he's charged with rape and murder. >> the suspect, was ordered to leave the country by an immigration judge two years ago. >> the migrant telling police he tied up the teens, gagged them with cloth, according to prosecutors, he says, at first he was nervous, but then got comfortable and even recorded this attack. >> they enter the u.s. illegally, were caught, allowed to stay, and now a 12-year-old texas girl is dead. >> we also heard more about indications that jocelyn fought back against her attackers. >> that is just some of the reporting on a string of brutal crimes across the country allegedly at the hands of illegal immigrants. as we await a briefing from homeland security security chief alejandro mayorkas this hour fox news is confirming news on a manhunt for suspects smuggled into the u.s. by an isis-linked terror group. hello. welcome, everyone. i'm sandra smith in new york. there's a lot happening right now. get to have you here today. >> there is. i'm bret baier in in for john roberts. this is "america reports." former border patrol chief rodney scott joins us in moments, but first live in tucson, arizona, where mayorkas is expected to speak any minute now. >> secretary mayorkas is scheduled to speak in less than 30 minutes from now here at the davis maupin air force base in tucson, arizona. it's a rare press conference about the border. it's been a major concern for quite some time. only more heightened with new information that dhs says it's identified more than 400 migrants from central asia. over 150 people have been arrested. 50 remain at large. dhs insists they don't pose an imminent threat. this comes after a string of similar busts, including eight men f. earlier this year, dhs secretary mayorkas testified before congress that the u.s. border is as secure as can be, however since then we've since arrests of suspected isis-linked migrants. the current investigate system is weak and is not properly screening migrants arriving to the u.s. >> we don't know who they are, where they came from, and we don't know their intentions. >> secretary mayorkas is expected to tout the plummet in illegal immigrants encounters at the border. even got-aways sits at 470 per day. one arizona border patrol agent here on the ground tells fox it's too early to conclude exactly what's caused the recent drop in illegal immigrant encounters, including the president's executive orders. >> for us it's just too soon to attribute the decrease to the executive order alone when before that the numbers had already been decreasing. so i can't make that determination. it's too soon. >> we're here in tucson. we're close to the border. but this is not the frontlines of the southern border. by our own reporting the last time secretary mayorkas visited the border was back in february. bret? >> matt finn in tucson, thank you. sandra? >> we bring in rodney scott. dhs identifying over 400 individuals brought to the u.s. from eastern europe and central asian countries by an isis affiliated smuggling network, this happening in just the past few months. your reaction first on that. >> yeah. thank you for having me on again today. i think the most important thing to focus on is this is after the fact. so the reason we spend billions of dollars on border security in this country is to try to prevent people that pose a risk to this nation, or to individuals in this nation, from ever entering the united states. but the biden administration decided to let everybody come come in and will vet them after the fact. it doesn't work that way. to be able to identify these threats requires a face-to-face interview by trained agents to be able to detect deception to figure out the intent. they can't do that with the massive amount of illegal entries coming across the border every day. by the way, the numbers that dhs is referring to is smoke and mirrors. please a lot look at the total encounters, overwhelming the ports of entry. this administration continues to mislead america. >> sandra: what we are seeing is not working, which is it is going to be crucial that we listen to alejandro mayorkas, how he defends his policies. a string of heinous, horrific crimes have played out in this country by people here illegally, shouldn't have been here in the first place. our own hillary vaughn on capitol hill was able to stop and press democrats just a short time ago on the murder of that 12-year-old girl down in texas. here was some of the response she got from lawmakers. >> let me ask you quickly about the 12-year-old girl in houston that was tortured. >> i don't even know who you are, who she is. i'm out of about ir. >> okay. but there was a child that was killed -- >> i don't know anything about it. >> you don't know about the child killed by illegal immigrants? should we be releasing people until we're certain of their intentions, whether or not they're potentially going to end up killing an american? >> oh, i think it really is important that we know people's intentions. we have a process for that. sometimes people fall through the cracks. >> it's unfortunate that anybody is killed obviously, but immigrants, legal or illegal, commit crimes that are way far lower. >> documented immigrants commit crimes lower than anybody else. >> aren't they preventable if they don't allow them into the country? >> summer leigh, a democrat from pennsylvania, and her response to our reporter, hillary vaughn, asking extremely important questions. she said, "i don't know who you are, who she is, i live in pittsburgh." her name is jocelyn, 12 years old, lured under the bridge, brutely assaulted before they murdered her. if she does know who she is, she won't say her name. your reaction? >> it's unfathomable, on every news network, because they're horrific, preventable crimes. to say you're from pittsburgh, from pennsylvania, that has nothing to do with the border. the border is a transit zone to get to every city, town, and state across this nation. americans, whether they're in pittsburgh, pennsylvania, kansas or oklahoma, they deserve border security because these are preventable crimes. in this administration literally just took down every deterrent strategy and program we had and decided to let the world in. this is what we're -- you know, we're reaping the benefits -- not benefits -- of the last election, these people's policies. this is preventable. border security means vetting people before they come in. we need to get back to the basics. >> sandra: while you go to what we're learning about the 400 individuals brought to the u.s. as we have just now got this reporting in by an isis affiliated