Another entry in Transcripts for Harris/ Walz
"Gangs crossing border who traffic in guns drugs and humans could care less who somebody voted for." [Video linked at bottom]
20:40 mins into video:
KH: Arizona, i think you all know, and this is why
you are here, there are consequential issues at stake in this election. And one
is the security of our border.
The United States is a sovereign nation and i believe we have a duty to set rules at our border and to enforce them, and I take that responsibility very seriously. We are also a nation of immigrants. The United States has been enriched by generations of people who have come from every corner of the world to contribute to our country and to become part of the American story.
And so we must reform our immigration system to
ensure that it works in an orderly way that it is humane and that
it makes our country stronger.
So I've just come from visiting the border and
the port of entry in Douglas. I spoke with dedicated agents from border patrol
and customs officers who every day see the overflow of commercial traffic
through the port. These men and women who work there and at other places along
our southern border help keep our nation secure, and they need more resources
to do their jobs, which is why we have and are in the process of investing half
a billion dollars to modernize and expand the port of entry here in Douglas,
and why last December I helped raise the rate of overtime pay for border agents,
and also why i strongly supported the comprehensive border security bill (***
see ref 1 below) written last year- written last year as you know by a
bipartisan group of senators including one of the most conservative members of
the united states congress.
That bill would have hired 1,500 more border agents and
officers, it would have paid for inspection machines to detect fentanyl that is
killing tens of thousands of Americans every year, it would have allowed us to
more quickly and effectively remove those who come here illegally, and it would
have increased the number of immigration judges and asylum officers.
It was the strongest border security bill we
have seen in decades. It was endorsed by the border patrol union. And it should
be in effect today producing results in real time right now for our country.
But donald trump tanked it
He picked up the phone and called some friends
in congress and said stop the bill.
Because you see. He prefers to run on a problem
instead of fixing a problem. And the American people deserve a president who
cares more about border security than playing political games and their
personal political future. And so even though Donald trump tried to sabotage
the border security bill, it is my pledge to you that as president of the
united states, i will bring it back up and proudly sign it into law.
And let me say, the issue of border security is
not a new issue to me. I was attorney general of a border state for two terms.
I saw the violence and chaos that transnational criminal organizations cause
and the heartbreak and loss from the spread of their illicit drugs. I walked
through tunnels that traffickers used to smuggle contraband into the united
states. I've seen tunnels with walls as smooth as the walls of your living room
complete with lighting and air conditioning making very clear that it is about
an enterprise that is making a whole lot of money in the trafficking of guns,
drugs, and human beings.
My knowledge on how they work comes from the
fact that i have prosecuted transnational criminal organizations who traffic in
guns drugs and human beings. My team and i broke up a heroin trafficking ring
in the bay area with ties to Mexican cartels. We took down a gang working with
the [sounds like] Caloa cartel to traffic methamphetamine into the united
states. We seized millions of dollars worth of cocaine from the Guadalajara
cartel and broke up a drunk a drug trafficking operation, including pill mills
and so-called recovery centers that were pushing opioids with deadly results.
!!!
Focus on fixing a problem instead of running on
a problem
!!!
As attorney general of california it was years ago that i brought a bipartisan group of american attorneys general and led that group to travel to mexico city to meet with mexican attorneys general to address this issue, and in particular to increase intelligence sharing on gang activity, all of which allowed us to prosecute more human traffickers. And i started as attorney general the first comprehensive report in the state of california analyzing transnational criminal organizations and the threats they pose to public safety and to the economy.
!!!
“We understand that many people are desperate to migrate to the united states, our system must be orderly and secure”
!!!
So stopping transnational criminal
organizations and strengthening our border is not new to me and it is a
longstanding priority of mine i have done that work and i will continue to
treat it as a priority when i am elected president of the united states.
And it is my pledge to you understanding how
solutions get formed that i will reach across the aisle and i will embrace
common sense approaches and new technologies to get the job done. Because i
know transnational gangs coming across the border trafficking in guns drugs and
human beings could care less who somebody voted for in the last election. They
could care less. They've got one goal in mind.
And it is therefore critically important that
anybody who calls themselves a leader would work with other leaders for common
sense solutions understanding the pain and the suffering that americans are
experiencing. If we don't work together to fix these problems. And look,
transnational gangs, one of the things i know about them, they are always
innovating. So to disrupt them we must do the same.
And that means again working together in real
time grounded on finding common sense approaches, not just about some rhetoric
at a rally but actually doing the work of fixing a problem, and as president i
won't only bring back the border security bill that donald trump tanked, i will
do more to secure our border, to reduce illegal border crossings.
I will take further action to keep the border
closed between ports of entry. Those who cross our borders unlawfully will be
apprehended and removed and barred from re-entering for years. We will pursue
more severe criminal charges against repeat violators and if someone does not
make an asylum request at a legal point of entry and instead crosses our border
unlawfully, they will be barred from receiving asylum.
While we understand that many people are
desperate to migrate to the united states, our system must be orderly and
secure.
!!!
Fentanyl is a scourge on our country
!1!
And that is my goal, and that is my goal.
Securing our border also means addressing the flow of fentanyl into our
communities. Fentanyl is a scourge on our country the nature of it as a drug is
that it is highly addictive, and it is highly lethal, so much so that using it
one time only can be fatal.
