believe it we refine it and use it. it's the only place you can refine it because it's more tar than oil. we would not be playing games with venezuela they're sending people and they just put out a statement last week, we're not taking them back. they're sending people from jails and prisons and mental institutions. they say we're not taking them back. that wouldn't happen with the trump administration, that i can tell you. i want to thank everybody. i want to thank the governor and the entire group of people behind me and i would call them staff and i would call them representatives and generals, they are unbelievable people. the job they've done so quickly and so effectively and congratulations, congratulations to all of you guys, fantastic job, really. good job. thank you all very much. great honor. thank you. [inaudible] president trump: i hear he's not going to be leader and he's taking that step a lot of people are calling me

to politic for that particular job. would you like to be the leader? i think i might have to choose this guy. governor abbott: i'd rather be governor of texas. president trump: people were surprised by it. it's all going to work out, we'll end up with a great leader. i can't say that. a lot of good choices. i can say that. thank you very much. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> from eagle pass texas, we go live to brownsville, texas, where president biden is set to make remarks also at the u.s. southern border. live coverage on c-span. pres. biden: i think the american people should know how much combination of risk, work and dedication there is to try to get this done. anyway. amazing. it's amazing.

>> thank you. it's time for remarks and we first invite you to your seats, we'll escort you this way. pres. biden: ok. pres. biden: where am i going? >> right over there. pres. biden: again, thank you. as my mother would say, please excuse my back, i apologize.

folks. good afternoon. before we start i'd like to say a few words about the devastating wildfires that are scorching the texas up and downhandle and northwest oklahoma. -- texas panhandle and northwest oklahoma. yesterday, one of the biggest fire events in texas history, more than one million acres of texas land burned. from the start i directed my team to help protect people in the communities threatened by these fires. in response to specific requests from the state, we've already had more than 500 federal personnel here working on fire suppression. that includes depliment of 100 federal firefighters and more on the way. as well as dozens of additional fire engines, air tankers, small planes, helicopter, help fight the flames. and fema has already guaranteed that texas and oklahoma will be reimbursed for the cost of keeping folks safe.

we're grateful for the brave first responders risking their lives to save others. and we urge, we urge folks to listen to the warnings from local official, listen to them. i've flown over a lot of these wildfires since i've been president. as a matter of fact i've been in a helicopter in the northwest, southwest, flown over more land burned to the ground, all vegetation gone than the entire state of maryland in square footage. the idea that there's no such thing as climate change, i love that, i love some of my neanderthal friends who still think there's no climate change. my administration is going to keep building on the progress we've made, fighting climate crisis, and we're going to keep helping folks rebuild themselves in the wake of these disasters. we rebuild to the standards that are up to date standards. building codes and the rest. because a lot of -- if you fly over these arias that are burned to the ground you'll see 20

homes that are just totally destroy. one home sitting there, it had the right roof on it. anyway, since i took office, fema has given texas alone $13 billion. in disaster relief after fires and winter storms across the state. when disasters strike there's no red state or blue state where i come from. just communities and families looking for help so we're standing with everyone, everyone affected by these wildfires and we're going to continue to help, respond and recover. now turning to the purpose of my visit. i want to thank congressman gonzales, there you are, pal. [applause] thank you for the passport into the district. he's been a great partner. i also want to thank the mayor for his partnership and county judge trevino requester over -- for over 30 -- and over 30

officials who yoind us here today. no one works harder for a safe, secure border than all of you. secretary mayorkas has joined us today, he's joined by seven mayors in cities and towns across south texas. four county judges from across the state. i told a county judge, i used to be a county official and it's the hardest job in american politics, you know why? they think you can do everything and you don't have the budget. and state house leader trey martinez is here and state senate leader carol alvadero. to all the officials here, i want to say thanks. folks, it's simple. it's time to act. long past time to afnlgt i received a briefing from the border patrol at the border as well as immigration and enforcement. they're all doing incredible work under tough conditions. really tough conditions. they told me what -- you already know.