smuggling network. what we're learning so far is an official said the majority of the 400 are not considered subjects of concern, rather that it's a small number. well, that's all it takes. one, two. they can do a lot of damage. and if we're not vetting, we don't know who's in this country. we'll see where that story goes. meanwhile, you know who does know little jocelyn's name, her family. this is the mother of jocelyn. she went on "hannity" on tuesday night. listen here. >> i have to be her voice, make sure that everybody hears the horrible thing that happened to my daughter, and give her justice. this has got to stop. we have to stop burying our kids. this is not right. we need more reinforcement when it comes to letting people in. >> sandra: a desperate plea from a grieving mother. finally, this is mayorkas reacting to the criticism of her daughter's death. listen. >> our hearts are with the families of the victims. the criminals must be held responsible at the fullest force of the law. >> sandra: we're about to hear from him. what do you want to hear from him, rodney? >> simple words, i'm sorry. i'm sorry for lying to america, saying the border was secure. i'm sorry for tearing down the effective bipartisan policies that provided the most secure border the united states has ever had. i'm sorry for not doing my job as secretary of the department of homeland security, to protect america. i want to hear him acknowledge his failures, say he's sorry, if he's going to put america first for a change, but i doubt if we'll hear any of that today. >> sandra: we appreciate you joining us. we await his remarks. we'll carry them live. thank you so much, sir. >> thank you. >> a live look in atlanta where the trump campaign is holding a roundtable with local black-owned businesses ahead of tomorrow's cnn presidential debate. you'll see the simulcast hear. voters are eager to hear what they say about the economy when they square off. grady trimble is in atlanta with more. grady, what is the trump campaign discussing with small business owners? >> they're talking about former president trump's no tax on tips proposal, how it could help workers. it's telling that both the trump and biden campaigns were here in atlanta before the candidates themselves meeting with small business owners. that just shows you how important the economy is as an issue, not only tomorrow night, but also as we look ahead to the november election. for his part on the campaign trail, former president trump is promising lower taxes for everyday americans and businesses as well as less regulation. >> we will cut taxes for working families as part of our tax cuts that i've announced. and there will be no taxes on tips. no taxes on tips. >> president biden, on the other hand, says his legislative wins, like the bipartisan infrastructure law and so-called inflation that reduction act are creating jobs. a senator of this state, campaigning with small business owners yesterday, he claims all of that government spending is spurring private sector investment. >> electric vehicle production, advanced energy research development and manufacturing, semi about conductor manufacturing, coming here to georgia. >> still as president biden and his allies point to his economic record, more than two-thirds of voters say the economy is in only fair or poor shape. if you can believe it, bret, those are the highest numbers of president biden's presidency. even though polls, as a whole, show an extremely tight race between these two candidates on this particular issue of the economy president trump has a clear advantage. bret? >> grady trimble live in atlanta. thanks. tune into "fox news democracy '24" special coverage of the presidential debate simulcast. our coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. that's going to be quite something, sandra. >> huge expectation for that, bret. everything we just covered here should obviously be a part of that conversation on the debate stage. immigration, as we went through the primary season, bret, we saw it state to state to state trumping the economy as the number one issue for so many voters out there. >> especially with all the news this week. it seems like it's front and center. >> absolutely. all right. as we work our way toward that, far left lawmaker jamaal bowman loses his primary in his bid for re-election. is it a sign democratic voters are souring on the squad? >> plus, the push to bring evan gershkovich home. up next, an interview with a "wall street journal" colleague who's made it his life work to bring him home. >> locked away, he's upbeat and positive, maybe not the way to describe it, but upbeat and energetic. et cash? for veteran homeowners, it's easy as 1-2-3. one: call newday and apply. two: take out an average of $70,000. three: pay off your credit cards we handcraft every stearns & foster® using the finest materials, like indulgent memory foam, and ultra-conforming inner-springs, for a beautiful mattress, and indescribable comfort. shop now, and save $400 on select stearns & foster mattresses. okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. yay - woo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, nutrients for immune health. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. (♪) my grandfather's run meyer the hatter for over 75 years now. he's got so many life experiences that he can share. finding the exact date on ancestry that our family business was founded, was special to share with my grandfather. you don't get that moment every day. - i got the cabin for three days. it's gonna be sweet! what? i'm 12 hours short. - have a fun weekend. - ♪ unnecessary action hero! unnecessary. ♪ - was that necessary? - no. neither is a blown weekend. with paycom, employees do their own payroll so you can fix problems before they become problems. - hmm! get paycom and make the unnecessary, unnecessary. - see you down the line. wealth-changing question -- are you keeping as much of your investment gains as possible? high taxes can erode returns quickly, so you need a tax-optimized portfolio. at creative planning, our money managers and specialists work together to make sure your portfolio and wealth are managed in a tax-efficient manner. it's what you keep that really matters. why not give your wealth a second look? book your free meeting today at creativeplanning.com. creative planning -- a richer way to wealth. from pep in their step to shine in their coats, when people switch their dog's food to the farmer's dog, the effects can seem like magic. but there's no magic involved. (dog bark) it's just smarter, healthier pet