I have met far too many families, parents,
loved ones who have lost a family member a child to fentanyl, and their grief
is heartbreaking. And the devastation caused by fentanyl is being felt from
rural communities to big cities, it's impacting communities across our country
regardless of where they are geographically, politically, or any other
demographic you choose to talk about, it's a scourge in our country, and we
have to take it seriously.
As president i will make it a top priority to
disrupt the flow of fentanyl coming into the united states and i know everyone
here understands that most of the fentanyl in america comes from two cartels
based in mexico. Most often they are smuggling it through vehicles at legal
ports of entry like the one i visited today.
The fact is border officers don't have enough
resources and are only able to search a fraction of the vehicles that pass
through their checkpoints. This is unacceptable. They need the resources to do
their jobs.
As we could have done with that border security
bill, i will surge support to law enforcement agencies on the front lines, more
personnel, more training, and more technology including new inspection systems
that can detect fentanyl hidden in vehicles.
And we will make sure that our ports of entry
including airports and sea ports have additional state-of-the-art technology to
detect fentanyl and the chemical tools used to make it.
!!!
I will ensure that we target the entire global
fentanyl supply chain
!!!
I will also double the resources for the
department of justice to extradite and prosecute transnational criminal
organizations and the cartels, yes, i will ensure that we target the entire
global fentanyl supply chain. Because we must materially and sustainably
disrupt the flow of illicit fentanyl coming into our country.
My approach takes into account also that the
precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl are by and large made in china and
then shipped to mexican cartels and trafficked right here into the united
states. Our administration demanded that china crack down on the companies that
make those chemicals and it has started to happen. But they need to do more.
As president i will hold them to their
commitment to significantly reduce the flow of precursor chemicals coming from
china, and all of this to say-
We must tackle this issue from every angle,
because our highest charge must be to protect the lives of our people. It must
be to understand the pain and to have the courage to know that solutions are at
hand if we focus on fixing a problem instead of running on a problem. And on
this issue writ large we must ensure that our country remains strong and
competitive, which includes fixing our broken immigration system.
And let me be clear.
I reject the false choice- i reject the false
choice that suggests we must either choose between securing our border or
creating a system of immigration that is safe orderly and humane.
We can and we must do both. We must do both.
And we need clear legal pathways for people seeking to come into our country.
And we must make our current system work better.
!!!
At long last a pathway to citizenship for
hardworking immigrants
!!!!!
For example, it can take years for asylum claims
to be decided. Well, this is a problem we can solve including by hiring more
asylum officers and expanding processing centers in people's home countries.
And as president i will work with congress to create at long last a pathway to
citizenship for hardworking immigrants who have been here for years for years
and deserve to have a system that works.
I also have in mind our dreamers.
I have met- i have met with so many of our
dreamers throughout my career who have grown up in the united states, were
educated here, pay taxes here, serve in our military, and contribute to our
communities every day. They are american in every way but still they do not
have an earned pathway to citizenship. And this problem has gone unsolved at
this point now for decades.
The same goes for farm workers who ensure that
we have food on our tables and who sustain our agricultural industry. They too
have been in legal limbo for years because politicians have refused to come
together to fix our broken immigration system.
Well as president i will put politics aside to
fix our immigration system and find solutions, solutions to problems which have
persisted for far too long. For far too long we have all known this is not
working as it can and as it should.
And so as i said at the beginning, these issues
are highly consequential for a nation and the contrast in this election is
clear.
It is a choice between common sense solutions
and the same old political games.
In the four years that donald trp was president
he did nothing to fix our broken immigration system, he did not solve the
shortage of immigration judges, he did not solve the shortage of border agents,
he did not create lawful pathways into our nation, he did nothing to address an
outdated asylum system, and did not work with other governments in our
hemisphere to deal with what clearly is also a regional challenge.
As overdoses went up during his presidency, he
fought to slash funding for the fight against fentanyl, and what did he do
instead- well let's talk about that.
He separated families, he ripped toddlers out
of their mother's arms, put children in cages, and tried to end protections for
dreamers. He made the challenges at the border worse, and he is still and he is
still fanning the flames of fear and division.
!!!
We cannot accept donald trump's failure to lead,
we should not permit scapegoating instead of solutions.
!!!
And let me be clear. That is not the work of a
leader. That is not the work of a leader. And that is in fact i think we all
believe an abdication of leadership.
And so on behalf of all across our nation who
want to see these problems solved, i say we cannot accept donald trump's
failure to lead, we should not permit scapegoating instead of solutions, and
let's see what's happening- let's not permit scapegoating instead of solutions
or rhetoric instead of results.
As your president i will protect our nation's
sovereignty, secure our border, and work to fix our broken system of
immigration; and i will partner with democrats, republicans, and independents
to do it.
Arizona, it is time for us to turn the page on
the ugly battles that have characterized our politics, and it is time time to
move forward together to achieve real solutions that make our country stronger.
And i know we can get this done i know we have the will i know we have the
courage i know the solutions are at hand and i know we are ready and so with
all of that i say thank you may god bless you and may god bless the united
states of america thank you all thank you
End of transcript
VIDEO: Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks from douglas, az | harris-walz 09.27.2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qegwt7ard5u
118th Congress (2023-2024): Secure the Border Act of 2023
https://www.congress.gov › bill › house-bill › summary
Summary of H.R.2 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): Secure the Border Act of 2023. Ref.
!!!
Cofa Blog continues to document our strange times with readable transcripts, so years / decades from now readers can come to this blog and get an idea of what happened.
Posted by Kay Ebeling, volunteering my blog to help Harris/Walz get elected
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