Sheriff Hooper invited to Border for Abbott-Trump meeting

CRISIS ON THE BORDER... TOMORROWHE GETS A CLOSER LOOK AT THESITUATION WITH FORMER PRESIDENTDONALD TRUMP..{***SX PLASMA ANIMATION**}GOOD EVENING I’M KATIAURIARTE... WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITHIN-DEPTH COVERAGE OF THATPLANNED VISIT TOMORROW ALONG THEU-S MEXICO BORDER FOR THEGOVERNOR AND FORMER PRESIDENTTRUMP.FIRST WHERE WE STAND TODAY..{***VO**}GOVERNOR ABBOTT, WHO IS UP FORREELECTION NEXT YEAR, HAS VOWEDTO BUILD A BORDER WALL AND HASBEGUN CROWD-FUNDING TO DO SO.PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN HALTEDCONSTRUCTION OF THE WALL ON HISFIRST DAY IN OFFICE RETURNINGTWO BILLION TO THE DEFENSEDEPARTMENT THAT HAD BEENALLOCATED FOR THE WALL.{***ZM TRI PLASMA**}SO JUST HOW DIRE OF SITUATIONARE WE FACING AT THE BORDER?...HERE’S A LOOK AT SOME NUMBERS.{***FULLSCREEN**}IN FISCAL YEAR 2020, WHICH ISFROM OCTOBER OF 2019 TOSEPTEMBER OF 2020...THE U-S BORDER PATROL HAD JUSTOVER 4-HUNDRED AND FIVE THOUSANDENCOUNTERS.*THIS FISCAL YEAR... WHICH BEGANIN OCTOBER OF 2020... THE BORDERPATROL HAS HAD OVER 8-HUNDED AND98 THOUSAND ENCOUNTERS.{***FULLSCREEN**}THINK OF IT THIS WAY...THAT ISDOUBLE THE POPULATION OF MOST OFTHE COASTAL BEND....AND STILSOME.IF YOU DOUBLE THE NUMBER OFPEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE CITIES ONYOUR SCREEN....YOU STILL GETJUST BELOW THIS YEAR’S SOUTHERNBORDER CROSSINGS{***DOUBLE BOX VO**}BACK IN WHEN I WENT TO GET ACLOSER LOOK AT THE BORDERCRISIS..IT TOOK NO TIME FOR USTO RUN INTO MIGRANTFAMILIES....EVEN COMING ACROSSCHILDREN...HOPING TO GET THEIR SIBLINGSACROSS THE BORDER IN SEARCH OF ABETTER LIFE.{***SOT FULL**}"pagaron para cruzar?" No.

Nopagaron para cruzar?

No nosdejaron pero en medio de unmonton de cubetas coasas asi nospasaron."{***SOT FULL**}"no conoces a nadie aque?

Sheshakes her head no.

A nadie?

Sheshakes her head no again"{***VO**}YOU CAN FIND THAT FULL STORY ONOUR WEBSITE KRISTV.COM.{***TRI PLASMA**}SO JUST HOW LONG IS THE TEXASMEXICO BORDER?{***FULLSCREEN**}*TEXAS AND MEXICO SHARE ONETHOUSAND, 2-HUNDRED AND-54 MILESOF COMMON BORDER AND ARE JOINEDBY 28 INTERNATIONAL BRIDGES ANDBORDER CROSSINGS.{***FULLSCREEN**}THE "UNITED STATES" SOUTHERNBORDER WITH MEXICO IS ONETHOUSAND,9-HUNDRED AND 33-MILESLONG.

THE TEXAS BORDER WITHMEXICO MAKES UP ALMOST TWOTHIRDS OF MEXICO’S BORDER WITHTHE UNITED STATES.700 MILES HAVE FENCING IN PLACE.{***TRI PLASMA ANIMATION**}THIS WEEK, NEBRASKA IS SENDING25 STATE PATROL TROOPERS TOTEXAS.