food. it's amazing what real food can do. dave's company just scored the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. high five! high five... -i'm on a call. it's 5 years of reliable, gig speed internet... five years of advanced security... five years of a great rate that won't change. yep, dave's feeling it. yes. but it's only for a limited time. five years? -five years. introducing the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. powering 5 years of savings. powering possibilities. >> evan gershkovich appeared in court today for the start of what we view as nothing more than a sham trial. i'll state it again, evan has never been employed by the united states government. evan is not a spy. journalism is not a crime. evan should never have been detained in the first place. >> "wall street journal" reporter evan gershkovich appearing in a russian courtroom today at the start of his espionage trial that the white house is calling a sham. russian claims gershkovich gathered secret information for the united states. he faces up to 20 years in prison in russia if convicted. let's bring in paul beckett, assistant editor at the "wall street journal," working on evan's case firsthand since he was arrested. paul, good to see you. >> thank you. >> bret: we saw evan today in that courtroom, that video. what were your thoughts as you watched the video? >> it's very disturbing obviously. you hated to see him caged like that. and we keep saying, you know, he's facing trial. he's not really facing trial. he's facing a hearing in which a judge in secret will endorse the accusations against him, which are completely false. so you look at it, it's a heavy heart day for us. >> bret: shaved head, a new look. >> prison mandate in the new facility he was moved to. he was 15 months in moscow, moved 9 miles east where this hearing is taking place. >> bret: a letter today from the "wall street journal" in chief, emmett tucker. quote, it will be held in secret, no evidence has been unveiled, and we already know the conclusion. this bogus accusation of espionage will lead to a bogus conviction. the kremlin says we know this topic is high-profile in the united states, but it is not so high-profile inside our country. the investigation is underway. the trial is underway. we must wait for the verdict to be delivered. do you find hope in anything that has transpired in behind-the-scenes communications in recent weeks? seems like it's been a long time? >> it has been a long time. we have seen activity. we know that there are conversations. we would just like to see more progress. if anything, his new circumstance, which puts him on a path to a long time in russian prison, should heighten the sense of urgency. >> bret: you say it's not a trial. it's a hearing by a judge. is there a defense for it? >> we don't know. it's all done in secret. it's hard to see. he doesn't get all the defense that anybody in this country would get in court. you look at the conviction rate, and it's, like, 99-point-something. we know it's predetermined what the outcome will be. >> bret: here's dan hoffman, either in intelligence on our channel earlier today. >> this is all designed to give vladimir putin additional leverage, because he's trying to extort us as he has in the path to make swaps advantageous to russia. all indications are that the trial could last not weeks but months, driving up vladimir putin's bargaining power. >> bret: is this a leverage play? >> yeah. we believe that president putin is trying to extract something from the united states and its allies. >> bret: do we know what they want, how the negotiations go? >> putin as much as said it, they're interested in return of security services assassin being held in berlin. >> bret: is the administration close to doing that? >> we don't know. that's all being done in secret. we just know, you know, if evidence were gotten, that will make it more difficult to get him home. that's our task in this. we would like to see something done very quickly. i think after september, with the presidential election, and everything else that's going on in the world, that becomes much harder. this is a window they need to act. >> bret: until then, you wear the button, "free evan." you keep it in the news, keep talking about it. >> yeah. we appreciate your support in that. thank you. >> bret: thank you. all right. thank you. sandra? >> sandra: bret, the world is watching this for sure, and, you know, having spoken with some of evan's colleagues, there's some who wonder, when he steps into that box, and he does appear relaxed, and at times even smiling, whether that -- you know, he's being forced into that. but it is tough to see. >> bret: really tough to see. we all took part in that reading of evan's articles on the one-year anniversary. >> sandra: yeah. >> bret: really something. that's a long time. >> sandra: indeed. now this, lawmakers rattled by a new chinese megaport now under construction in south america. jillian turner is live at the state department on that. the what is china hoping to get out of that? >> reporter: the communist government is billing this $3.5 billion port, giving china unlimited access to influence in south america. take a look at the photos. the big idea is trying to get a foothold in america's own backyard, 4500 miles from san francisco. the man goal, establish a direct trade route from peru to shanghai. >> i have watched as china has become the dominant influence, at least economically, and through their diplomacy in our own backyard in the western hem steer, and we have done little to nothing to address it. in november, xi jinping will be there to cut the ribbon on a sea boater to compete with our west coast seaports. they're planning to build a major railroad. >> reporter: the biden administration officials have been warning about china, using this megaport potentially to plant its military, something they've done at other foreign ports. back in may, lawmakers said the u.s. government should have seen this threat coming from a mile away. >> in 202013, xi jinping announced the initiative to connect the peoples republic of china to the rest of the world through infrastructure. it fits squarely within military ambitions, as many bri projects, especially deep water ports are tailored for military use. >> reporter: so the megaport will be 60 feet deep once completed. it's going to allow china to entirely bypass using other large commercial ports here in the u.s. and also mexico. sandra? >> sandra: jillian turner live at the state department on that. thank you. bret? >> bret: okay, sandra, this is bre