we already know. they desperately need more resources. say it again. they desperately need more resources. immediate more agents. more officers. more judges. more equipment. in order to secure our border. folks, it's time for us to move on this. we can't wait any longer. on my first day as president i introduced a bill i sent to congress. a comprehensive plan to fix the broken immigration system and to secure the border. but no action was taken. then months ago, my team began a serious negotiation with a bipartisan group of senators, democrats, republicans, it resulted in a compromise bill, the toughest set of border security reforms we have seen in thunt kri. it's pretty basic with this deal we could hire 1,500 additional border security agents. 1,500 additional officers. and between ports of entry, for the last four years, staffing

has been roughly that. flat. just flat. agents workingover time. spending lon hours patrolling the border. making major sacrifices. and i know it takes a big toll on them and their families. that's why in december i signed a bill, finally getting border patrol agents, i've been pushed and reminded by congressman, wherever time they pay deserve. finally getting overtime pay. it's ridiculous it took this long. it was long past time. i was proud to do it. but we need to do more. it's time to step up. it's time to step up and provide them with significantly more personnel and capability. we also need more immigration judges. help handle the backlog. two million cases. backlog of two million cases. this would provide funding for 500 more immigration judges immediately and establish a new efficient and fair process to

consider asylum claims for those arriving at our border. today the process to get a decision on an asylum claim takes five to seven years yowch all know it down here but the people around the country don't understand i. it's far too long. you say i have a credible fear and we change that standard to make it harder, we want to make it harder and what happens? you say well ok. you can go in the country but come back in five to seven years. maybe as many as eight years. and you'll get a hearing. come before a judge to determine whether you can stay. this will encourage more people this encourages more people to come to the country if they get by the first, say they've got another five, seven, eight years before that to do anything. because they know they cannot handle the case loads quickly. and they'll be able to stay in this country in the meantime. new policies in this bill, an additional 4,300 additional asylum officers will be able to reduce that process to less than six months. that would have a serious

deterrent effect on those coming north. when the criminal gangs say we'll get you north, but it's $8,000. you say let me get this straight. i'm going to go north. it's going to cost me $6,000 or $$8,000, probably closer to $8,000 equivalent. i'm going to get there and in six months they may be able to get rid of me. i don't know. six months, seven year two different things. the person thinking about sprg the united states understands, if a case that can be decided in weeks or months rather than five to seven year, they're less likely to come in the first place. they're not going to pay the cartels thousands of dollars to make that journey. knowing that, it will be turned around quickly. look, we also need more inspection machines to detect and stop fentanyl from entering the united states of america a year ago i stood at a border in el paso and watched the machines at work. they were able to detect everything from ninlt to weapons to people. being smuggled in cargo con

tapers. this compromise bill would provide an additional $424 million for 100 more of these machines and can save lives in the process. this compromise legislation will also give me as president, or the next president, emergency authority to temporarily shut down the border between ports of entry. when the numbers of imgrans and migrants, excuse me, overwhelm the border. starting -- straining the border patrol'sable to process. at the same time, at our legal poforts entry, like here in brownsville, we're making investments in infrastructure. my bipartisan infrastructure law is going to provaid nearly $4 billion new dollars to boost security to ease waiting times. at ports of entry like brownsville. i want to thank again congresswoman gonzalez -- congressman gonzalez helping me get that through, get that passed into law.

that's how you got the money from the gateway bridge from that fund. the bipartisan border security deal is a win for the american people. it's a win for the people of texas. it's for those -- it's a win for those who have a legitimate right to come here. it's a winner in people of brownsville. i believe that's why the border patrol unit endorsed it. i believe that's why the national chamber of commerce endorsed it. not known as a democratic organization with a capital d. that's why "the wall street journal" endorsed it as well. this is a truly bipartisan initiative. that's why the bipartisan south texas alliance of cities endorsed it. folks, i didn't get everything i wanted in that compromise bipartisan bill. but neither did anybody else. compromise is part of the process. that's how democracy works. that's how it's supposed to work. compromise is a very positive step on a critical issue for the country. all those issues for the country. folks here in brownsville and along the border know that.

we need to have their backs. your back. i want the people to understand clearly what happened here. this bill was -- went to the united states senate, on its way to being passed and was derailed by partisan politics. the u.s. senate needs to reconsider this bill and those senators who oppose it need to set poll takes side and pass it on merits, not on whether it's going to benefit one party or benefit the other party. it's whether it benefits the american people. it's what the american people deserve. the speaker of the house needs to put this bill on the floor. if he put it on the floor, unrestricted, it would pass. the majority of democrats and republicans, beau houses, support this legislation. until someone came along and said don't do that, it'll benefit the incumbent. that's a hell of a way to do business in america for such a serious problem. we need to act. it's time for the speaker and some of my republican friends in congress who are blocking this