THAT’S NEARLY SIX PERCENTOF THEIR SWORN OFFICERS.IOWA IS SENDING 25 TO 30 OF ITSOWN... THE GOVERNOR’S OF THOSESTATES SAY IT’S TO HELP SECURETHE BORDER.AARON SANDERFORD - WITH OURINVESTIGATIVE TEAM IN OMAHANEBRASKA..

HAS THIS REPORT.{***PKG**}THEY’RE HEADED TO THE DEL RIOAREA FOR UP TO 16 DAYS.

THEGOVERNOR SAYS THEY WILL BOOSTSECURITY NEAR THE MEXICANBORDER.

ALL OF THEM VOLUNTEERED.SEVERAL SPEAK SPANISH.

ANEMERGENCY COMPACT LETSOUT-OF-STATE OFFICERS ENFORCETEXAS LAW.

BUT THE COURTS WON’TLET THEM ENFORCE FEDERAL LAW,WHICH COVERS IMMIGRATION.

SO WHYGO?{***SOT FULL**}Ricketts 0:55 I think thatthis is such a big bordersecurity situation, and they’vegot so many people coming acrossthe border illegally they’relooking for help with just thatregular law enforcement actionthat they’ve got the authorityto do.

And that’s of course whatour state troopers can helpwith.RICKETTS’ DECISION, WHILEPOLITICALLY POPULAR, DOES NOTSIT WELL WITH SOME NEBRASKANS,INCLUDING SOUTH OMAHA LATINOADVOCATE BEN SALAZAR, AN ARMYVETERAN.{***SOT FULL**}Salazar 5:22 Even the mostardent supporter of Donald Trumpor Governor Ricketts would saywhy?

What purpose, what goal arethey going to achieve in theirless than a month tenure down atthe border.

It makes no sense.But if he’s doing it, if thegovernor is enacting thispolicy, then he thinks it makessense to him politically.

It’sa farce.

It’s a complete farce.{***SOT FULL**}Benjamin-Alvarado 1:53Recently I had a couple friendswho are policy advocates onimmigration who went down to theborder and what they found was asituation that I would argue isuntenable.U-N-O POLITICAL SCIENCEPROFESSOR JONATHANBENJAMIN-ALVARADO SAYS THEPROBLEMS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDERARE REAL, FROM THE HUMANITARIANCRISIS TO NATIONAL SECURITYRISKS.

THIS YEAR TO DATE, THENUMBER OF ILLEGAL BORDERCROSSINGS ARE THE HIGHEST SINCEAT LEAST THE EARLY 2-THOUSANDS.THEY’RE LOOKING MORE LIKE THEERA BEFORE 9/11.

ANNUAL BORDERAPPREHENSIONS WERE HIGHER BACKTHEN, MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION AYEAR.{***SOT FULL**}Benjamin-Alvarado 5:01 Whatwe’re seeing now obviously is anincrease.

The estimates are thatwe will see anything between 750and 900-thousand apprehensions.But it’s not nearly as dramaticas people paint it to be.

And itowes largely to the fact thatwe’ve not ever fixed ourimmigration system.INCREASED CROSSINGS HAVESPURRED NEW BORDER VISITS FROMVICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS ANDFORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP,WHO WILL BE THERE WHEN THENEBRASKANS ARE.

WHY?{***SOT FULL**}Henson 2:00 Nothing reallygalvanizes Republican voters inTexas like the issues ofimmigration and border security.PROFESSOR JAMES HENSON, WHO RUNSTHE TEXAS POLITICS PROJECT ATTHE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, SAYSPOLITICS MAY BE MOTIVATINGREPUBLICAN OFFICIALS’ ALARMABOUT THE BORDER.

HIS GROUPPOLLS TEXAS VOTERS, AND BORDERSECURITY REMAINED THEIR TOPCONCERN, EVEN DURING A PANDEMICYEAR IN WHICH THE ELECTRICALSYSTEM FAILED.

