families were moved vulnerable populations at late-night hours which i believe is a good policy and i intend to reiterate it. >> thank you. i have heard from the faith community and advocates that they continued to see a significant impact on vulnerable families due to the policy that has not have a pressure valve policy. i received concerning reports that immigration enforcement which occurs at around courthouses deters women from seeking protection from the abuse orders were folks applying for relief from landlords and i just wondered what steps dhs is taking to assess the appropriateness of enforcement actions and to ensure they are only taking exceptional circumstances where there is some case specific justification rather than a broader range of

cases that deters access to justice and the terrors some of the important things i referenced. >> you are correct that courthouses have not been on the sensitive list. i know that some months ago i.c.e. determined to put courthouses in a special category of serving him some sort of special treatment. i agree that courthouses are special places in the nature of the church but i can readily see for reasons of public safety why any law enforcement officer would feel compelled to take action with regard to an individual in a courthouse. i've asked our folks to better develop an exception with regard to courthouses. >> thank you mr. secretary. we have also talked about customs and border in terms of overtime inspections related to agriculture. the port of wellington and many of the ports have folks who would like to pay overtime so

wenhold shiploads arrive they can get inspections in a timely fashion and this is subject to a very complicated interagency budgetary issue. my understanding is that you have made progress in terms of domination of the relevant regulations that would now allow fee increases for overtime services. is this something that to your understanding cbp i can specter's are able to work with the department on and we are hopeful we will make progress before this very busy upcoming fruit seasoned? >> i believe so. >> that would be great. last question if i might. cybermad crime is an area primary focus for you in the department. it causes enormous costs and negative impacts on our society. i recommend to you the role that the air national guard can play in terms of providing a qualified workforce that is able to be a resource both for national security purposes and

state and local preparation reasons. i just wondered how the national guard model fits into the department strategy for your strategy to meet the threat posed by cybercrime and potential cybersecurity threats. >> the air national guard. >> 166 warfare squadron. we welcome them anytime. >> that is a worthwhile and gray. >> thank you mr. secretary and i look forward to following up with you on all of these issues. >> thank you. >> i appreciate you being here. appreciate what you are doing and my question as you know comes from someone who is supportive of immigration reform as a member of the gang of a. i'm proud of the legislation we passed and i hope similar legislation or some legislation can pass the house and we can get this done. burgess for two follow up on

some of the questions of my colleagues on the motivation of people coming. when you look at the numbers it's just staggering as you have said and has created a humanitarian disaster. when we involve fema as you mentioned for something like this this note to disaster and we ought to be looking at the causes of the. we know some of the causes as you have explained. the economic situation in these countries, the drug activity and cartel on safety and gangs certainly leads to it. to reject out of hand which we seem to be doing that the perception of lacks enforcement is not a motivator in this regard. i think it is naïve at best and very destructive at worst. when you look at the numbers these are otm apprehensions or

other than mexican apprehensions mostly from the three countries are talked about. october of last year 14,000 during that month in november 14000 december 14000 january 12000 february 16000 so relatively straight and then comes march right around the time of the deportation review that was undertaken by the administration. word like this breds and word spreads that there will be a review of deportation and then marched otm states steady around 14,000 until march. then march 24000, april 26000 may 38000. can you just allow a little bit that there might be a perception

that lacks enforcement might be some motivator for people to come here? >> i can't control people's perceptions and i don't have a categorical sense of people's perceptions in central america. i do believe senator that what is principally motivating this migration are our issue noted the conditions in the central american countries. i also believe that people are aware that when their kids come into this country unaccompanied we are required by law to give them to hhs and hhs is required by law to act in the best interest of the child which very often means reuniting them with apparent. i think they know that. that is what the law requires us to go. to do. >> it did they do as well and when you look at the interviews the interviews are being conducted and you see the statements of people waving down

helicopters when they see a federal helicopter. waving them down and rushing to border patrol agents in saying take me. there is a perception, there is a perception of lacks enforcemeenforceme nt that will allow them to get a foothold here and that i would submit is one of the motivators and a big one and why we are having such a massive increase in unaccompanied minors and people from these countries we are talking about. i don't think this is a blow to your ego but what you say on these matters in those countries to these ambassadors or to the media outlets in guatemala or el salvador or honduras doesn't matter as much as what the president says and it would be extremely helpful in my view in the view of many in senator mccain and myself to send a letter to the president today pleading with him to make a statement to let people know that those who are coming now are subject to deportation back

the dhaka and these other rules that may be reviewed will not apply to people coming now. do you think of that would be a good idea for the president to make such a statement and for us to follow with public relations efforts in these countries? >> first of all nothing anymore is a blow to my ego. i do think a robust public relations campaign in some form is vital. i do agree with that. officials from their own countries or what have you. i do believe that a robust aggressive public relations campaign needs to be part of our strategy. >> i hope that is the case and i have many questions about what's going on in arizona. i was struck that one thing you said. you said you hoped the border patrol can go back to patrolling the border.

