuggled in Passenger Vehicles and commercial trucks traveling through our ports of entry. Is on people caring and on the body. It is not people caring it on the body. What about c people hired and want to get out and get a better life, they hire people for money to get them across the border it is that a big problem as well. We go back make one other point about the points of entry printed the majority of the people arrested and smuggled fentanyl into the country through commercial trucks and Passenger Vehicles are United States citizens. We do them. And so there arrested for drug smuggling under title 21 of the United States code be prosecutedod and so with respect to your question about you know, people coming across the border, what we need and what we need fundamentally, is a reformed system legislatively reformed system. Our and 2024, the world has changed. There immigration system was last changed in 1996. Where in a different world. There was legislation that was developed i think in the senate Bipartisan Legislation talk and he got salt and is in the house and wouldve that is solve the problem had a past wouldve been a transformative changeld in managing the numberf people we encounter. Will resume think it wouldve been in the law we do not have now you wouldve liked to have had. So we wouldve taken the seven plus year time period between the time encounter and final adjudication and reducers as little as 90 days and the changes in intending migrants risk calculus because if they know that they can stay for multiple years, and work and make more money than they can and safely so that in the country of origin, the site to make that journey. Nothing understand that they have to pay their life savings to a Smuggling Organization, only to stay for a matter of weeks, that is a very different risk calculus. One of your prior questions was, the people to assist them. The world migration is changed dramatically over the last even 15 years pretty were not dealing with that coyotes that i dealt with as a federal prosecutor. There were they smuggled two or three people at t a time dealing with extraordinary sophisticated Smuggling Organizations in a multibilliondollar industry that is also international. With that industry someone decided to bring drugs into the United States are designed get people to come to the United States for which you may get a feet. It is the latter but what we see there should be unsurprising to anybody that we see a not quite emerge was a synthesis of Transnational Criminal Organizations in the Smuggling Organization theres much money to be made in prison all is coming from, is a true well, the china is a primary source of precursor chemicals and the women used to manufacture fentanyl. How does get over from china that say mexico. It is shipped to mexico and it also comes domestically to the United States nfls. Transit routes which is why i engaged with my i counterparts from the peoples republic of china to address this fact summa people who are now coming over and we separating families in or words of the Trump Administration is a lot of controversy the children were being separated from parents is that having our not. Know that, that was eight deliberate practice to the tour families from reaching the southern border was the separation of them and that was condemned across the board. Incredulity is not something that is an instrument that the value based country. We eliminated that practice and actually was eliminated towards the end of the Trump Administration that we issued a policy preventing it we actually the president created the family leave Vocation Task force that i share that is actually uniting separated families. When okay, so President Trump campaign when he First Campaign for president creatingpa a walln a guess in some part of the wall was built but would not of all have helped somewhat we got it big wall and within not block people from home even though you like to make fun of the wall and its expensive but not have had some impact in reducing illegal immigration. S was so looking the 21st century, who not necessarily propose cementing bollards on the ground and constructing an immovable wall give the dynamism and you know the rapid change in migratory patterns but i had to quote secretary paula to rebuild a 20foot wall were 1 foot ladder. And we see breaches of the wall all of the time. We see the corrosion of the collapse of the wall and of the places the people breach physical barriers and requires much more comprehensive approach. So what when and people come over the northern border w somehow, nobody seems to be monitoring the Canadian Border that much i guess so is easier to come into the country illegallyy from canada. We monitor the northern border. [laughter] of the United States u. S. Customs and Border Protection affecting some of the terrain is very difficult to traverse and we have a different legal structure with canada and weave a safer country agreement with canada the reality and canada also has different approaches to migration into their country and do some of the left in the americas make you want to do come illegally lets suppose that you were we want to come in recklessly when wanted to come in fact would you recommend it to that one person said they do the best way to get into this country illegally. I would caution them and encourage them to apply for a visa. And if in fact, they see humanitarian relief, to actually avail themselves of the lawful pathways that we have established so that they do not risk their lives in the hands of smugglers. [applause] [applause] was assented the people they die trying to getet into the countrys matchup by somebody or survey. Well i dont know okay percentage but i will share with you havent spoken to families who cross the area between columbiaee and panama. The suffering the trauma is extraordinary. What is the country that ascending the most people illegally over the southern border in his of mexico olympia or venezuela, where i mostly coming from. Varies and varies from time to time. I would just say that the atpopulation right now demographically population of individuals whom we are encountering in the southern border in between the ports of entry predominantly right now mexicans. Okay so the supposed legislation do not pass. Maybe eventually it will pass but until that cans you not administratively give thanks i was in the legislation or are you already doing iss legislatin number of things. The two pillars were well he gave us the legal tools statutorily tools to vastly accelerate the adjudication of claims for humanitarian relief means that we could remove people quickly who do not qualify quite frankly we can give protection finalities to people who do much more rapidly and resource stuff. And resource us to affect that dramatic change we were talking about legislation piece of legislation that would equip us 4300 more asylum officers more Immigration Judges and plugs of the entire system in a way that we now we just do not have okay let me ask. You a few other russians own this so right now, the homeland partner Homeland Security created after 911. You feel that we are much safer today than we were before 911 because of the department. I do and much more so. And the 911 event over again you know it is our job as the department of Homeland Security but the federal government in partnership with state and local trouble Territorial Law enforcement. Any american citizen linked to be vigilant because thehe Threat Landscape is director brave the fbi accurately communicated publicly would hide in the threatened environment. Another number of people themes him when security or it cir and same on capitol hill they have said that hiphop is a danger to National Security for the public has not been given the much information about arthritis now much of a threat to National Security is tiktok. The peoples republic of china, they ask adversely coming to be interest of the United States different ways. And one of those ways is through the dissemination of disinformation and the intentional communication of false statements and tiktok is an extraordinary avenue through which to disseminate this information to millions and millions of people. With the newspapers can disseminate this information and why is it that is over social media is gotta be man and if the newspapers that the god of same things that as im tiktok coming would not be banned because of the First Amendment was the person women are protecting and tiktok social media. Well it is not to be an issue of the First Amendment. It is an issue of security you are talking about a company and anova rhythm that is controlled by foreign state. In the next adversity in the interests of the United States and we have an obligation to protect americas the presumptions people not smart enough to know that is disinformation. They cannot make the decision for themselves is that right. What were talking about many young peopleou that access to tk and i would posit that in this country we dont have a level of Digital Literacy that i think of it all want and were all longer able to disinformation and the reality is that we have an obligation to safeguard against it but the intentional dissemination of false information. We should disclose that in my firm isd an investor in bite dances so not persuaded faster but my firm didnt so we go intt another subject that is okay, so. You wouldve stayed the same having on that at the outset. Okay, i didnt think you would change but you have children watch tiktok reseller not to do that. Another one from law school that i remember clearly. I dont think our older daughter but i give her daughter does. The law of useless act that is the maximum i remember so if i admonish the 19 yearold daughter to not access tiktok, im not sure i was succeed you watch tiktok yourself. Shes a digitally no i do not and she is a digitally Literate Consumer of information. Okay what is the biggest security threats to the unitedy states right now ins your view. Is so in the terrorism context, i would say the threat of foreign terrorism as we emerge. The greater level of significance. The threaded Domestic Violence extremist and individuals with loose affiliations of individuals who are radicalized to violence because of ideologies of hate which are only increasing especially after the october 7th terrorist attacks againstks israel. In antigovernment sentiments and falseelnt narratives another narratives pr