Tonight President Donald J. Trump is holding a MAGA-KAG campaign rally at Crown Expo Center in Fayetteville, NC. President Trump is expected to speak at 7:00pm EDT.

UPDATE: Video Added

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Chopper pressers are the best pressers. President Trump delivers remarks to the media departing the White House for a rally in North Carolina. The President answered a litany of questions from the press poll on a variety of subjects and current events.

[UPDATE – Video and Transcript Added]

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[Transcript] THE PRESIDENT: So, thank you very much everybody. Gianni Infantino is the head of FIFA. He’s the biggest man in soccer. And we are, as you probably know, getting the World Cup in 2026 for the United States. Some of it is a partnership with Mexico and Canada. And it’s coming into the United States for a large percentage of the games, and we’re very excited about it. Plus, Gianni and I just had a meeting on women’s soccer and what everybody is going to do to make that even better and more equitable, et cetera, et cetera.

So, Gianni, thank you very much. We had a great meeting. Very big, though — we’re getting the World Cup in 2026, so that’s a big thing. Gianni, thank you for being here.

MR. INFANTINO: Thank you very much. Thank you.

Thank you. Well, indeed, it’s fantastic to be here and to boost even more soccer in this country. Soccer, which is the number one global sport. World Cup 2026 taking place here. But we start already now. It’s the biggest event ever. It’s more than 4 billion viewers all around the world. And we will make it the biggest not only sports event, but the biggest social event that we can think of.

Soccer, which is a big part of this country as well. And women’s soccer, where you are world champion, there is much more to do. The President was saying this to me and he is right. And we are working on that and we will announce very soon some new initiatives.

Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Gianni, we’re going to have to extend my second term because 2026 — I’m going to have to extend it for a couple of years. I don’t think any of you would have a problem with that. But I hope you’re going to remember me in 2026.

MR. INFANTINO: For sure. Oh, for sure. (Laughs.)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Gianni.

MR. INFANTINO: Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: You take care of yourself. Thank you.

MR. INFANTINO: Thank you.

Q Mr. President, are peace talks with the Taliban dead?

THE PRESIDENT: Say it?

Q Are peace talks with the Taliban dead? And why did you —

THE PRESIDENT: They’re dead. They’re dead. As far as I’m concerned, they’re dead.

They thought that they had to kill people in order to put themselves in a little better negotiating position. When they did that, they killed 12 people. One happened to be a great American soldier — a wonderful young man from Puerto Rico. Family is from Puerto Rico. And you can’t do that. You can’t do that with me.

So they’re dead, as far as I’m concerned. And we’ve hit the Taliban harder in the last four days than they’ve been hit in over 10 years. So that’s the way it is.

Q Did you get talked out of that meeting with Taliban?

THE PRESIDENT: Say it? What?

Q Did your administration, did your advisors, talk you out of that meeting with the Taliban?

THE PRESIDENT: No. Actually, in terms of advisors, I took my own advice. I liked the idea of meeting. I’ve met with a lot of bad people and a lot of good people during the course of the last almost three years. And I think meeting is a great thing. I think that meeting with — you know, you’re talking about war. There are meetings with war. Otherwise, wars would never end. You’d have them going forever.

We had a meeting scheduled. It was my idea, and it was my idea to terminate it. I didn’t even — I didn’t discuss it with anybody else. When I heard, very simply, that they killed one of our soldiers and 12 other innocent people, I said, “There’s no way I’m meeting on that basis. There’s no way I’m meeting.” They did a mistake.

And, by the way, they are telling people they made a big mistake. They’re saying it loud and clear that they made a big mistake.

John.

Q Mr. President, why did you want to have them at Camp David? And what will you do about Afghanistan now?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Camp David has held meetings with a lot of people that would have been perceived as being pretty tough customers and pretty bad people. There have been plenty of so-called “bad people” brought up to Camp David for meetings. And the alternative was the White House, and you wouldn’t have been happy with that either.

So Camp David would have been a good place, but I don’t want to meet under circumstances where they go around and try and make themselves a little bit more important by killing a soldier; by killing, actually, also a great NATO soldier, in addition to our soldier; and also a total of 12 people. I don’t want that.

But, you know, Camp David has had many meetings that, I guess, people would not have considered politically correct.

Yes, Steve.

Q Are you still going to draw down troops there? Or what’s the status of that?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re looking at that, and we’re thinking about it. You know, as I’ve said, we’ve been policemen there for a long time. And the government is going to have to take responsibility or do whatever it is they do.

I’ve been saying, from the campaign, that we want to get out at the earliest possible time. We’re doing a very good job. Our soldiers are incredible, but they’re serving as policemen, to a large extent. I just made a statement on it. Yeah, we’d like to get out, but we’ll get out at the right time.

Q (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: What?

Q Can I ask a question on India and Pakistan, sir? Can I ask a question on India and Pakistan? Do you intend to (inaudible — Prime Minister Modi?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, India and Pakistan are having a conflict over Kashmir, as you know. I think it’s a little bit less heated right now than it was two weeks ago, and I’m willing to help them. I get along with both countries very well. I’m willing to help them if they want. They know that that is out there.

David.

Q Mr. President, are you willing to debate the Republicans who are running against you?

THE PRESIDENT: You know, I don’t even know who they are, other than I know that —

Q Joe Walsh, Mark Sanford.

THE PRESIDENT: I guess — I guess you could say — no, but I don’t know them. I don’t know them. I would say this: They’re all at less than 1 percent. It’s a — I guess it’s a publicity stunt. We just got right — a little while ago, 94 percent popularity or approval rating within the Republican Party.

So, to be honest, I’m not looking to give them any credibility. They have no credibility. One was a person that voted for Obama, ran as a Vice President four years ago, and was soundly defeated. Another one got thrown out after one term in Congress and he lost in a landslide. And the third one — Mr. Tallahassee Trail or Appalachian Trail — he’s the Appalachian Trail, right? The Tallahassee Trail is nice, too, but I think he was the Appalachian Trail. But he wasn’t on the Appalachian Trail; he was in Argentina.

Yeah, go ahead.

Q Are you okay with using the military as the police force on our southern border?

THE PRESIDENT: Say it louder.

Q Are you okay with using the military as a police force on our southern border?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, right now, Mexico has been doing a great job for us. And, frankly, we’re very appreciative. But we’ve also been very — pretty rapidly changing the regulations, the rules, winning in court. We’ve had a lot of wins.

We did it early on, but we’re having a lot of wins in court right now. The courts are backing us up, and that has a lot to do with our success on the southern border.

In addition, a lot of wall is being built. And every time we put up a mile of wall, that helps us a lot.

Q Are you prepared to offer temporary protected status to people from the Bahamas?

THE PRESIDENT: So, we’re talking to a lot of different people on that. You know, we’re recovering from the hurricane also. Florida did get hit — not as hard as we anticipated. And you look at Georgia. You look at South Carolina, North Carolina. I’m going to North Carolina right now — North Carolina — to have a rally for Dan Bishop. But before I go to the rally, we’re going to be stopping at one of the sites that got hit very hard by the hurricane.

So we’re also recovering from a hurricane. But we have to be very careful. Everybody needs totally proper documentation because the — look, the Bahamas had some tremendous problems with people going to the Bahamas that weren’t supposed to be there. I don’t want to allow people that weren’t supposed to be in the Bahamas to come into the United States, including some very bad people and some very bad gang members and some very, very bad drug dealers. So we are going to be very, very strong on that.

Let me — let me just explain. Large sections, believe it or not, of the Bahamas were not hit. And what we’re doing is bringing the people to those sections of the Bahamas that have not been hit. We’ve done a lot of the USAID. We’ve done a lot of work with our Coast Guard, with our FEMA people, who have been phenomenal. I mean, they have been phenomenal.

So we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens.

Q On North Korea, sir — on North Korea, when’s the last time you heard from Chairman Kim?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I saw a statement was just put out having to do with North Korea, and that’ll be interesting. We’ll see. It just came out over the wires a little while ago. So, we’ll see what happens.