that's extremely disturbing to those of us within border states how many border patrol agents are being pulled from border patrol to process unaccompanied minors or others. what percentage of the forces being pulled away from those duties in arizona and texas? >> i don't have an exact or centage. i know we have had to search resources to process these kids. plainly there are still plenty of people on the border conducting border patrol activities and i believe that with the added resources we are getting from other agencies these folks are able to return full time to their normal responsibilities. >> it be close by saying i hope that the president and in particular u.s. will make such a statement ,-com,-com ma continue to make such a statement and then launch it public relations effort in these countries letting them know that the people who come here to be

subject to deportation. they will not be able to participate in either the policies that the administration has pursued or the legislation that this body the senate has passed and the congress will hopefully pass so thank you for your work. >> senator if i may one other thing i wanted to add senator flake trait i remember from the qfr's you send me the confirmation process the statements of your constituents the ranchers so one of the first things i did when i got into office and went to visit them in arizona and i think it's fair to say we had a good visit and a good conversation. i wanted to understand the border security concerns so i went down there and they are terrific bunch of people. >> let me just say they appreciate that. they told me that a night as she ate it in my office does. the manner in which you have answered questions. this is a departure from what we have seen before and i'm very happy to see that and then please with your response and

the seriousness with which you take this job so thank you. >> thank you mr. secretary. clearly all of us are concerned about the influx of unaccompanied minors crossing the border and it is a multifaceted problem with no easy solutions leading to a level of condition that you have to clear. i have to ask you in the coming weeks to work with me and other colleagues who are interested in enabling us to travel to see some of these facilities. i think that would enable us to better understand and grasp the enormous the of this crisis situation. turning to prosecute tory discretion, i'm looking at here morton memo which enumerates some 19 factors in exercising prosecutorial discretion regarding numerous immigration procedures including deportation

and of the 40,000 or so deportation that dhs is carrying out each year you have data on how many of these are people who are being deported who could receive prosecutorial discretion exercise of prosecutorial discretion based on things such as family ties or community ties >> there are ways to make that statistical assessment and we are in the midst of doing that right now is part of my review of our enforcement policies. i think the data in years past has not been as clear as it could be. one of the things i would like to do is to make the data clear, be a little more forthcoming each year and correlate the data to the individual priorities in the morton memo so you have a clear sense for whether somebody is being removed a priority one,

priority two or priority three so i think we can do better job there. i think we need clear guidance so when you say the morton memo for example it's unclear to me whether you refer to the march memo or the june memo of 2011 or a whole other series of memos. >> there are various iterations of enabling your agents pretty much across-the-board to exercise prosecutorial discretion. and so i would really like to understand of the 400,000 or so deportations who actually are being deported. for example i get concerned when recent reports indicate that i.c.e. field offices in detroit are placing people with strong family ties without any criminal record into deportation proceedings so it's kind of reminiscent of what has been coming out regarding the veterans administration. it's one thing to have a policy directive such as the morton memo but it's another as to what is actually going on out in the

field and the exercise of that discretion. i recognize that the border memo also says that these are guidelines that your agents can prosecute people who are here illegally but i think in terms of scarce resources and the establishment of priorities and how we had to be enforcing our laws it would be good for us to have that rate down from you so i would like to request it. >> one of the things from my department of defense experience is clear guidance is indispensable. you don't issue clear guidance to the field and how it's implemented well not look at all like what you intended. there will be whatever they issued new guidance. they socialize train to the field down the chain of command so i've spent a lot of time talking to our workforce about how to better implement policy

changes that are issued in washington how to socialize them and i'm determined to do a better job. >> good. my understanding is that under the talk of programs some 500,000 young people have come forward to participate and many of them are now in the renewal process i believe decodes dog has to be removed -- renewed every two years. understand your department is suggesting that applicants apply for renewal up to four months before the expiration of their two-year term. and now that is to give them enough time so there is no gap which would subject them to deportation and other actions. what is your department doing to ensure that renewals are handled expeditiously and what is your department planning to do is -- if processing leads to access

and status? >> we have been preparing for this for some time now and one of the things we are doing is we are not requiring individuals to submit all the same documentation they submitted two years ago unless there has been some new event in their life like a criminal conviction or something but we are not requiring individuals to go back and submit the very same paperwork all over again. you are correct that we had over 600,000 applicants two years ago about 500 applications were granted and that's a large number of people that we are able to get through the system. so i believe in the renewal process that good work will continue. >> i would like to stay in touch with you regarding how that is going because half a million, that's a lot of people. thank you very much.

>> it is senator lee. excuse me. >> thank you madam chair and thank you secretary johnson for joining us today. you have got a tough job. one attribute of this administration that has caused a lot of people concerned is a tendency of some to observe the administration to in effect modified existing statute by executive fiat sometimes the executive order, other times through executive memorandum within a particular department. now as you know in youngstown versus sawyer justice jackson came up with this three-part analysis that is pretty simple

and can be applied to a lot of circumstances and is reiterated by the court and a the basic analysis is that having category 1 when the president asks pursuant to authorization by congress his power is said to be at its zenith. his power is said to be at its twilight in a twilight zone or it can be a little bit unclear whether the president acts either in the absence of a particular congressional authorization or in the absence of a particular congressional prohibition. the president's authority justice jackson explained is at its lowest ebb when the president acts in a manner that is inconsistent or prohibited by congress and the statutory directive. now using a recent prosecutorial

