Morning Wire XX
[0] Just days ahead of Title 42's expiration, thousands of migrants congregate across the border in Juarez, despite warnings from U .S. officials.
[1] The message is very clear.
[2] The border is not open.
[3] It has not been open, and it will not be open, subsequent to May 11th.
[4] How is the government preparing for the expected surge?
[5] And what are border residents saying?
[6] I'm Daily Wire, editor -in -chief John Bickley, with Georgia Howe.
[7] It's Tuesday, May 9th, and this is a day.
[8] morning wire.
[9] California is one step closer to approving billions of dollars of reparations for qualifying black residents following a panel vote over the weekend.
[10] We break down the plan and the potential price tag.
[11] And a pending bill in Oregon would decriminalize homelessness.
[12] At 8 o 'clock in the morning, there's folks that are smoking meth, they're shooting up.
[13] It's absolutely absurd.
[14] Thanks for waking up with morning wire.
[15] Stay tuned.
[16] We have the news you need to know.
[17] As the U .S. braces for the official end of Title 42 this week, the southern border has already seen a surge in illegal immigration.
[18] Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to discuss.
[19] So, Tim, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was down at the border just last week.
[20] How did his trip go?
[21] That's right.
[22] Mayorkas went to the southern tip of Texas last week to check on Border Patrol operations in the Rio Grande Valley sector.
[23] This trip comes ahead of Title 42's repeal on Thursday, and that's widely expected to set off a surge of illegal crossings.
[24] In a press conference Friday, Mayorkas pleaded with immigrants camping across the border to reconsider.
[25] To the individuals themselves who are thinking of migrating, do not believe the smugglers.
[26] Please access the official government information on the Department of Homeland Security website for accurate information because you are being deceived.
[27] Now, is Mayorkas at the border in anticipation?
[28] of Title 42 expiring?
[29] Well, it was a two -day visit.
[30] Mayork has put in some face time with locals to assure them that he is dealing with the crisis.
[31] DHS has been planning for this moment for over a year, so a lot of resources and personnel are in place or are scheduled.
[32] The military has sent 1 ,500 additional troops to the border, and on Friday, DHS announced $330 million to communities trying to care for migrants released into the U .S. That money isn't all going to border communities.
[33] New York City, for example, is also receiving a good chunk of those funds to care for migrants, which the city is now trying to bus into its suburbs like Chicago did.
[34] What are locals saying about the government strategy?
[35] Well, here's how Brownsville resident Deborah Bell described her thoughts on Mayorkas to Fox News.
[36] It's cruel to not have a plan in place for all of the people you're supposed to represent and then yet you're bringing thousands more over and then you have the audacity to lie to the American people about it who are having to live in this daily?
[37] It's unacceptable.
[38] He keeps It's talking about humanity and being compassionate and cutting out the cartel, and it's just lip service.
[39] Most facilities at the border today, both the governments and NGOs, are already overcrowded and we're already seeing rapidly increasing illegal immigration.
[40] Over the weekend, migrant apprehensions came close to averaging 9 ,000 per day, and thousands more migrants are camping just on the other side of the border in Mexico waiting to come over.
[41] El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser estimated that 15 ,000.
[42] thousand migrants will be waiting in Ciudad Juarez just across the Texas -Mexico border when Title 42 expires on Thursday.
[43] And what's the governor of Texas saying?
[44] Abbot addressed the title 42 repeal in a press conference on Monday.
[45] He actually blamed the Biden administration for getting in the way.
[46] While Texas is doing everything possible to try to stop people for forcing the border, at the very same time, the president of the United States is putting out the welcome at, welcoming them in.
[47] Abbott said that Texas has put together a Texas, tactical border force of 450 national guardsmen for the expected immigration surge this week.
[48] They'll be deployed to hotspots along the border to intercept migrants and build temporary walls to keep more migrants from crossing.
[49] The governor also said that Texas is close to having legislation, making it a felony to enter the state from Mexico illegally.
[50] All right.
[51] Well, we'll see what happens Friday.
[52] Tim, thanks for reporting.
[53] Thanks for having me. That was Daily Wire reporter, Tim Pears.