In the meantime — in the meantime, we have our hostages back, we’re getting the remains of our great heroes back, and we’ve had no nuclear testing for a long time.

Q Mr. President, on the Ninth District Court judge that continues to issue nationwide injunctions —

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.

Q The Ninth District Court Judge — Judge Tigar. Do you think it’s constitutional for a judge —

THE PRESIDENT: Again. What was the beginning?

Q With the judge in the Ninth District Court — the San Francisco judge that continues to issue nationwide injunctions on immigration policy, do you think that’s constitutional?

THE PRESIDENT: I think it’s very unfair that he does that. I don’t think it should be allowed, and we’ll see what happens. There’s a lot of new law being made on that, but we don’t think that should be happening.

Now, with that being said, we’re starting to do very well in the Ninth Circuit. We’re starting to do well all over. We won the lawsuit on the wall. We won the lawsuit on a lot of different things having to do with illegal immigration. That’s why a lot of our very strong points are coming out.

And in addition to Mexico helping us, we’re ending up with some great legal victories now on illegal immigration. That’s one of the reasons we’re doing so well.

Q Are you going to impose tariffs on Mexico if it doesn’t do more on illegal immigration?

THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead. Go.

Q (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: What? Go ahead. What?

Q Mr. President, yesterday you tweeted that there are — the prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine was the first — perhaps the first giant step towards peace. So, do you think the United States should join these talks and should join Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine within the talks called Normandy Format?

THE PRESIDENT: I think the fact that the prisoner swap took place yesterday with Russia and Ukraine is a very big step and that’s a very positive step. If they needed me to get involved, I’d get involved, but that’s really a very, very positive event that took place yesterday.

Q Are you concerned that the significant drop in illegal border crossings is only temporary and, as Mark Morgan said —

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you’re always concerned that it’s temporary. But we now have much better legal protection. And we’d have total protection if the Democrats would get rid of the loopholes which are there. They could do it in, as I say, 15 minutes if they would get rid of the loopholes and fix asylum. But they don’t want to do that. They don’t want to do it.

The Democrats want open borders. It means crime. It means drugs. It means human trafficking. And that’s what they want. And if they want to run on that, they can run on it.

But our people — a lot of the people in this country — and, I would say, a very large percentage of people — they don’t want to have crossings illegal. They don’t want to have open borders. They want to have a strong border.

And I’ve always said: Without a border, we don’t have a country. And without a country, I’ll tell you what: We wouldn’t be — without that border being strong — we are securing the border like it hasn’t been before. And when the wall is built — and it’s moving rapidly right now. It’s moving very rapidly. The lawsuit wins, the legal wins. We’ve won a lot.

And we’ve won a lot in the courts over the last year. You know, if you look at the beginning, where we were losing, we will have about 180 judges approved over the next three or four weeks — 180.

When I came in, President Obama gave us a beautiful gift. He gave us 138 judges that he wasn’t able to get in or didn’t pick anybody, or couldn’t get them approved. One hundred and thirty-eight. I took that. And now, when you add the other that came through attrition and other things that have happened, we’ll have about 180 judges approved very, very quickly.

Q Tomorrow’s special election — tomorrow’s special election in North Carolina, how important is it for your reelection?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Dan Bishop is a great gentleman, a great man. He’s going to be a great — I think he’s going to be a great congressman. It was a very close race. I think it’s getting less close. If you look at the numbers from two weeks ago — and I got involved about two weeks ago — and the numbers have gone way up. I think Dan has a very good chance of winning the election.

Again, I’m not running, but I have a lot of respect for Dan Bishop. I’m going there now to help him campaign. We’re going to be doing a big rally tonight; totally sold out as always. Every single one totally sold out. There will be a lot of people outside trying to get in. But it’s all in honor of Dan Bishop. North Carolina, I hope they’re going to go out and vote.

Q On Iran, sir. On Iran, will you — will you meet with Rouhani? Would you meet with Rouhani — President Rouhani?

THE PRESIDENT: It could happen. It could happen. Yeah. No problem with meeting. Iran should straighten out because, frankly, they’re in very bad position right now and they should straighten it out, because they could straighten it out very easily.

Q Will you respond to the reports today that say that you have mishandled classified information to Russia?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I know nothing about it. I see the CIA responded perfectly. So whatever the CIA said is fine with me. But I heard they responded perfectly. I know nothing.

Q Mr. President — Mr. President, how soon will you reveal your gun control proposal? How soon? This week? Next week?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re dealing with Democrats. We’re dealing with Republicans. We’re talking about a lot of different things having to do with, as you call it, gun control. But we are talking about a lot of different things. But at the same time, we have to protect our Second Amendment very strongly, and we will always do that.

Steve.

Q Aren’t there some internal divisions among your team about how to go forward on Afghanistan?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, my decision was to have a meeting. And I said, “You know what? I don’t like the concept of having it at the White House. That would be a step too far.” There have been many very powerful meetings at Camp David having to do with enemies — real enemies, very big enemies, war — and I thought Camp David would be good, and I still do.

The only reason I canceled that meeting is because they killed one of our soldiers and they killed a total of 12 people, trying to build up their importance, because they think that’s important — except, to me, it backfired. And they’re very upset. They feel that they blew it. And they said it loud and clear. They feel they made a big mistake by doing what they did.

Q Is your administration still looking at designating human smuggling operations at the border as foreign terrorist organizations?

THE PRESIDENT: We’re looking very much at human smuggling. And if you look at “trafficking,” they call it — if you look at what’s going on with the human trafficking, we’re bringing it down to a much lower level. This should have been done for years and years. But we’re bringing the human trafficking, as you can see by the numbers, we’re bringing it down. Mostly affects women and children. It’s a terrible thing. It’s been going on for many years, and we’re bringing it down.

Q Are you concerned about Kim Jong Un’s — are you concerned about Kim Jong Un — he will not keep the promise?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, it just came out over the wires that he’d like to have a meeting. I have a very good relationship with Chairman Kim — Kim Jong Un. And it just came out; I just saw it as I’m coming out here — it just came out that they would like to meet. We’ll see what happens. But I always say having meetings is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Q On the Bahamas — are you concerned about China’s relief efforts in the Bahamas?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I’m not. Let people go in and help. The Bahamas got hit like no thing that I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen a hurricane with — it was like a massive tornado, more than a hurricane. It got hit like nothing I’ve seen.

Anybody who wants to help, that’s okay with me. I think it’s a good thing.

Q Mr. President, how do you define — how do you define victory in Afghanistan?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, that’s always the question: How do you define victory? We beat them militarily, but as soon as leave, it seems to form again. We would beat them very easily, militarily, if we wanted to, by doing certain things. And I’m not talking nuclear. We could have that over with very, very rapidly. But you’d lose millions and billions of lives, and I don’t want to do that.

Afghanistan is a very interesting situation. We’ve been there for 19 years. Nineteen years. And we’re now really policemen in Afghanistan.

So what’s happening is this: We’re talking. We’re talking to the government. We’re talking to a lot of different people. And we’ll see. But I canceled Camp David on the basis that they did something that they sure as hell shouldn’t have done.

Q Mr. President, do you see tomorrow’s election in North Carolina as a bellwether for next year’s election?

THE PRESIDENT: No. I don’t see it as a bellwether. They always ask that question. I mean, you never see talk about the fact — as an example, in ’18 — that we won the Senate. Nobody ever talks about that. The Senate being very important, because that’s how I’m getting all the judges approved. It doesn’t go through the House; it goes through the Senate.

So I’m getting all these judges. We’ll be up — as I said, we’ll be up to 180 judges, plus two Supreme Court judges. And I don’t know if there has ever been a record like that.

President Obama gave me a beautiful birthday present when he gave me 138 judges that weren’t approved. And, frankly, how do you consider that being a great President when you hand to the opposition 138 slots of federal judges, including appellate court judges and one Supreme Court judge?