discretion the morton memoranda that we -- was described earlier and the daca program had been criticized as an effort to mount a de facto legislative implementation of certain legislative proposals that were considered and rejected by congress. the congress has not ever adopted because as implemented they effectively i am told or are telling agents if an immigrant meets these certain qualifications and if these characteristics are present we don't want you enforcing the law would you agree that if that is the case to the extent that assuming hypothetically it would be the case where would that put us in justice jackson's three-part analysis? >> first of all i wrote a paper

in law school. my recollection is the decision of the supreme court and 79 or 80. >> 81, close. >> yeah. what you laid out i have quoted often when i was the senior lawyer for the department of defense and the war powers context. the president's war powers are at their zenith when he is committing a military pursuant to the statutory authorization and so we construe the amuf a lot. although i was general counsel of the department of defense i see the morton memo and i believe the morton memo guidance could be clearer but i very much believe in the notion of prosecutorial discretion and in my conversations with the ero workforce we have all agreed

that it should be devoting their time and effort and resources that they have two going after enforcing the worst of the worst and the question is how do you do that? how do you find the worst of the worst and where do you draw the line? >> and of course that is what prosecutorial discretion is necessary because we have scarce government resources and in can't expect them to do it all. normally as you know based not only on the position you now hold and in your position with the department of defense and assistance district attorney it leaves the sip it significant amount of discretion to the prosecutor's boss. there is such a directive as i'm told that directive is being carried out in this fashion where you have agents on the

ground being told do not enforce the law in this entire category. that's a little bit different than prosecutorial discretion is in that? isn't that a mandate not to enforce the law? >> no. when i was that ausa in the southern district of new york in 1889 and 90 and 91 there would be a big push toward the end to try to get over 1000. you can do that very easily if you prosecute a lot of marijuana cases but we were not focused on marijuana. we work focused on the crack epidemic going on in new york city and if we focused on marijuana cases we would get to 1005 months by the march probably but that would not do the most effective enforcement of our federal narcotics laws. so i think that principle translates into the removal enforcement contacts and i believe very much that you can

and you ought to be able to do that. the question is how or where do you draw the line and prioritize and where you don't. i don't think that necessarily amounts to and i don't believe it has amounted to just clearing off limits large categories of people. >> understand the point and i see my time has expired so i need to wrap up here but my concern is that when you have a national memorandum with the national impact and agents i'm informed are being told on the ground do not enforce the law where these circumstances are present that is meaningfully legally constitutionally different than what you described where an individual office has only so many prosecutors in so many agents and so many resources to devote. they maintain some true discretion to decide how win and to what extent to enforce laws

in what circumstances are going to trigger the use of those resources. again what we are talking about here is a national memorandum that i'm told is being implemented nationally and the way so as to just write off the entire provisions of federal law to the extent that is happening that is very troubling and very different than what you described. thank you mr. chairman. i see my time has expired. >> thank you. senator durbin. >> thank you. secretary johnson thanks for being here. i would like to address an aspect of the unaccompanied children's issue. i don't know if it has come up during the course of this hearing. i think it should. there are undoubtedly many reasons these children are crossing the border. an l.a. times writer won a pulitzer prize for her book enrique's journey. that book explained what she believed to be the reason why 75% of the children were coming

across the border. she was referring to some 48,000 children as young as seven years of age crossing our border over half of them by themselves and the reason they were crossing the border was not on its face obvious. it was not something said by the president or congress or politicians are the things that might first come to mind. they were looking for their mothers, looking for their mothers. and that i believe has led them to do things that are unimaginable to those of us with children or grandchildren. to think that he child as young as seven would hop a freight train and what they found as a result of looking at this at the university of houston they found that these kids as they were coming into the united states for cold, hungry helpless half of them unaccompanied hunted by

animals by corrupt police and units. most of them abroad beat and raped usually several times. some killed in some maimed by these -- that to me cannot be overlooked in this conversation. before we start asking her pronouncements from the president by the stop as reflected as fathers and grandfathers about these babies and these children who are desperate to find their mothers in america. if this is not a searing indictment of our broken immigration system and the need for change i can't think of anything that is. i want to thank senator flake. he and i sat together for many months working on a comprehensive immigration bill and the took and gave back and forth and your heart is in the right place senator senator. do we make commodity little differently on this issue i know where you are because you and i

both voted for that bill. now we have got to pass that bill but in the meantime some things are happening. he came to see me on your path to this position. i asked you for two things. i ask you to come to a detention facility to meet those who are about to be deported from the united states and you said you would. on friday you are going to a broad view illinois at the extension facility just outside of chicago. i will be there to greet you on that visit and you will meet with some local people and share your thoughts about the current deportation policy. the president has said he wants congress to act on conference of immigration reform and he is basic and withholding decisions that can be made that the executive in the hopes that congress will do this before the end of july. in the meantime i hope you are in the process of reviewing our deportation policy. what can you say to us today about these deportations? >> first i look forward to