bill to show a little spine. pass the bipartisan -- bipartisan -- conservative leaders supported this. border security bill. let's remember who we work for, for god's sake. we work for the american people. let me end with this. i understand my predecessor's at eagle pass today. here's what i say to mr. trump. instead of playing politics with this issue, instead of telling members of congress to block the legislation, join me. or i'll join you. in telling the congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill we can do it together. you know and i know it's the toughest, most efficient, most effective border security bill this country has ever seen. so instead of playing politics, why don't we get together and get it done. let's remember who we work for. we work for the american people. not the democratic party, the republican party we work for the american people and let's remember who we are. we are the united states of america. i mean it.

think about this. there's nothing, nothing beyond our capacity. nothing. when we work together. and if all -- an of all things we should be working together on, it's this. we have the formula to get it done. god bless you all. may god protect our border patrol and god protect our troops. now i'd like to turn it over to secretary mayorkas. [applause] secretary mayorkas: at the outset, i want to echo the president's words about the tragic fires in texas and oklahoma. we in the department of homeland security, especially our agency fema, are intensely focused on providing the support, resources, and assistance the impacted residents and communities need. we are grateful to the brave firefighters and other frontline emergency personnel as they combat the flames that continue

to burn. mr. president, thank you for visiting the men and women here at the border in brownsville, texas, who dedicate themselves to the safety and security of our country and the enforcement of our laws. the operational brief you received today demonstrated several crucial points. first, you were able to once again see up close the extraordinary talent, tireless dedication, and true heroism of our personnel who give so much of themselves every day, many at great personal risk, to secure our border, disrupt and dismantle dangerous cartels and smuggling operations, keep fentanyl out of our communities, rescue victims, and so much more. i'm incredibly proud of the men and women in and out of uniform who serve our country through their work for our united states department of homeland security. second, you heard about the

dynamic and channeling phenom knob of the -- phenomenon of the migration we face as the hemisphere and world face the greatest displacement of people since world war ii. at times last year, 30% of the encounters across our entire southern land border occurred in this rio grande valley sector. today, we discuss the dramatic change ours partners in the south have helped bring about by increasing their enforcement before people reach the united states border. third, you heard from d.h.s. leadership about how resource-starved we continue to be. only congress can address our desperate need for more border patrol agents, field operations officers, immigration enforcement agents and officers, asylum officers, immigration judges, support personnel, facilities, and technology. you can see the impact these

resources will have on our ability to strengthen our security, advance our mission to protect the homeland and enforce our nation's laws quickly and effectively. though congress has not yet provided the resources we need, d.h.s. will continue to enforce the law and work to secure our border. we have listened to our work force and leveraging every available asset, equipped them with new technology, logistical support, innovative tools, 11 new processing facilities and hundreds of additional processing coordinators and support personnel. we are removing and returning historic numbers of mie grants who entered illegally and failed to qualify for relief. just since mid may, we have removed or returned more such migrants than in any full fiscal year since 2015. we have provided asylum officers new authority to streamline the

asylum claims process, implemented regulatory changes that incentivize migrants to follow safe, orderly and lawful pathways and so much more. the importance of passing the bipartisan legislation to fix our broken immigration system and add much-needed resources cannot be overstated. nor can the heroism of our personnel who accomplish so much for our country with so much less than what they need and deserve. finally, mr. president, you heard about the difference that cooperation, collaboration, and communication between federal personnel and local officials can make in the efficient and effective enforcement of our laws. unlike texas governor abbott's efforts to undermine federal border enforcement, the leads for the brownsville serve as a

model of cooperation in addressing, together, the challenges that regular migration present. all in the service of this community and our country. thank you, mr. president, thank you to the public officials here at all levels of government, and thank you to the extraordinary public servants of the united states department of homeland security. it is now my pleasure to introduce congressman vicente gonzalez. [applause] mr. gonzalez: thank you all so much for being here. this afternoon. thank you secretary mayorkas. it is my honor to welcome president joe biden to the 34th congressional district of texas. let's give him a big, warm welcome. [applause] and we hope this is just the beginning of many more visits to our region, not only in this presidency but the next. we want to thank him for such critical conversations that we've had on issues that impact