So that’s the story, where we got two Supreme Court justices and we’ll have, in a very short number of weeks, 180 judges approved, including appellate. And that number, from 180, will easily and rather rapidly go over 200.

And I don’t think there’s been anything like it.

Q Mr. President, what specific number of troops — what specific number of troops should remain in Afghanistan? What do you want to see now?

THE PRESIDENT: I would never tell you. I’ll tell some people, but I’d never tell you. But we have — we have a very specific number. We have a very specific number.

Q So, to follow up what John asked: For 2020, you don’t see as a bellwether, the election tomorrow.

THE PRESIDENT: No, I don’t see it as a bellwether.

Q But are you concerned about the Senate races in 2020?

THE PRESIDENT: Look, I have to run. Here’s what it is.

Q Do you think you’ll hold on to the Senate?

THE PRESIDENT: I think we did great in ’18, because the congressmen — like Andy Barr in Kentucky and others — that I campaigned for, they won. Andy Barr was behind. I went to Kentucky. I campaigned for him. I held one or two rallies, and the great state of Kentucky brought him.

And, by the way, the same person that we defeated there is now running against Mitch McConnell for the Senate. And he’s going to win. He’s going to win. Kentucky is an incredible place. They know. They don’t give up the most powerful man in the United States Senate for a freshman senator. You just don’t do it. Kentucky is very smart. They know exactly what they’re doing.

But I campaigned for senators. We were supposed to lose the Senate, according to some of you. We ended up picking up two seats, which was fantastic. I get no credit for that. If we didn’t pick up those two seats — I just told you we’re going to have 180 judges approved — we wouldn’t have had almost any judges approved, from the point of the election.

So we’re very happy with the way we’ve done. The ’18 election — the big thing was, I was not running. You know, people say, “Oh, it was a referendum on Trump.” It wasn’t. I’m not running; people are running.

But I will go and help Dan Bishop. I’m going to be there in a little while. And I assume some of you, I’ll be seeing.

Q Mr. President, on Turnberry: Will you discourage the Pentagon from having troops stay overnight at your properties?

THE PRESIDENT: I haven’t found out — other than when a plane stops at a massive international airport and gets fuel — I don’t own the airport. When pilots stay — I own a lot of different places. Soon you’ll find that out because I’ll be, at some point prior to the election, I’m going to be giving out a financial report of me. And it will be extremely complete. I’m going to give out — I’m going to give or my financial condition. And you’ll be extremely shocked that the numbers are many, many times what you think. I don’t need to have somebody take a room overnight in a hotel.

What is happening is the following: Every time you find a person landing an airplane within 500 miles of something I own — Mike Pence, as an example, his family lives in Doonbeg, Ireland. And he’s actually told me that he stayed there many years ago at the same — I bought it years ago — but he was there before I bought it, I believe, he said. A long time ago. But he was in Ireland, so he said, “You know what I’ll do? I’ll see my family.” I didn’t know about that, but I can say he has good taste.

Q Mr. President, what do you make of states canceling Republican primaries?

THE PRESIDENT: Of who?

Q Of states canceling Republican primaries.

THE PRESIDENT: I have nothing to do with that.

Q Are you worried that you might lose some of those primaries?

THE PRESIDENT: No. Because, look, the three people are a total joke. They’re a joke. They’re a laughing stock. And I have nothing to do — the four states that canceled it don’t want to waste their money. If there was a race, they would certainly want to do that. But they’re considered to be a laughing stock. They’re considered to be a joke. And those four states don’t want to waste their money. Having primary campaigns and having a primary election is very expensive.

Q Have you ruled out a future meeting with the Taliban? Are there preconditions under which you would meet them?

THE PRESIDENT: We haven’t discussed it. I’m not looking to discuss it. We’ve hit the Taliban and our enemy in Afghanistan harder than we have in over 10 years. So I’m not discussing anything right now.

Q (Inaudible) recent GOP congressional retirements — does that concern you for 2020?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, one of the things is that I disagree with the Republican system. When you’re the chairman of a committee — we’ve lost chairmen because they can’t go from being a chairman, back to being a regular congressman or woman. When you’re the chairman of a committee, the Democrats, you can stay there forever, like Deny [sic] Hoyer and others. He’s a good man, by the way. But like a lot of them, they’re there forever. As a Republican, you get six years.

What happens after they’re finished, they leave. And I understand that. And, frankly, there is good to be said about both and there’s bad to be said about both, to use the famous expression. But let me just tell you, I agree — one of the only things I agree with the Democrats on: I really think it’s better to have a longer term.

Q On China, Mr. President, do you sense a real shift in the Chinese position on intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer?

THE PRESIDENT: We have to stop forced technology, international technology theft. If you look at what’s going on: Intellectual property theft with China — just so you understand, our country is doing phenomenally well. You know, there’s a chance — I don’t want to talk about it — but over a very short period of time that we’ll hit a yet new record. I think we have 118 records for hitting the top stock market.

Two weeks ago, the fake news was trying to convince people that maybe there’s a possibility for a recession. Well, a lot of things have happened, very positive. We’re doing very well against China and we could very well have a new high in our stock market. We have gained trillions of dollars of worth, and China has lost many, many trillions of dollars, including 3 million jobs, including companies that are leaving China. Yes, they want to negotiate very badly.

Thank you. Thank you.

END 3:01 P.M. ED

Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mark Morgan holds a press conference to update on the status of ongoing border security and immigration enforcement.  [Video and Transcript Below]

Border arrests fell to roughly 51,000 in August, a more than 60 percent decrease from 133,000 arrests in May, which was the peak of the recent surge. [CPB Press Release] However, Commissioner Morgan emphasized that Mexico must continue to do more to secure the border.  Morgan said Mexico has taken “meaningful and unprecedented steps” to stop migrants passing through its country, “but they need to do more.”

U.S. and Mexican officials are scheduled to meet tomorrow to discuss ongoing efforts and expectations from the Trump administration to continue avoiding tariffs. President Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador deployed thousands of troops from a newly formed National Guard to intercept migrants and keep them from reaching the U.S. Southern border.  AMLO does not want to face U.S. tariffs on Mexican products.

[Transcript] ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Good morning. And thank you all for being here today.

As the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, I’m pleased to announce the official release of CBP’s southwest border migration statistics for the month of August. And I’ve said this many times: Since Congress has failed and continue to fail to pass meaningful legislation to address the crisis at the border — which would ultimately stop children from being used as passports and end the cartels’ ability to exploit this population, as well as our laws — the Trump administration has taken a number of unilateral actions, unprecedented actions, that we’re going to discuss today.

But, first, let’s discuss the results of the administration’s incredible efforts. During the month of August, CBP apprehended, or deemed inadmissible, a total of 64,000 individuals. For July, if you recall, that number was just over 82,000, which represents a decline of 22 percent.

Moreover, the August numbers reflects — and this is critical — the August numbers reflects a 56 percent reduction from the peak in May, which you recall was over 144,000 individuals.

And why? Why do we see, in 90 days, a 56 percent reduction? The President has made it very clear that he’s going to use every tool available to him and this administration to address this unprecedented crisis at the southern border. We have seen historic agreements and policies put in place by this administration; an unprecedented network of initiatives, from regulatory reforms, policy changes, interior enforcement efforts. The list goes on and on, what this administration has done that resulted in this 56 percent decrease.

In addition to that, let’s talk about the government of Mexico. The government of Mexico has taken meaningful and unprecedented steps to help curb the flow of illegal immigration to our border.

Now, let’s talk about a couple of numbers. Mexico has apprehended approximately 134,000 people so far this calendar year. Last year — 2018 calendar year — the entire year of 2018: 83,000. That’s a substantial increase of apprehensions that the government of Mexico has executed.

In addition, since June, Mexico has deployed thousands of troops. They’ve created a new national guard within their country: 10,000 troops to the southern border; 15,000 troops to the norther border with the United States. Again, unprecedented support and cooperation with the government of Mexico.