visiting a detention center in chicago. the whole reason i'm going is because you mentioned this to my when we had our first visit together and i believe very much in the role that i should have viewing arc conditions. the one we are going to friday is not the first one i have been to. as i mentioned in my opening statement i have been to mccellan station texas with my wife who is sitting right there, to see these children on mother's day and one of them told me something almost exactly like what you said. i asked her where's your mother? she said i don't have a mother. i'm looking for my father in the united states so i've encountered this in a very personal way and i understand it the review that i am undertaking is comprehensive. i'm talking to our workforce about our policies and how they

believe we can more effectively implement our policies and i'm also talking to large groups of people on the outside across the spectrum on better more effective fair enforcement policies. i believe we can do a better job. i believe they can have clear guidance and i believe we can better train it to the workforce so what we intend to be implemented is in fact implemented and that is my overarching goal senator. >> i thank you for that and the statistics that comebacks in just over 40% of those deported have no criminal record. at least that was the case a few years ago. those with criminal records i am not pleading for. they have lost their right as far as i'm concerned to be even considered at this point that those without terminal records and technical immigration violations many times were searching for families.

many american families are in that household. families and spouses are broken up and i think we are better than that. keep our country safe and keep our laws but enforce them in a way that is truly -- and i thank you for your public service. >> thank you senator. senator cruz. >> thank you mr. chairman and mr. secretary thank you for being here. thank you for your service. there is no job more important in the administration than protecting our homeland so i appreciate your service to this very important role. i would note as we discuss immigration i myself am the son of an immigrant from cuba and i'm a passionate advocate for legal immigration. indeed there is no stronger advocate for illegal immigration in the u.s. senate than i am. but at the same time i think much of the discussion of

immigration ignores, disregards the humanitarian crisis that is caused by illegal immigration. as you know i represent the state of texas and the state of texas immigration is not something abstract and theoretical that we read about in the newspapers. immigration that is texans we deal with every day and ill legal immigration is texans we deal with every day. the humanitarian crisis that comes from our failure to secure the borders is staggering. in 2013 the border patrol reported emergencies and crimes it encountered and most of the cases were those who came here illegally where the victims so there were 2346 rescues. 461 assaults and foreign 45 deaths. indeed last year i received a letter from wanted my constituents in burks county of veterinarian who has worked with

ranchers, texas ranchers mexican ranchers whose entire life. this veterinarian wrote quote i live in a burks county ranch with my wife. in 2012129 bodies of deceased illegal aliens were found in our county on private ranch land. most of those bodies were found within 15 minutes of our front door in any given direction. we believe those bodies represent only 20 to 25% of the actual number of illegal immigrants dying in this area. in one week of last july i personally rescued 15 people most central americans that were lost or close to dying from dehydration and heat exhaustion. that same week i found a deceased person that have been laid across, iii road in order to be found. he was the 31-year-old man from el salvador. this is a human attorney crisis.

we have a legal system in place that is failing to secure the border and is incentivizing people crossing illegally and secondly we have in particular a humanitarian crisis with respect to unaccompanied minors. that is a crisis that is in direct consequence of policies of the obama administration. in 2011 there were roughly 7000 unaccompanied minors that were apprehended. in 2012 that number rose to 14,000. in 2013 it rose to 24,000 in 2014 your agency is estimating it's going to be as high as 90,000. in 2015 the administration is estimating it will rise all the way to 145,000. it's important to understand what these numbers represent. these numbers represent childree

girls that their parents are handing over not to some noble social worker trying to help them. they are handing over to international global criminal cartels that smuggle human beings in. they put these kids among other places on top of fast-moving freight trains. these are criminals who sexually assaulted and physically assault and do sometimes murdered these children. these are little girls that are sometimes being sold into prostitution and sex slavery. mr. secretary you testified to this committee that the increase is a result of violence in central america. there are surely violence in central america but if you look at the statistics in particular you can see where they were. these were unaccompanied minors

in 2011 in 2012. midway through 2012 is when the administration illegally granted amnesty. you can see shortly after that the numbers spike dramatically. is it really your testimony that granting amnesty to some 800,000 people became ill legally as children had no effect in causing a dramatic increase in children being handed over to international cartels to be smuggled in here illegally? >> first daca is not amnesty. it is deferred action. second daca applies only to people that who came into this country as children prior to june 2007. that was seven years ago. daca does not apply to anybody who comes into this country today, tomorrow or yesterday.

the earned path to citizenship contemplated in the senate bill does not apply to anybody who comes into this country today tomorrow or yesterday. it applies to people who came into this country by year-end 2011. i believe senator that the primary motivator for the reason for this spike in migration and i'm not a sociologist. i'm not an expert. as the situation the senator durbin and others have laid out in these countries. >> mr. secretary my time has expired man with all due respect in my view that argument is a red herring. that argument explains why we have seen an increase in central america and immigration to be sure because the problems and challenges those nations are basing but it doesn't explain the unaccompanied minors. in 2011, 15% of the otm's of the mexicans ever had were unaccompanied minors in 2014 that numbers one to 37%. there's nothing about the violence in central america that

will cause people to be handing over their children little girls and little boys separately. it will cause more people from central america to compare but not the kids and i'll say this in closing because my time has expired. it has been widely with porter that president obama the administration is contemplating yet another amnesty like daca two years ago a couple of months for the upcoming election and i will save you and i will urge you to pass on to the president that i think that would be a great mistake. i think it would be contrary to rule of law and i think granting yet another amnesty would result in those numbers going even higher and would result in more little girls and little boys being subjected to violence and horrific dangerous conditions and it would be a serious mistake for us to go down that road. thank you. >> thank you senator cruz.