[54] Coming up, California takes another step toward paying out reparations.
[55] A panel vote this weekend moved California one step closer to approving hundreds of billions of dollars in reparations for qualifying black residents.
[56] Here to discuss the panel vote is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta Giacomo.
[57] Hey Amanda.
[58] So tell us about this panel and what they voted for this past weekend.
[59] Yeah, sure thing.
[60] So this nine -member reparations task force officially recommended on Saturday that the California legislature move forward to approve an estimated $500 billion in reparations payments for qualifying.
[61] black California residents.
[62] They also asked for a formal apology to black residents for slavery and what the committee views as structural racism.
[63] Now, the panel took on comments from residents at this last meeting, and it got a little rowdy, with panel members asking protesters to be removed from the meeting, and some residents chided the panel for not going far enough with their recommendations.
[64] Here's some audio of one resident expressing just that.
[65] So the equivocal number from the 1860s for 40 acres to date is $200 million for each and every African American.
[66] And how would this work logistically?
[67] Who would qualify and for how much?
[68] Any descendants of enslaved African Americans or free black people living in the U .S. prior to the end of the 19th century, are eligible for these direct cash payments.
[69] Qualifying black residents could receive up to $148 ,000 to address what the committee has deemed redlining practices by banks.
[70] How much someone would get would depend on their age or how many years they lived under those supposed practices.
[71] This would be the same for addressing what the committee views as over policing and mass incarceration.
[72] Qualifying black Californians could receive up to $115 ,000 for that.
[73] all told an older qualifying black resident in the state could get an estimated $1 .2 million.
[74] All right.
[75] So this was initiated by Governor Newsom.
[76] What does he say are the reasons why these payments are necessary?
[77] Well, Newsom has argued that reparations are necessary to essentially level the playing field and make up for inequities and racial outcomes.
[78] He has said that our history of slavery has evolved into structural racism and bias that is permeating throughout our democratic and economic institutions.
[79] You know, to that point, this task force is recommending compensation for what they view as systemic racism in our health care and criminal justice systems, for example.
[80] Here's Camila Moore, who chairs this task force talking about why she believes these payments are necessary.
[81] Reparations is about accounting for that broken promise of reconstruction and repairing the transferred harms to the direct descendants of those enslaved people.
[82] So obviously, at the very least, this sounds expensive.
[83] What are critics saying?
[84] Well, while Black Americans overwhelmingly support reparations, about 77 percent, most other Americans reject them.
[85] Polling shows that the majority of Asian, Hispanic, and white Americans all oppose reparations.
[86] Tashish Neteta, a political science professor from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says he's found that opponents of reparations argue that Americans would be paying for sins they didn't commit and paying for people who didn't actually experience slavery.
[87] They also say that Black Americans are treated equally, under the law now, and they're skeptical of how one could calculate a monetary value on the impact of slavery several generations out.
[88] Another concern is that a policy like this would stoke new racial grievances.
[89] Right.
[90] How likely is this to pass?
[91] Assemblyman Reggie Jones Sawyer, who's on the reparations panel, he says he expects to present some form of this legislation early next year.
[92] If lawmakers approve the plan, the state will create a new agency to oversee the program, determine eligibility and distribute payments.
[93] As far as seeing this in other states, they're already about a dozen cities working toward racial reparations.
[94] A city in Illinois has already approved $10 million in reparations.
[95] And Newsom has expressed that he wants California to be a model in reparations for the rest of the nation.
[96] Well, I think other states will be watching very closely to see how this goes for California.
[97] Amanda, thanks for reporting.
[98] Thanks for having me. That was Daily Wire reporter, Amanda Presta Giacomo.
[99] Homelessness in Portland, Oregon has become such a crisis that local authorities are considering bringing in the National Guard.
[100] Meanwhile, a pending bill would decriminalize homelessness and expand homeless individual rights to set up camp in public places.
[101] Joining us to discuss is Jonathan Chow, a senior fellow and journalist at the Discovery Institute in Seattle.
[102] Jonathan, thanks for coming on.
[103] Yeah, no problem, Georgia.
[104] So first off, Portland officials are apparently considering bringing in the National Guard to deal with the homeless situation.