But I’m going to tell you, and I’m going to go into a little bit more what the government of Mexico has done, but they need to do more. And I’ll talk about that in a second.

The international outreach to the governments of Central American countries is also beginning to yield effective and positive results, particularly the efforts to stem the surge of illegal migrants crossing the southwest border and to disrupt alien smuggling organizations.

Additionally, the Northern Triangle countries specifically, along with the government of Mexico, have really joined the United States as true partners for the first time. They really are seeing this as a true, regional crisis that need continuing coordination, cooperation, and effort — that this is not just a United States problem; that this is a regional crisis that needs regional support and regional solutions.

(CBP Data Link Here)

Third, again — and this goes to the support that the government of Mexico is providing — the Migrant Protection Protocols — or, I’m sure most of you heard, “MPP” — have also helped. Tens of thousands of individuals arrive at our southwest border every month, many of them attempting to enter illegally.

Historically — we’ve talked about this — these individuals, because of our broken asylum laws, have been released into the interior of the United States as they wait for their asylum hearings. These proceedings can take years. A host of reasons: a shortage of immigration judges, backlogs, the list goes on.

Additionally, many never stick to the process and never continue to go through its final stages. And even when they receive a final order of removal, they still remain in the United States illegally. Those are facts.

Under the MPP, aliens who are entering or seeking asylum and admission to the United States from Mexico, illegally or without proper documentation, now may be returned to Mexico and required to wait outside the United States for the duration of their immigration proceedings, which take place in the United States. The government of Mexico has agreed to provide them, while they’re waiting in Mexico, with appropriate humanitarian protections for the duration of their stay.

Here’s a couple of key points on MPP. It discourages the abuse and exploitation of U.S. laws and non-meritorious or false asylum claims. MPP also helps promote a safer and more orderly process along the southwest border, freeing up limited resources and helps free up time of those implementing this process to devote to those migrants who may legitimately have a merit-based claim. As of September 1st of this year, CBP has returned more than 42,000 individuals to Mexico under the MPP.

Now, let me emphasize a point that I made to — a minute ago: Even though Mexico has stepped up unprecedented — they have joined the United States, as well as our Northern Triangle partners, and really stepped up as true partners and really are really seeing this as a regional crisis, and they have stepped up in unprecedented ways — we need them to do more. We need Mexico to do more.

We need to make sure that they’re sustaining the efforts right now; that the national guard — the 25,000 troops they have deployed — stay on target, stay on task. We need them to continue to join and expand the MPP, which is a game changer right now with respect to stemming the flow. Mexico needs to continue to work with our intelligence folks to use information, share intelligence, and develop target enforcement actions at strategic locations in their country.

So they are stepping up in unprecedented ways, but we need them to continue to sustain that, and we need them continue to do more.

Lastly: deterrence. President Trump is making it clear that if you come to the United States of America illegally, you will be removed. If you come here as an illegal alien in the United States, if you commit crimes or illegally take American jobs, you will face consequences.

Now, let me talk a minute about the border wall — just a little topic that’s been in the news. President Trump has made it very clear that we will build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. And that, as a CBP Commissioner, I can tell you that’s exactly what we’re doing every single day. Together with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, CBP has constructed more than 65 miles of new border wall. And it’s more than a border wall; it’s a border wall system.

And now that we have the Secretary of Defense’s authority to use an additional $3.6 billion, we’re hoping to build between 450 to 500 new miles of border by the end of 2020.

But I want to make sure that I emphasize something, as the CBP Commissioner: The Border Patrol field leadership — they want this wall. This is not a vanity project, as one of the false narratives out there has been, and I’ve heard it numerous times. This President has delivered to the experts, to the Border Patrol, to the leadership — asked what they needed. One of the key things that they said they needed was the wall. And this is not just a wall that’s being built right now; it’s a wall system. It includes access roads, lighting, technology.

And when asked, the leadership universally has said the wall works. Where it’s been used in the past, history has shown the numbers go down. Facts and history show that. And we’ve been saying for a very long time — the experts have been saying, when they were asked by the President, this wall is absolutely needed to help safeguard and secure our southern border, as part of what we’ve always been saying: a multi-layered approach of infrastructure, technology, and personnel.

And where that is implemented — an effective, a strategic location — it works. The experts say it works. The experts have asked for this, and this President and this administration has delivered and they’re going to continue to deliver. As we stated from the beginning, that wall is an integral part of that multi-layer strategy.

In closing, President Trump has used every tool available to address the humanitarian and security crisis at this border. The entire DHS family, including USCIS and ICE, are working together with CBP to secure and restore integrity to the immigration system.

And I, as the Commissioner, could not be more proud of the men and women of the Customs and Border Protection who — they support what they do, and their steadfast devotion to their mission and the rule of law, and doing so with humanity and compassion.

And let me summarize by reiterating that we are absolutely encouraged by the downward trend of apprehension numbers, but we know these numbers could always spike upwards. History has shown that. We’ve seen it happen in the past. We cannot rely solely on the government of Mexico or our Central American partners to solve the pull factors created by our broken system.

Unless the laws change, these numbers will rise again next year, just as we’ve seen in the past. We will again face the same kind of crisis we have for way too long. Congress must absolutely act to pass meaningful legislation to address the loopholes in our current system if we’re going to have a durable, lasting solution to this crisis.

I’ll take your questions. Yes, sir.

Q A couple of quick questions. First, can you address the complaints of reports and abuse of minors in U.S. custody? And secondly, are we giving up on — when this was sold — the wall was sold — we were told that Mexico would pay for the wall. So is that —

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So let me take your first question.

Q Is that gone?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, with allegations of abuse — and we’ve talked about this a lot — of one of the stints that I did with CBP a few years ago, in 2014 — I actually was the Acting Assistant Commissioner for, then, Internal Affairs, which is now OPR — and I can say, from my personal knowledge, that every single allegation — every single allegation that is brought forward with any type of abuse or violation of policy is absolutely investigated to its fullest.

And it’s not just investigated by CBP; there are multiple layers there. So the DHS IG, they have a take at it. If it’s appropriate, DOJ Civil Rights, Civil Liberties section takes a look at that as well. So I’m confident that I can say every single allegation is taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. And when appropriate, appropriate discipline is utilized.

Now, so for your second question: The wall, as far as who is paying for it — as the Commissioner of CBP, I don’t care. That’s political. That’s for politicians to decide. What I can tell you, as the CBP Commissioner, every single mile of wall that is built, this country is more safe. Every single mile of the wall that’s built, it allows the Border Patrol agents to exponentially increase their capacity to do their job. That’s what I can tell you. So —

Q Question.

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Yes, sir.

Q Thank you, Mr. Commissioner. A federal judge in California has reinstated a ban on the administration’s policy that would restrict migrants’ ability to apply for asylum at the southern border. What is your reaction to that? And a follow-up, please.

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, my reaction is, I’m frustrated. The unprecedented judicial activism that we’ve experienced every single time that this administration comes up with what we believe is a legal rule or policy that we really believe that will address this crisis, we end up getting enjoined. It’s very, very frustrating. But, we’re just going to keep going. We’ll continue to work within the current legal framework to address this.

And here’s what should be frustrating to the American people: This President and this administration, we keep having to go outside the box within the current legal framework to come up with new initiatives, new policies, new regulations, because this Congress won’t do their job. This Congress — I’ve talked to multiple people on the Hill. I personally told them exactly that they need to do to pass meaningful legislation that would end 85 percent of this crisis. I think you could put it on one piece of paper and do it in a half an hour, and they refuse to do so. That’s what really should frustrate the American people.

Q And a quick follow. I want to ask you about using resources like personnel and finances related to the United States military. Is that making the, sort of, difference that you thought it would? And are you sensitive to the pushback that we’ve certainly heard from a number of people that, by engaging the military in this particular fight, is perhaps not the best use of their time and energy?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, what I would say is, it would be way outside my lane to talk about the impacts of the use of the military or the funding. That really should be left up to the Secretary of Defense.