senator schumer. >> thank you. thank you secretary johnson. i'm very glad you were there and you're off to great start and i wouldn't expect anything less from a new yorker although i heard senator menendez claims you are a new jersey and so we will have to share your heritage or whatever you call it. >> i pay taxes in both jurisdictions. >> good or not so good. i don't know how we answer that one. anyway earlier this year due to backlogs at uscis it was taking a year to process the i won 30 applications. that is where u.s. citizens petition to bring their immediate relatives from foreign countries spouses minor children. earlier this year is into a letter on this issue and you did a great job in relieving some of the backlog that i still have several cases in my office where men and women in uniform have had to wait up to a year to be reunited with their relatives.

i think it's unfair that our veterans are getting caught in the backlog. they more than anyone else's or to be reunited with loved ones and their support system as soon as possible so the backlogs at uscis tend to increase and decrease depending on world events but i think there should never be a time when veterans have to wait more than six months to reunite with their families. would you be willing to commit to creating a special process are making sure they average processing time for i won 30 veterans never takes longer than six months? >> i move where of your interest in this issue. i do believe that we should do everything we can to make life easier for our veterans those who served in uniform and i think we should pay attention to their situation. >> six months i don't know

whether that is feasible. i will talk to my staff about this issue and i agreed that we should work to help you. >> to you agree with the concept of expediting things for our veterans? >> yes sir creates be okay thank you. next they parochial issue but one of great importance to the western portion of my state. the buffalo bills. what do they have to do with you? you will find out in a minute. the buffalo bills are important economic engine to the west and your community that many other of their fans are in canada did but do not come to the games as the traffic on game days. in other words a normal sunday, chavez but when the hill's games there's a huge amount of traffic and yet the staffing levels at

the order did not take that into account so we have huge backlogs and people get stuck on them and they miss the game. you have done a great job adding new agents to the ports of entry in western new york. we talked about it and you acted on it and i thank you for that. the question now is whether with these new agents and resources can we make it easier for canadians to attend those games on the eight sundays of the year in which the games aren't buffalo? it would be a huge boost to western new york's economy specifically. can we do things like making sure we have premiums staffing on the peace bridge during the three hours before the game on game days and having created -- having dh is created so that the bills game so fans can sign up and conduct nexus interview so they can use the nexus lanes for

future games which would speed things up for everybody. bringing them to bills games would make it easier for thousands of fans to get their cards and the next thing finally would you agree to meet with whoever the next owner is. we are looking for new owner of the bills and we are working hard myself and the congressional delegation the governor the county executive and the mayor to make sure the bill stay in buffalo. we are going to have a new owner and one of the things i would be helpful is if you would agree to meet with the next owner to devote a conference to plan to float the speed of traffic over the border on game day. >> my answer concerning getting bills fans to bills games depends entirely on who they're playing. just kidding. >> it they don't win that much. we wish they would win more. >> senator i think you know i have spent a lot of time working on expediting travel across the northern border. the peace bridge. i've been to detroit.

i've been to port huron looking at the backlog over the bridge and candace miller's district so i appreciate the importance of expediting travel across the few bridges we have on the northern border and i want to help out the situation there. whether it's meeting the bills owner are not i would be happy to meet the bills owner at some point but i want to work with you on this. >> would you look into these two things aside from the premiums staffing on game days, not all day but just the hours before the game and the possibility of having dhs do a nexis stadium -- nexus nexa setup that the bill stadium. >> as you know we have limited numbers of people. >> idea but because of our increase in the budget and because you were good enough to

put some of them on the niagara we have more than we did before which makes it possible to do these things. bank you mr. chairman. >> thank you senator schumer. i have a number of questions for you and i think senator flake has a few questions and that will probably end our hearing and thank you for your patience and most importantly thank you for your service. in march of this year you may or may not recall i wrote to you about the detention policies and practices your agencies and i express a number of concerns regarding the detention of literally hundreds of thousands of people. i.c.e. broke a record in 2012 by detaining 447,000 people. that's five times the number detained 20 years ago and i know that you are hearing from both sides of this issue and the contention we have heard this morning i think emphasizes the

importance of passing immigration reform so that we can address many of these questions. my concern is expressed in march essentially dealt with the excessive attention of longtime lawful permanent and asylum seekers who are kept in detention without any opportunity to appear before a judge of orb the constitution requires bond hearing to protect detainees rights as you well know so thousands of immigrants is a real concern for many of us including myself. let me reiterate the question that i asked. is there a way for the department of homeland security to work with the department of justice to provide for

immigration bond hearings to all individuals detained by the department after no more than six months of detention at the time the united states supreme court has presumptively reasonable? >> senator i remember your letter and i hope i have responded to it by now. i if i have and i apologize. >> responded to it mr. secretary buts or i should correct myself, you did not personally. the agency did and the person of thomas winkowski who said in effect and i may not be doing full justice to the letter that the issues raised in my letter quote require consultation with our partners at doj including the executive office for immigration review. that was back again in mid-april.