[105] What exactly is the plan there?
[106] Yeah, I think that's a little wishful thinking, but at this point, it's just a suggestion.
[107] It was brought up at a council meeting by at -large council, Roberto Rodriguez.
[108] He suggested this city bringing troops to help deploy resources.
[109] So it just speaks to the level of crisis that Portland's experiencing.
[110] Now, this comes amidst the debate over the Right to Rest Act.
[111] What is that?
[112] Yeah, it's a bill currently being debated in the Oregon House.
[113] It's House Bill 3501.
[114] It was sponsored by Democratic Representative Farah Chichie and her colleague Representative Confam.
[115] Essentially, the bill would decriminalize homeless encampments and would allow homeless individuals or organizations acting on their behalf.
[116] Get this.
[117] To sue for up to $1 ,000 if they're told to leave or move their tent.
[118] The language of the bill says it'll allow homeless people to, quote, use and move freely in public spaces without discrimination and time limit.
[119] essentially stating they can reside in parks and other public land indefinitely without question.
[120] It also applies to RVs if parked legally.
[121] Now, the bill sponsors say it would allow city leaders to redirect cash from law enforcement into measures that would address homelessness and poverty, but obviously it's getting some pushback.
[122] Right.
[123] I was going to ask, what do the residents think about this?
[124] Is this a popular policy with locals?
[125] Overwhelming no, again, among business owners and neighbors especially.
[126] And it's also fairly certain that this bill won't pass.
[127] It has already missed a few deadlines, and according to the Daily Mail, more than 2 ,000 letters have been submitted in opposition to the bill compared to just 41 in support.
[128] So, yeah, that is significant.
[129] The bill essentially argues, quote, decriminalization of rest allows local governments to redirect resources from local law enforcement activities to activities that address the root causes of homelessness and poverty.
[130] But critics say it's just another example of a progressive policy designed to address the issues that actually makes things worse by enabling the problem.
[131] Now, the business community in particular is outraged because it would mean they can't ask individuals to move if a tent is set up on the sidewalk in front of their business.
[132] There's already concerned that if this bill passes, it would create another exodus out of cities like Portland.
[133] One resident, Carlin Scott, wrote a letter in opposition to the bill saying that giving the homeless legal protections actually strips residents of their rights to use these public spaces, parks and bike paths especially.
[134] Scott also wrote, Portland is struggling right now to retain residents and the increasing encroachment of homeless camps on our public lands is a big reason why we're losing residents.
[135] So in other words, a lot of these residents and business owners feel like the homeless have more rights than they do.
[136] Now, you've been reporting extensively from Portland recently.
[137] how would you describe the downtown areas these days?
[138] It really is like a tale of two downtowns.
[139] You have some spots that are immaculate.
[140] You have the high -end luxury department stores and cafes and restaurants.
[141] But you turn the corner.
[142] And it's just this stark contrast, this juxtaposition that is just so jarring.
[143] So on my most recent visit to Portland, you know, again, I saw the urban decay, rows and rows of tents.
[144] People passed out after smoking fentanyl.
[145] Again, the drug of choice now that's just.
[146] flooding the streets.
[147] Several addicts even offered me drugs and kind of gave me the breakdown on the type of fentanyl out there now.
[148] What is this?
[149] Rainbow Fetty.
[150] This is Red Dragon.
[151] Okay, so you have three different types of Fetti on this foil right now?
[152] Yeah, I don't believe.
[153] Line it with speed?
[154] Do you want to learn?
[155] No, I'm good.
[156] I don't, I don't do drugs.
[157] He just was blowing my mind.
[158] This was all happening on several busy streets in downtown Portland, right near food stands, parents walking by with children.
[159] And again, it just felt like this is now, normalized.
[160] One guy told me this was actually an improvement from last year.
[161] If you think this is bad, it should say to the last year.
[162] It's 10 times better than what at least being.
[163] There used to be rows of tents, and it was like a zombie man. Wow.
[164] All right.
[165] Well, Jonathan, thank you so much for coming on.
[166] No problem.
[167] That was Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jonathan Cho.
[168] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[169] Thanks for waking up with us.
[170] We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.