Here’s what I will say on this, is that I have full confidence in the Secretary of Defense that he would not approve either the utilization of resources or funding that he think would negatively impact his job to carry out his national security mission.

But what I will say is, CBP, we’re doing a national security mission too. The crisis at the southwest border is not just a humanitarian crisis; it’s also a national security crisis.

So again, every — every troop that’s assigned there, they are helping with the national security crisis along the southwest border. Every mile of wall is helping as well. So — in the back.

Q Hi. Alayna from Axios. You talked about needing Congress needing to do more. What’s the latest with Jared Kushner’s immigration plan? We’ve been told that he’s planning to roll it out into a formal bill in the coming weeks.

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, I think that’s a great question. Again, that shows this administration’s effort as Congress continues to fail to put anything out there. They haven’t even brought anything to the floor, any meaningful legislation to the floor. So Mr. Kushner, as well as a team, they are trying to put together a comprehensive plan that hopefully gets traction.

DHS is working on that. We have people — I personally am having dialogue and discussions with that. It would be great to be able to put something together that’s meaningful that we could get bipartisan support to actually end this crisis. I applaud his efforts. Absolutely.

Yes, sir.

Q Thank you, sir. Two questions. One —

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: I’ve been told I can only give people one question.

Q Well, one and a half then, sir.

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: (Laughs.) Okay.

Q The half a question, you attribute the drop in apprehensions to the President’s policies, but isn’t it also true that apprehensions always drop this period of the year during the heat?

And also, I —

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Well, let me take that question. So I think that’s a good question, because that’s one of the false narratives out there.

So, the past five years, due to seasonal reasons, we’ve seen, on average, those numbers drop about 8 percent. So if you look from, you know, June to July, we saw those numbers drop by 40 percent. So it’s just not supported by the facts.

And now, generally, from July to August — last year, from July to August, as an example, the numbers actually went up 16 percent. This is the season when they start going up. And what I just said, for this year, down 23 percent. Absolutely, it’s what this President and this administration is doing. It has nothing to do with seasonal trends.

Q And the second question: You just now complained about judicial activism and having policies enjoined by the courts. Isn’t it also just as possible that the policies that are being promulgated don’t comply with the law? I mean, isn’t that judge’s job to decide what’s legal and what’s not?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: The judge’s job is to interpret law, not make law. And that’s what I think judicial activism means. That’s a big thing in this country. I believe it’s a big problem in this country. We can disagree on legal premises that have that argument. That’s what courts are there for: to interpret the law, not make the law. And judicial activists’ decisions like this, I think they’re trying to make law instead of interpret that.

So — yes, ma’am.

Q Thank you, Commissioner. We know that the primary drivers of the border crisis are Central American families. How specifically has the administration’s policies affected that demographic?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, that’s great. So, at the height, in May, remember when we saw about 144,000 — just staggering, catastrophic numbers — we were ranging between 65 to 70 percent were families or unaccompanied minors. And, remember, because of our broken laws, that meant — those 65 to 75 percent, where they were being released into the interior of the United States never to be heard from again.

Right now, as these numbers not only continue to drastically decline — you know, 57 percent in 90 days — so has that demographic. This month, that demographic fell from 65 to 75 — I mean, 70 percent to 55 percent.

Q And a second question if I may. I understand that the administration says that there have been 65 miles of new border wall built, but that’s in areas where there have been vehicular barriers or smaller, more porous border systems. When can we expect the administration to break ground on border wall where there hasn’t previously been any barrier?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So I’m really glad you asked that question. So — because again, I think there’s a false narrative out there that goes, “No new wall has been built.” I’m here to tell you, as the Commissioner of CBP, that’s just a lie. Every mile of wall that’s being built, it is a new mile of wall. And again, I’ll reiterate: It’s not just a wall; it’s a wall system. Integrated lighting, integrating technology, and access road.

If you go to those areas where there was pedestrian barriers or their old landing mat, where they can just knock it over the car, or cut a hole in it in seconds — where new wall was going in, that’s exactly what it is. And if you go out there and you ask the agents, they’ll tell you that’s new wall.

The second part of the question is, is that I think is a fair way to categorize this, is where we’re building new linear miles. So it’s not just where there was some physical barrier already there, but new linear miles.

So I told you we’re anticipating, by 2020, about 450 to 500 miles. Right now, we have current projects that are slated in a couple areas, including RGV, which will easily reach 100 new miles of linear wall. So —

Q And when can we expect that —

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Sorry, I already gave you two. So — yes, ma’am.

Q Is the administration considering offering TPS to the people of the Bahamas?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Yeah. So — yes. And I think that’s a good question right now, and there’s a little bit of a confusion out there. This is off the immigration, the southwest border, but Bahamas.

And I think it’s clear: CBP is an integral part of DHS National Response Framework. Part of that is, is when people are affected by an area or a crisis like this, like the hurricane, is how can we get them to the United States, if that’s the best decision.

CBP, along with an entire United States government effort to support the government of the Bahamas, is absolutely, first and foremost, life and safety of individuals. So we are — we’ve deployed — CBP — I’ve authorized a deployment of an enormous amount of resources to southern Florida to make sure that we can effectively receive people that are coming in from the Bahamas.

Already, we’ve received two cruise ships, thousands of folks that we have processed. Flights are coming in constantly. We’ve deployed additional folks out to even the small airports. We’re reaching out to the aviation companies and corporations to coordinate. We’re coordinating with the cruise ships every single day to make sure we can do that effectively and in a timely process.

But I want to be very clear, though — because I’ve already seen some false narrative out there — is: That doesn’t mean that we do this with a blind eye. We still have to balance the humanitarian need and assistance of those that need it versus the safety of this country.

So we still will go through the process, but we’re expediting that process, putting more resources down there. We’re waiving the normal fees. I could go on and on with what we’re doing to try to expedite the process. But keep in mind there are still people that are inadmissible to this country. There are still people coming here that could have criminal convictions. We are going to process them and handle them normally to make sure this country is safe.

Q You said “ma’am.” Did you say “ma’am”?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Yep, in the back, please.

Q Thank you. Just a quick question about Mexico’s role here. Have there been any concessions or pledges by the White House, financial or otherwise, to get them to continue their support?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So I think that’s a good question. The dialogue continues. The Vice President is going to meet with senior officials from the government of Mexico this week to have that exact dialogue, to talk through about what has been done, what still needs to be done, as we continue to go. So those negotiations are ongoing.

Q Are you going to be part of the meeting from Mexico with the VP?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: If I’m asked, I will.

Yes, sir.

Q You said that every mile of wall makes the country safer. And you said, by the end of next year, you’re expecting 450 to 500 miles of wall. The Washington Post has reported that the President would like the wall to be painted black and that, by doing that, the extra costs would actually shorten the wall that you’re hoping to build by four miles. Have you objected to this to the President? Is the President, with this directive, making the country less safe?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: No. So I think there’s a lot that goes into it. And that’s why I always say — I give an approximate, like 450 to 500 miles. Because there’s a lot of factors that go into that.

I’m on constant communication with the general — General Semonite — that’s leading the Army Corps of Engineers efforts. And there’s a lot of factors that go in there: the terrain; what they hit when they start digging. You know, the factors go on and on. I think it’s common sense.

And so there are a lot of factors that go into that, to include adding anti-climbing features to the wall as well. Painting is one of those. Sure, there will be a cost associated to that, and that may impact the number of miles. But again, the operational impact it will get through painting.

Q (Inaudible)? Or you support painting the wall, and that would shorten the amount of miles built?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: I think we need to strike a balance between making sure that the miles we build is the most effective wall system we build with respect to also the number of miles. I think it’s a balance we need to strike, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

Yes, ma’am.