>> there is a case in the ninth circuit rodriguez that was decided last year and it is under review right now in doj ended dhs. we are considering whether to petition first certain in the case and that directly implicates this issue. there is a mandatory dissensions statute for certain categories of individuals and my understanding in the rodriguez case issa says after a six-month period there should be on hearing in certain circumstances. the case is under review right now. my general view is that we need to enforce statutes unless and until they are declared unconstitutional a the case is under review right now so it's

something we are actively looking at. >> in my view mr. secretary you have that description right now. the statute doesn't require that you denied bond hearings. in fact the better view of the policy here i would suggest in my letters that you grant the hearings and let me also say that the other question raised is whether the definition of custody can be expanded to include alternatives to detention, alternatives that would prevent flight where detainees are not in any way a risk to public aid. so those are two proposals that i have advanced, not original to

me that would comply with the statute. it would require a court decision. you wouldn't implicate a necessity for you to wait for a court decision. >> i'm aware of that question about the definition of custody. i recall that you asked that question and i know it's under review right now. this type of issue i can't do anything without lawyers. >> and i'm not going to press you because i can sense from your response that you -- well let me put it this way. i hope that you will get back to me about these issues in a timely way and let me ask you finally, i have heard from a great many connecticut constituents whose parts of

their families are here legally and sometimes their children are worn here. sometimes they have children who were brought here as infants or very young children and have been granted daca status. they live in fear of having parents siblings or children are ported. i would like to ask you the question that has been asked in slightly different terms maybe with a different viewpoint. are you considering expanding daca to include more young people who were brought here as children and to have deep ties to our communities that may not be under the present daca documents. ..

>> >> my hope is congress will act. >> mine also. >> we share that view but if it fails to do so i would strongly urge that action

date expanded. >> i appreciate your indulgence but before id that talking about motivation for people coming here you believe the primary motivation is the situation in these countries but i have to say that conflicts with the internal and released documents that i believe you have a copy of now we're interviews were done in the rio grande valley by others interviewing to lead to a dirty -- 230 when this report was released asking the main purpose to'' the report to determine the factors compelling to

migrate to the united states had it says of those the 230 they stated family members urging them to travel a media the because united states government was only issuing immigration through the end of 2013 obviously it is bad information but they believe there is lax enforcement or a new program that needs to be addressed to let people know that is not the case the issue was the main reason provided by 95% of the interview did subjects. to talk about the primary reason that seems more of the uproar very reason they and the economic course security situation in the

second was due gang-related violence but 95 percent listed as the prior very reasons some expectation of a program to allow them to stay. so i would plead with the administration the president needs to state unequivocably those who come cannot stay stay, they will not qualify under daca or any other program that in a deportation policy will review that i think would be incredibly helpful. >> if you could relay that message back'' we will try to do so as well but with regard to arizona for people to be pulled off the line as many as 200 border patrol

officers are being utilized to process the phillies and unaccompanied children that will pull people off the line. water redoing with additional resources for arizona? >> i believe a number of things, as senator including reassigning people from within the interior. i king get back with a more detailed breakdown it is possible an agent could be involved in the processing of a migrant near the border even with regular circumstances but no doubt the surge has required we reallocate to and ask people to do things they don't normally do with their responsibilities as we try

to restore the equilibrium that the border security personnel on need to focus on border security i am the first one to acknowledge that. and a number of people have referred to if i have not seen it dido know how reliable is i assure 10 seconds after i walked out somebody will put it into my hands i just don't know how reliable it is for crier agree with the senator that the seven year old child principal motivation is the circumstances they are living and -- leaving want to be with their mothers to read but not many are climbing on a bus or a trade alone from guatemala it is usually kids older than that

also ice is responsible to take a feebly unit to put them on a bus stop with that was going on in arizona. is that happening any more? >> might understanding is with regard to nogales the individuals we are sending there are the unaccompanied children who are under the of law have to go to hhs whether it is possible to send more family units i cannot rule that out but since about june 1st we have been sending principally if not exclusively the unaccompanied children for processing. >> with the order to appear at some plaintiff in time what care is taken to ensure

that is a family unit? we your anecdotal evidence that i belong to that family then they get to the bus stop to say see you later is ice required to do do diligence? >> dire sure there is some type of protocol to insure a of a group of people claiming to be a family unit to our but i don't know what that is. >> take you for your indulgence. >> thank you mr. secretary of a close the hearing it will be kept open for one week thank you for your service and testimony today. thank you. [inaudible conversations]

washington nearly begins life seven eighteenths turn on c-span. -- trade reach $1 trillion in 2011 making the u.s. mexico's top trading partner. today the wilson center's mexico institute hosts a discussion on

trade and commerce between the two countries. see it live at 12/25 p.m. eastern on c-span3. >> we will need to learn again how to work together, how to compromise, how to make pragmatic decisions. any upcoming midterm elections americans will have choices to make about which path they want to go down and whether it will make investments we need in our people. i will leave that discussion to others. but for a lot of us in the private and nonprofit sectors, we have work to do. government doesn't have a monopoly on good ideas, obviously it even if it wanted, he couldn't and shouldn't try to solve all the problems by itself. we have responsibility to do what we can. >> hillary clinton's latest book is called hard choices, after time the secretary of state and