HENSON SAYSTEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT IS INFOR A RE-ELECTION FIGHT, THAT HEAND OTHER GOP GOVERNORS MIGHT BEUSING THE ISSUE AS A BINDINGAGENT FOR REPUBLICAN VOTERS.RICKETTS, ABBOTT AND IOWA’S KIMREYNOLDS ALSO HAVE A HISTORYTOGETHER IN LEADERSHIP ROLES FORTHE REPUBLICAN GOVERNORSASSOCIATION, WHICH AIMS TO ELECTGOP GOVERNORS.

ANOTHER GOVERNORSENDING HELP IS FLORIDA’S RONDESANTIS, AN EARLY FRONTRUNNERFOR THE 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIALNOMINATION.

HE’S SENDING 50TROOPERS.

IDAHO’S SENDING HELP,TOO.{***SOT FULL**}Henson 8:01 There’s a verysymbolic value, I would guess,to your governor as well as tothe Texas governor, in pitchingin in this effort, that probablydoesn’t have very much to dowith the actual product on theground.A CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROLSPOKESMAN DECLINED TO COMMENTABOUT WHETHER THEY NEEDADDITIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HELPIN TEXAS TODAY.

HE SAYS THEBORDER PATROL WILL RESPOND TOCALLS ABOUT ILLEGAL BORDERCROSSINGS FROM STATE AND LOCALLAW ENFORCEMENT WORKING NEARBY.THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICSAFETY SAYS IN A STATEMENT THATTEXAS IS GRATEFUL FOROUT-OF-STATE OFFICERS.

THEYDECLINED TO SAY HOW THEY WOULDBE USED.

RICKETTS AND THENEBRASKA STATE PATROL HAD NOESTIMATE YET FOR WHAT THEDEPLOYMENT MIGHT COST.

THEPATROL SAYS IT SHOULD NEED NOOVERTIME TO COVER SHIFTS BACKHOME.

3 NEWS NOW REQUESTEDPUBLIC RECORDS TO DO OUR OWNCOST ESTIMATE.

BASED ON THE PAYRATES OF THE TROOPERS SENT,SALARY AND BENEFIT COSTS WILLECLIPSE 80-THOUSAND DOLLARS.FOOD, LODGING AND TRAVELEXPENSES ARE LIKELY TO PUSH THATNUMBER NORTH OF 100-THOUSAND.{***SOT FULL**}Ricketts 2:20 These things taketime to work out, so we’re stillworking through all thosedetails.

When we get any ofthese requests, we alwaysevaluate our own resources tomake sure we can take care ofbusiness here at home inNebraska before we offer thoseresources to states like NorthDakota, Minnesota or Texas.SALAZAR SAYS NEBRASKANS WILL PAY-- ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.{***SOT FULL**}Salazar 6:02 I think when westand here and you look around,these are the people they aretrying to stop at the border.These are the same folks.

Thisis the same family of people.It’s a family that I’m a memberof.AARON SANDERFORD, 3 NEWS NOW.THAT WAS AARON SANDERFORD, THEINVESTIGATIVE REPORTER FROM OFOUR SISTER STATION IN NEBRASKA.AND I HAD A CHANCE TO TALK WITHAARON THIS AFTERNOON TO ASKHIM....IS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ABIG ISSUE *THERE....AS IT ISHERE?{***SOT FULL**}"Let me ask you, how is illegalimmigration affectingNebraskans?

Aaron: A lot ofsmall towns inNebraska whetherit’s in rual western Nebraskathey are being rebuilt withimmigrants and immigrafamilies.

A lot of theirdeclining population wasbuttress by folks who came hereand wanted to work inmeatpacking plants or fields andother jobs and other professionsand even in omaha south omahahas always been a place ofimmigrant rebirth (2:04) (CUT TOTC- 2:22) in republican circlesthere’s a little bit of alarmbecause the numbers at theborder look bad 2:28 (CUT TO2:35) but in the townsthemselves these are t