Q Sir, yes. Can you detail how long in the process of the Bahamian persons who are leaving because of humanitarian crisis, how long are they allowed to stay? Can you give us a little bit more detail on that; get into the weeds on that? And also, where specifically is this new area of wall, the 65-mile stretch of wall, being built? Where specifically is that?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, two questions. So, with respect to the Bahamians coming in, it really is dependent on the level of reconstruction and recovery, right? So we’ll make that determination as that goes on. Again, our first and foremost concern —

Q Would that be years? Would it be months?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Again, it depends on how long it takes them to recover and rebuild. Again, the United States government, including CBP, our first concern is the safety and wellbeing of those. So, now, we would not support returning people to a place where it’s not safe for them to be.

With respect to the wall, again, it’s being built in strategic locations along the southwest border: Yuma, California, RGV, Laredo. I mean, the list goes on. And we continually work with the Army Corps of Engineers to make sure that we’re striking that balance of our strategic needs and locations and where we can get the most mileage out of what we have.

Yes, sir.

Q Commissioner, in July, a border official testified before Congress that HIV status is being used to justify family separation at the border, which the CBP later clarified to say it occurs on a case-by-case basis. Is that policy still ongoing?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Yeah, so what the policy is, is that we’re going to look at, first and foremost, the health, safety, and wellbeing of the child. And we will use a totality of circumstances to make that decision to determine any type of separation. And that’s our policy. It has been and it continues to be.

Q Commissioner, specifically on the Bahamas, there was an incident where about 100 people fleeing the Bahamas got into a ferry and reportedly were kicked off the ferry, (inaudible) they didn’t have the proper documentation. The CBP has gotten a lot of criticism over that because they didn’t have — allegedly, they’re supposed to have these visas. I just wanted to get your reaction on that, sir. And I do have a follow-up question on a different topic.

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So what I would say about the Bahamas is that you can imagine any type of natural disaster like this, where you have this huge disaster, a lot of resources going on and responding, there’s going to be some confusion. And so what I will say is, that’s what it was.

So, CBP, we’re not working and telling a cruise line that you cannot allow anyone without documents. That’s just not being done, okay? So there’s just some confusion there.

We will accept anyone on humanitarian reasons that needs to come here. We’re going to process them expeditedly. Again, though, if they are deemed to be inadmissible — for example, if they have a long criminal history and they’ve been denied entry in the United States previously, we’re not going to allow that person into the country to roam freely. We’re going to process them like we normally would.

So — yes, ma’am.

Q Commissioner, you said that if the Flores Agreement is revoked, that you think that families will be kept between 50 to 60 days and that it won’t be indefinite. Those were your words. Why should people trust that the Trump administration won’t keep kids and families indefinitely, given the reports of children being held in dangerous conditions? Why should people trust this administration?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, first of all, I would probably object to the term that they’re being in held in “dangerous conditions.” We would need to do a little bit more deeper dive exactly what you mean in that.

But here’s two things that I would say. One is, history shows that. History shows — again, we’ve talked about this before, about a non-detained docket, which means those individuals that are released into the United States, its backlog takes years, versus a detained docket. History shows that, under a detained docket, it takes about 40 to 60 days to get through that process.

And then, if you think of it from a common-sense perspective, is: Why would we want to drag that process out? It’s more costly to the taxpayers. It ties up resources from all the agencies that could be doing more law enforcement action to safeguard this country. It serves nobody purpose to make sure and drag it out, to include the immigrants that are here, both on — if you’re here and your claim is found to be false or fraudulent, let’s determine that quickly and return you to your home country.

More importantly is, is if your claim is found to be merit — based on merit, then let’s get that process quickly so you can’t be returned, and released in the United States.

Yes, sir.

Q Can you give us any indication to whether there are talks ongoing for a safe third country agreement with other countries that the U.S. (inaudible)? Before, it was already announced (inaudible) Guatemala.

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Yeah, so I think words matter, so I want to stay away from — I think that’s a colloquialism that we use in the United States, “safe third country.” But, yeah, so we are reaching across the aisle, just as we did with the government of Guatemala, to come up with a cooperative agreement to return individuals to Guatemala who had transitioned through other countries.

We are continuing to have those similar discussions for cooperative agreements with other countries as well.

Q Mexico specifically, sir?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Absolutely. Absolutely. We’re continuing —

Q Do you expect that will happen?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: I’m not going to speculate. We’re still in negotiations. It’s still a little bit early. I’ll leave that up to maybe the Vice President in his discussion this week.

But what I can tell you — think about this from a pragmatic standpoint: If somebody is fleeing their country because they feel that they’re being persecuted for a list of legitimate reasons, it really is in their best interest to apply for asylum to the first country that they have entered outside of the country that they are being persecuted. That’s our design. We believe it’s in their best interest as well.

Q Thank you, sir. With the numbers going down, is there a point at which they’d be down far enough that the national emergency or crisis at the border will be over? And in a related question, they went up under Kevin McAleenan, who is now the Acting DHS Secretary. Why did he get promoted rather than fired?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So let me take the second one first. That’s way out of my lane or my pay grade. So the — what was the first question again?

Q When will the numbers go down far enough that the emergency is over?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Right. So what I would say is — that’s tricky. So I’ve been asked that a couple of times. And, you know, trying to just be honest and transparent with that. From CBP, hey, look, if I could see daily apps around 500 a day, that’s manageable, I think.

Would I say that that’s the magic number? The magic number is zero, right? But we have to be realistic. But even saying 500, saying a specific number, it’s not really that easy because it’s not just about the numbers, it’s also the demographics.

Now, one thing we’ve agreed upon — and it’s gets back to your question, ma’am, about dangerous conditions — here’s one thing we agree on: We’ve always said, from day one, that children — children should not be in Border Patrol facilities that were designed for single adults. We’ve said that to begin with.

So, when we’re talking about numbers, if the majority of those numbers — even 500 — are kids, you know what? No. I would not say that that’s manageable, because we still don’t have the proper conditions in Border Patrol — the current, hard structures — to do that. We’re still going to have to maintain soft-sided facilities to provide the conditions that we are providing now, which is what we should be.

Yes, ma’am.

Q Thank you. I want to clear up — or at least, from my understanding, clarify something you said to one of my colleagues here who asked about TPS status being granted to Bahamians. You said yes. Can you — are we specifically talking about all Bahamians who have been affected by Dorian who will be granted TPS status? Or are you talking about simply expedited entry to the U.S. for those who qualify?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Right now, we’re working through that. And thanks for following up. So we — there hasn’t been any formal grant of TPS.

Q Have you had that conversation with President Trump or with other officials in this administration?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Not yet.

Q Would you plan to? Do you think you will?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: I think so. I think that would be appropriate to have that circumstance, especially depending — I mean, history shows we’ve done that before, right? And so if the history shows that it’s taken, you know, a lengthy time to get the Bahamas back to where these people can return to, I’m sure that that will be a discussion we’ll be having.

Yes, ma’am.

Q Thank you, Commissioner Morgan. So, just following up on this dangerous condition point, there are increasing reports of extortion and also kidnappings of MPP returnees. Is your agency tracking this trend? And are you doing anything to lessen the risk of migrants?

And then, a follow-up to that —

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So you’re talking about those that are waiting in Mexico under MPP?

Q Returning to Mex- — yes.

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Yeah. So let me address that. And I think that’s important.

So, I’ve read the same reports. I’ve heard the same anecdotal allegations. To this date, Mexico has provided nothing to the United States corroborating or verifying those allegations. But here’s what I would say: Is the mere fact that those allegations are here, this should really drive us to want to have intellectually honest conversations about the core drivers of this crisis. What is at the core, driving this crisis? And we know that, but we’re not talking about it enough.

The cartels, they start exploiting and abusing these vulnerable — this vulnerable population before they leave their home country. They’re selling the bill of goods. They’re promising, “Hey, you mortgage your home, you give us thousands of dollars, and we’re going to take you on this dangerous trek through multiple countries because we’re going to promise you, because of America’s broken laws, you’re going to be allowed in this country.”