our experiences their shape review of the future, friday live on c-span2. both events will re-air saturday night starting at 8:30. >> next, the senate foreign relations committee holds a confirmation hearing for several ambassador nominees, including qatar, iraq and egypt. it's one hour 50 minutes. >> this hearing will come to order. our first title today with nominees for u.s. ambassador to syria chip, iraq, and qatar. in egypt, on sunday, former minister of defense field marshall sisi was sworn into office. but, as we all know, a

sustainable democratic transition is about more than elections. i remain concerned by the state of media repression in egypt, intimidation and detention of activists, mass death sentences, and the disproportionate use of force by egypt's security services. that said, the people of egypt have taken to the streets to protest successive governments, and there is no reason not to expect protests again if the sisi government is unable to deliver on its promises. ultimately, my goal is to find a way forward for the u.s.-egypt partnership, which means maintaining the peace treaty between israel and egypt and a strong defense and counterterrorism partnership. when it comes to assistance, continued u.s. aid must be based on the totality of our shared interests and this now includes the egyptian government taking steps toward a sustainable democratic transition. this is not only my view, but a legal requirement of the 2014 omnibus appropriations act. that said, i look forward to hearing ambassador beecroft's views.

in iraq, while political leaders are deal-making to form a government, the iraqi people are not benefiting from their country's increased oil output, and the conflict continues to surge in western iraq as the spill-over from syria has enabled the islamic state of iraq and syria to take hold. clearly, we must continue to support iraqi security forces, but i'm concerned by reports that they have been using barrel bombs in their operations. serious questions remain unanswered, iraq's role in syria, the activities of iraqi shia militias fighting with assad's security forces, iranian influence in iraq, and the commitment of the iraqi government to protect the residents of camp liberty until we can conclude a resettlement process. ambassador jones, i look forward to your perspective and analysis. qatar presents another set of issues. we all have questions about the context of the negotiations, the qatari government's role in facilitating the talks, and its commitments regarding the status

of the taliban detainees. but qatar's multi-faceted, strategic importance goes far beyond its facilitating role in the bergdahl/taliban deal. so i sincerely hope that this hearing does not degenerate into a political debate that demands answers the nominee does not have and ultimately holds-up the process, leaving us with no ambassador on the ground to enforce the terms of the agreement. this is not the time to debate those terms. it's time to confirm an ambassador who will enforce them. i look forward to hearing from you what she sees as her role, if confirmed, on monitoring this commitment and i want to make it clear that congress will play an active oversight role on this issue. that said, i look forward to hearing from the nominee on the many facets of qatar's broader strategic importance. with that let me turn to senator corker for his comments. >> thank you, mr. chairman.

thanks to all three of you for your desire to serve in this way. we obviously have three very qualified nominees, and going to very, very important places. and i think the lesser degree in qatar but certainly to a degree, there are two issues that overwhelmingly will affect the service of both ambassador jones and ambassador beecroft. and that is the black hole we have right now in syria. i know both of you have already experienced that in the countries in which you're serving right now and the fact that we have never really put in place any kind of policy or strategy or even laid out what our objectives are clearly, and that's obviously having a very destabilizing effect on iraq and jordan were both of you have been. we also have a situation where this just no regional strategy.

you know, the administration unfortunately continues to hide behind classified briefings and those kinds of things. and is unable to lay out a coherent strategy for the region. and so again, all three of you in places where that is created significant difficulties. and again i thank you for your service. egypt since 2011 there's been no stabilization there. the country is really no better off relative to many of the issues that we care about than it was. i do have hope, a greater hope, that action just mentioned for egypt going forward. and i know that they are very important relationship for our country. iraq, we are continuing daily the devolution that's taken place there, you can feel it on the ground, the lack of involvement that we've had in helping shape things on the ground. it's very, very and parents and

i know we'll talk about that during q&a. and in qatar because of our unaccountability or lack of desire or just whatever, in taking a lead relative to this area, this year in opposition, qatar has taken a role that has been unhealthy. i understand that maybe tapering back some now but that's a very, very important relationship. so i look forward to our questions and answers. i want to thank each of you again for the lives you have led that it may choose to qualify for the positions that you are a semi-to edit thank you for being here today. >> thank you, senator corker. let me again welcome our first panel of nominees, all decorated career foreign service officers. none is a stranger to demanding, consuming, critical assignments both domestically and abroad, and we thank them and their families for their past service and their willingness to serve again in very challenging roles. let me introduce them. they are robert stephen beecroft to be ambassador to egypt, stuart e. jones to be ambassador to iraq, and dana shell smith to be ambassador to qatar.