us here and across the southern border but i can't go by without celebrating the recent over $300 million of infrastructure investment we have received here to our congressional district. when you travel across the valley you see massive infrastructure and roads and bridges but we have received a lot of resources in expanding our points of entry, our airports, $68 million to deepening and broadening the port of brownsville which will allow larger vessels to come in, and more projects to ensure we continue to compete globally in the next generation. secondly, i'd like to thank folks who are here today who understand that border security is not democratic or republican problem. it's an american problem that requires real, bipartisan solutions. that's why we enact legislation that enables us to hire more immigration judges, more infrastructure on our southern border and the bill that came

from the senate side, the bipartisan border security package, would do just that. it would fix many of the problems that are urging our southern border today. we need to continue with ideas like that. we need to assure that one former president and a partisan rogue group members of congress don't stop this progress and don't alleviate the pressure on our southern border. i continue to urge safe zones in the congress to create safe zones in places like guatemala and panama and possibly colombia where migrants can process their asylum claim thousands of miles from our southern border. and it takes the pressure off our southern border. and it assures that cartels don't continue to enrich themselves by trafficking people to our southern border. however, we cannot do this without a bipartisan cooperation. we need to ensure we continue to nudge that small rogue group members of congress, of republican members of congress, not all of them, a small group, that are putting the stop on

important legislation that could create -- take the pressure off our southern border and create improved conditions here in south texas and across our region. rest assured that i will continue to work with president biden and members of congress across the aisle to bring policies that will make things better for everyday americans, but also secure our southern border. thank you so much for being here. thank you to all the stakeholders that joined us this morning. i could not be more proud than to have all of you here today. god bless south texas, and god bless the united states of america. >> do you bear any responsibility -- >> my name is john and i am the mayor of the city of brownville. mr. president, thank you for euting our beautiful city. the largest city in the rio grande valley.

i believe i speak for all of the elected officials here when i say it's an honor to have you here. we stand united in our commitment to protect our communities. secure our border, and uphold our values. i'm a member of the south texas alliance of cities. a group of mayors from south texas communities. we work in partnership with the federal government, local law enforcement, and nonprofits to address the challenges created by the border issue. we understand the complexities, diversity of thought on possible solutions, and the compelling need to ensure immigration is not a wedge issue. as local leaders, we are responsible for our communities. our safety and well-being. we cannot play politics with this. i am proud of the work we have done in brownsville to help people entering the country. our approach, called the brownsville model, is as compassionate and humane as it is efficient. it prioritizes dignity and care.

for two years in a row, brownsville has been named one of the 20 safest cities in america. mr. president, all of us here are overworked and understaffed. in brownsville we have assisted over 240,000 migrants since 2021. our population is just below 200,000. from el paso to san antonio to brownsville we all need help. so do our federal partners. we cannot afford to wait. we need to pass the senate's promising bipartisan border bill you have championed. we have studied it and it will give cities critical re-- critical resources to respond humanely to the migrant challenges. it's a big deal to have the president of the united states in the rio grande valley. thank you for visiting beautiful brownsville, texas. thank you. [applause]

>> mr. president, do you bear any responsibility for laken riley's death? [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy visit ncicap.org] >> later today our campaign 2024 coverage includes nikki haley speaking to votes at a rally in falls church, virginia. one of 16 states holding primary contests next week for super tuesday. we expect to hear from the former governor at around 7:30 p.m. eastern. watch live on c-span. on the c-span now app. or online at c-span.org. >> today, watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail. a weekly roundup of c-span's campaign coverage. providing a one stop shop to

discover what the candidates across the country are saying to voters. along with firsthand accounts from political reporters, updated poll numbers, fundraising data, and campaign ads. watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail. today, at 7:00 eastern on c-span. online at c-span.org, or download as a phod cast on -- podcast on c-span now on our fee mobile app. c-span, your unfiltered view of politics. >> c-span's "washington journal," our live forum involving you to discuss the latest issue in government, politics, and public policy. from washington and across the country. coming up friday morning, we'll talk about government funding deadlines, border security, and usaid to israel and ukraine. first with illinois democratic congressman brad schneider, and florida republican congressman

john rutherford. and long time consumer advocate, author, and former presidential candidate raffle nader will talk about the presidential race and launch of his newspaper, capitol hill citizen. c-span's "washington journal," join in the conversation. live a7:00 eastern friday morning on c-span. c-span now. or online at c-span.org. >> a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this. it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work. when citizens are truly informed, our republic thrives. get informed straight from the source. on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are. because the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span, powered by cable. >> now thema