The cartels are exploiting them from day one, taking their money. We’ve heard from independent sources that, on this dangerous trek, up to 33 percent are abused. Thirty-three percent. And once they get into the United States, that exploitation doesn’t start. They have to continue to extort them to pay off the bill for taking them through, whether it’s sex slavery, whatever that is.

So, the exploitation, it continues from day one. That’s the core issue. That’s what we want to stop. And MPP is doing just that. MPP —

Q And —

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Let me finish this; this is important. MPP — one of the most significant thing that MPP is doing is, they’re telling the cartels and this vulnerable population the game has changed. If you come here, even with a kid — it used to be, you come here with a kid, that was your passport into the United States. MPP is saying, “That’s done. That’s a lie now. You can’t. You’re not going to be allowed into this country even if you bring a kid.” So don’t mortgage your home. Don’t pay the cartels. Don’t risk your life. Don’t risk the life of your family. When you get in here, don’t allow yourself to continue to get exploited. That’s what MPP is doing.

Q Commissioner Morgan, let me ask you about — the Office of Special Counsel recently found CBP in violation of DNA collection laws for individuals in their custody — in your custody. When will you start complying with these DNA collection laws?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, remember, and I — so, I’m glad you asked this question, because I want to clarify one of the false narratives out there that DHS — because this really is a DHS issue — has violated some law by not doing this. And that’s just factually inaccurate. Is that, previously —

Q You are complying?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: No, let me finish. I’ll explain why we’re not violating the law. Because, under the Department of Justice, the Attorney General —

Q I just want to know if you’re complying. That’s all.

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: — the Attorney General — I’m answering your question, if you’ll allow me too, all right?

So, the Attorney General has stipulated there’s a waiver, and he’s allowed the Secretary of DHS to decide whether they want to apply that waiver. And this was done under former Secretary Napolitano for a whole host of what I think are legitimate operational concerns and budgetary issues of why they granted that waiver.

So, now — so, I just want to make sure, there’s no violation of law. Now, let’s fast-forward to today. I believe, personally, that we need to take a look at this and we need to figure out a meaningful and thoughtful way of where we can begin to look at where it’s appropriate to start applying with CODIS. And we are currently under discussions with DHS and the Department of Justice to come up with a meaningful, thoughtful strategy to begin that.

Q So, what is the timeframe — what is the timeframe for you complying with it, then? What’s the timeframe for complying with it? Mr. Commissioner, what’s the timeframe for complying?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Go ahead.

Q Why can’t you just answer that simple question? What’s the timeframe for complying with it?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, I don’t have a timeframe, because we need to make sure —

Q Months? Years?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: It would be nice for you to let me actually answer your question without you interrupting me.

Q You didn’t answer (inaudible).

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So — so I’m trying to answer a question right now, okay?

Q Thank you.

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So — so, we don’t have a time because there’s a lot that goes into that. I mean, it’s not — it’s not just as simple as one day we say, “Okay, start sending out the kits and do it.” It’s not that simple. It’s very complicated.

And this is a DHS issue, and the force — in the continuum of the immigration process, there’s multiple agencies that are involved. We need to figure out where in that continuum would be the most appropriate. We got to talk about budgetary issues. We got to talk about the impact to operations. We have to coordinate with the unions with respect to that. It’s very complicated. And I answered your question, is that we’re going to do this in a very meaningful, thoughtful way. And when we’re ready to actually execute it effectively, then that’s when we’ll do it.

Yes, sir.

Q Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott have recently said that the policy, with respect to the Bahamas, is confusing. I’m not entirely sure, with respect to what you’ve said so far, is going to clarify that confusion. If you’re a Bahamian, if you’re trying to enter the country, you’re trying to evacuate, what is the visa requirement? You mentioned that there are fees that are going to be waived. Can you be specific?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: Yeah. So, I thought I addressed that. So, this is a humanitarian mission, right? With respect to this. So, if your life is in jeopardy — you’re in the Bahamas, and you want to get to the United States — you’re going to be allowed to come to the United States, right? Whether you have travel documents or not. We’ve already allowed U.S. cits and non-U.S. cits in. We’ve already processed people that have travel documents and don’t have travel documents. And we’re trying to do that in the most expeditious way we can to support the humanitarian mission. But, again, as I stated before, we’re still going to go through the process.

And if you looked at the time that a process — I think the first ship that came in had over 1,400 individuals — we did that ship in a couple hours. Right? It was just amazing work that the folks at CBP did. But we’re still going to do our job. We still need to process you. We still need to vet them to make sure that we’re not letting dangerous people in, taking advantage of this.

And I’ll give you another example is: We’ve had some individuals that brought children with them from the Bahamas, who lost their mom and dad. So we need to make sure that — were they — was there any nefarious activity involved, or were they just doing it out of humanitarian reasons to pick the kid? And, so far, that’s what we’ve seen. But we still have to vet that out. So —

Yes, ma’am, in the back.

Q Thank you, Commissioner Morgan. You’re touting the successes of the administration’s policy changes, regulation, but also the help from Mexico, yet you also said you expect numbers to go up next year if Congress doesn’t act. Do you expect Mexico’s support to wane in 2020 or people to find workarounds for the new policies and rules? Why do you expect it to go up since you’ve seen so much success in the last few months?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So that’s a great question. So, I am skeptical. Again, make no mistake, Mexico has stepped up in an unprecedented way to be partners and really see this as a regional crisis. But as I said, we need them to do more. And there are specific targeted areas that we continue to talk to that they need to do more.

I am concerned whether the government of Mexico, including our partners in the Northern Triangle countries, are going to be able to sustain the level of commitment they have. But in addition to that, as a country, we cannot rely on other countries, no matter how great their support is, to fix our laws.

If you think about it, it just can’t be sustainable. So that’s why I stick to that, that we need Congress to act. They know what to do. And they have failed the American people by not doing so.

Yes, sir.

Q Yeah. So just to clarify, you said you’re going to vet the Bahamians coming in. Anyone who’s deemed a threat, are they going to just be dropped back off in the Bahamas and left to fend for themselves? What’s going to happen with them?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: No, of course not. And that’s why I go with our normal procedures. So when we see somebody — normally, even outside the humanitarian process — we will bring them in. Again, we have that immigration continuum with multiple agencies involved. They can come in. They can — you know, they can claim fear. They can — the normal process. Everything will be available to them.

If we have someone that we deem is inadmissible that came from the Bahamas, obviously we’re not going to return them because it’s unsafe. But, for us, CBP, we will turn them over to ICE ERO who will take them and then detain them appropriately and continue out with the procedure.

Okay. One more question. Gentleman in the back.

Q Thank you. You just mentioned the agreement this administration reached with the government of Guatemala. The President-Elect of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, was here last week, questioning this agreement and saying that he hasn’t seen the documents yet. That’s one question. What do you think about this agreement? Is it actually function — like a functional agreement? And also, what other countries in Central — are you talking to you, are you having talks, to reach agreement?

ACTING COMMISSIONER MORGAN: So, good question. So I’m glad you asked them for a moment of clarification. So we have the agreement ready to go, but it has not been ratified by the government of Guatemala, so you’re correct on that. Now, we hope it will be because I think it will be significant.

And then, we’re continuing to talk to not only the Northern Triangle countries — you know, obviously, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador — but also Panama. You know, any country that really can step up and is really a part of this immigration crisis that really is a regional issue.

So, thank you.

END TRANSCRIPT – 1:43 P.M. EDT

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appears for an interview with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the Trump administration’s efforts to return privatization to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the state of the U.S. economy, U.S. trade talks with China, USMCA and government spending.

Ms. Bartiromo is very concerned about retaining the wealth position for her friends on Wall Street and the Asian investment needs of U.S. multinational corporations.

Earlier today President Trump and Attorney General William Barr participated in a ceremony to recognize the valor and heroic commendations for law enforcement and civilian responders during shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

[Video and Transcript below]

[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Well, I want to thank the Attorney General for not only this today, but for doing an incredible job. Thank you very much, Bill. Appreciate it.

Today, I’m honored to welcome you to the White House as we recognize 11 extraordinary American heroes. These incredible patriots responded to the worst violence and most barbaric hatred with the best of American courage, character, and strength.

Faced with grave and harrowing threats, the men and women standing behind us stepped forward to save the lives of their fellow Americans. Few people could have done, and even would have done, what they did.

In a few moments, I will award six police officers from Dayton, Ohio, with our nation’s highest public safety award, the Medal of Valor. I will also honor five Americans from El Paso, Texas, with Certificates of Commendation, recognizing these civilians who displayed tremendous bravery.

The light from these intrepid souls defied the darkness and confronted the most sinister danger. Would you all please join me in expressing our deepest gratitude and highest admiration to these unbelievably exceptional Americans? Thank you. (Applause.)

We’re also joined by Senator John Cornyn and several members of my Cabinet. And I want to thank you all for being here. John, thank you very much.

Most importantly, to the families of our heroes: You understand better than anyone the difference your loved ones have made in the lives of so many Americans. We treasure you and we really do thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Again, thank you very much. Great job.

One month ago, America witnessed horror beyond belief. On Saturday, August 3rd, at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, the soulless and bigoted monster killed 22 innocent people and wounded 27 others. It happened very quickly. It was a racist attack motivated by pure evil hatred. The next day, in Dayton, Ohio, a vile and wicked murderer stole 9 lives and injured 34 others.

Our nation is shocked and enraged by these inhuman and sadistic acts of bloodshed. We fail to comprehend how any person could be so warped by malice and contempt. Every heart breaks for the families who lost precious loved ones, and every American grieves for those who were so cruelly taken from us.

In the midst of such profound anguish, one memory fills us with hope: When evil showed its hideous face, Americans of all walks of life rose up — and they did. They rose up, they defied fear, they stared down death to protect the innocent — and stand tall they did, just for righteous and for good.

Several days after the shootings, the First Lady and I visited both cities. We met with first responders, hospital staff, survivors, and families. We will never forget the unity and love we saw in those communities and at those hospitals. It was incredible.

In Ohio, I had the privilege of meeting the six Dayton police officers who, without a moment’s hesitation, immediately and courageously engaged the gunman, ending his attack and rescuing countless lives. Who knew, and who can even understand, how many lives would have been taken if they didn’t act so quickly?

Just after 1:00 a.m. on August 4th, these officers were patrolling the streets of downtown Dayton when the killer opened fire into an innocent crowd.

The shooter continued firing as he ran down a sidewalk packed with people. Sergeant William Knight was stationed in his cruiser about 150 feet away. He heard the gunfire, jumped out of his car, and quickly returned fire. Meanwhile, Officer Brian Rolfes ran directly towards the shooter and into the onslaught of incoming bullets. Then, Officers Jeremy Campbell, Vincent Carter, Ryan Nabel, and David Denlinger moved in, engaging the shooter at close range, calling upon years of training in the span of an instant.

Millions of Americans saw the video footage of these officers calmly charging forward in the midst of chaos and constant fire. Without a thought for their own safety, they stood square to the target, executed their mission, and brought down the murderers with precision gunfire. It was just before that maniac was ready to enter a very crowded restaurant and bar.

Within 32 seconds of the start of the attack, these six officers ended the violent rampage and saved countless lives. Today, it is my immense honor to award the Medal of Valor to those law enforcement heroes: Sergeant William Knight and Officers Brian Rolfes, Jeremy Campbell, Vincent Carter, Ryan Nabel, and David Denlinger.

To each of you, we are in awe of your swift response, sterling professionalism, and rock-solid nerves of steel. On behalf of our entire nation, we thank you for your remarkable and heroic actions in the line of duty. And we just want to thank you so much. What a great job you’ve done. Thank you very much. Please. (Applause.)

Today, we are also honoring five Americans who risked their lives to save others during the brutal attack at the Walmart in El Paso, Texas.

Walmart Store Manager Robert Evans was outside the store entrance when he heard the gunman fire his first shot. Robert instantly alerted employees of the active shooter. He saw the killer heading towards the store, so he raced inside and directed customers toward the nearest emergency exits, helping hundreds escape to safety. Incredible. Robert, you exemplify noble leadership and selfless service. Thank you very much, Robert. Great. (Applause.) Thank you, Robert.

Walmart employee Gilbert Serna heard Robert’s alert over the radio, and immediately, without hesitation, guided dozens of shoppers to refuge through a rear exit, boosting some people over a 12-foot wall and hiding others in shipping containers. So smart to think of that. Who would think of that, under these circumstances? A lot of people would just run for their lives.

He cleared out the back area of the store a minute before the shooter got there. Gilbert, your unwavering resolve inspires us all. Thank you very much, Gilbert. Great job. (Applause.) Thank you.

Marisela Luna was managing the McDonald’s inside the Walmart when the murderer burst into the entrance. She quickly gathered customers from the lobby and led them to refrigerators and other hiding places, shielding them from the shooter’s line of sight. Thank you, Marisela, for racing to rescue others from grave danger. Thank you very much. Thank you, Marisela. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)

McDonald’s supervisor Angelica Silva was working at another location when she got word of the active shooting. She drove straight to the scene to check on her employees. Upon arriving, Angelica saw two people in the parking lot who were very, very badly wounded. She alerted first responders and helped save the life of one of those severely injured victims. Angelica, we thank God you were there. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)

Chris Grant was picking out snacks for his kids when he suddenly saw the murderer firing at innocent shoppers a few aisles away from him. Chris grabbed — listen to this — soda bottles and anything else in front of him, and began hurling them at the gunman, distracting him from the other shoppers and causing the shooter to turn toward Chris and fire at Chris, whereby Chris suffered two serious gunshot wounds. But he is recovering well and we wish him the best. His family is here. So please thank Chris for us, please. (Applause.) Think of that.

In the darkest moments of danger and despair, God calls the bravest to action. These 11 individuals answered the call. They stared down evil. They put love of neighbor above life itself. And we are blessed by their courage. We are honored by their presence. We are overwhelmed by their example. And we are forever inspired by the goodness of their hearts, the grace of their souls, and the enduring greatness of their deeds.

To every one of the heroes we recognize today, thank you and God bless you all. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Incredible.

Now I would like to ask the military aide to come forward and read the citations, please.

MILITARY AIDE: The Medal of Valor is presented to the following individuals for their bravery and composure in the face of an armed assailant, intent on the murder of innocent civilians in Dayton, Ohio, on August 4, 2019. Their quick and decisive actions in the face of extreme danger neutralized the gunman within seconds, protecting the lives of hundreds of people:

Sergeant William Knight.

(The Medal of Valor is presented.) (Applause.)

Officer Brian Rolfes.

(The Medal of Valor is presented.) (Applause.)

Officer Jeremy Campbell.

(The Medal of Valor is presented.) (Applause.)

Officer Vincent Carter.

(The Medal of Valor is presented.) (Applause.)

Officer Ryan Nabel.

(The Medal of Valor is presented.) (Applause.)

Officer David Denlinger.

(The Medal of Valor is presented.) (Applause.)

Will the Medal of Valor recipients please take your seats, and the Certificate of Commendation recipients please join the President on stage.

The Certificate of Commendation is presented to the following individuals for acting selflessly and fearlessly to save hundreds from a hateful gunman who opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on August 3rd, 2019. Each of these courageous civilians could have escaped to safety during the massacre, but they instead put their own lives in jeopardy to help their neighbors find refuge and access desperately needed medical attention:

Mr. Robert Evans. (Applause.) Mr. Gilbert Serna. (Applause.) Ms. Marisela Luna. (Applause.) Ms. Angelica Silva. (Applause.) Accepting on behalf of her son, Chris Grant, Ms. Minnie Grant. (Applause.)

Would the Medal of Valor recipients please join the President on stage for one last group photo. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

END 11:52 A.M. EDT