ambassador beecroft has undertaken difficult assignments in the most critical countries for u.s. national security and strategic interests. he is a career foreign service officer with the rank of minister-counselor, and currently serves as ambassador at the u.s. embassy in baghdad. stuart e. jones, also no stranger to demanding assignments in the most strategic, pressing areas for the united states, is a career foreign service officer with the rank of career minister. he is currently serving as our ambassador in amman, jordan, and has served twice as a deputy chief of mission, in baghdad, and in our u.s. embassy in egypt. a dana shell smith, truly a global diplomat, served throughout the world in her capacity as a public affairs officer. she too is a career foreign service officer, rank of minister-counselor, and currently serves as senior advisor to the under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs. so let me thank you. let me join senator corker in thank you all for service both past and moving forward in the future. we have a large audience than we

normally have for nominees was have for nominees wisdom that maybe there may be some family members or friends. if they are here with you, we would urge you to introduce them to the committee when you have your time to testify. we understand and appreciate that families are a big part of the sacrifice in the service, and we honor their willingness to have you be willing to serve our country as they themselves pay sacrifice as result of the. your full statement will be included in the record, without objection. so we ask you to summarize your openings in about fibers are so so we can enter into a dialogue with you. and with that we will start off with you, ambassador beecroft, ambassador jones and then moved to ms. smith. >> thank you very much chairman menendez, ranking member corker, other members of the committee to i am honored to appear before you today as a presence am new to serve as u.s. ambassador to

the arab republic of egypt. i am deeply grateful to president obama and secretary kerry for the support and confidence, and if confirmed i look forward to working closely with you and other members of congress to advance the interests of the united states. i'm also pleased to share this hearing with my colleagues, stuart jones and dana smith. i look forward to working closely with them on the many issues facing the united states and middle east. mr. chairman, i was been much but for working in the middle east including assignment in syria and saudi arabia and as ambassador to jordan into iraq. my experience is maybe acutely aware of egypt strategic importance inside and outside the region and the need for effective use engagement with egypt. as the most populous arab country, egypt represents fully a quarter of the arab world. it also hosts the arab league. its long-standing culture influence importance as an opinion leader and bellwether for trends across the region is well known. egypt is the third largest market for u.s. goods and services in the middle east, and the united states is the second

largest source of foreign direct investment in egypt. approximately 8% of global maritime commerce flows through the suez canal every year, and a total of 427 u.s. flagged vessels, including over 85 u.s. military vessels, moved over 1.9 billion tons of cargo through the suez in 2013. i cannot stress enough the importance of egypt's upholding of its peace treaty with israel which has delivered over 35 years of stability to the region. after repeated conflicts beginning in 1948, the two countries have not seen more since 1973. conditions in egypt have implications for the security of israel and our allies in the air world and beyond. increased instability in egypt would not only open space for violent extremist strongholds but also encourage migrant flight. it would threaten global commerce with an ensuing ripple effect on international economies. for these reasons and more we are crucial interest in egypt, preserving regional peace instantly with israel and all of

egypt's neighbors, countering the transnational threats of terrorism and weapons trafficking, creating economic prosperity and increase opportunities for foreign investment, and building inclusive, democratic institutions and civil society that deter the emergence of violent extremism and form the bedrock of prosperous, equitable economic growth. as president obama said in his may 20 address at west point, support for human rights and democracy goes beyond idealism. it is a matter of national security. while views on how to venture interest in egypt may differ, there is agreement that egypt's success as a secure, prosperous, pluralistic and democratic state remains vitally important to the united states. if confirmed i commit to work with congress to help achieve this goal in promote a constructive u.s. egypt partnership that furthers our interest. i want to commend the american personnel and local staff under u.s. mission who have been doing a courageous and typical work during a tumultuous time. the missions remain actively engaged with egyptian government

official, political parties and civil society, 12 cabinet level agencies at the commission our fancy our national secure the objectives, protecting the welfare of american citizens and business, and pursuing her work with the government and people of egypt. if confirmed as ambassador, i look forward to joining in their efforts. it is a distinct honor to be nominated by presiden presidento serve as your some bastard to egypt, and i thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. chairman menendez, ranking member corker, i look forward to answering any questions you or members of the committee may have. thank you very much. >> ambassador jones? >> thank you, mr. chairman, ranking member corker, members of the senate foreign relations committee. i'm deeply honored today to appear as president obama's nominee to be the united states ambassador to the republic of iraq. i am grateful to the president and to the secretary for the confidence in me, if confirmed, i will work closely with you to advance u.s. goals in iraq.

i look forward to building on the excellent work of my predecessor and friend, ambassador steve beecroft, who is of course here today. underline toshiba's panel with dana smith, valued colleague of many years. with your permission, mr. chairman, i would like to introduce my daughter, dorothy jones, a rising sophomore at duke university. she flew up from atlanta to be with me today. my wife, barbara, and two sons are in amman. i'm grateful that my family has been gained for every new posting. mr. chairman, i am both humbled and thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as chief of mission at the american embassy baghdad. one of our largest and most complex diplomatic missions. i served in iraq twice as you mentioned, and a structure for iraqi affairs on the national security council. these jobs have helped me to prepare for the complexity and challenges of the assignment ahead. we are also me with a history of

iraq's past decade. it is impossible to serve in iraq without recalling and honoring the sacrifice and achievement of our u.s. servicemen and women and civilians. more than 4000 lost their lives but they also put an end to the oppression and regional threat of the saddam hussein regime. today, we are all committed to help build a new iraq, securing its borders with strong, democratic institutions where all can benefit from its abundant resources. i rock has indeed made important economic and democratic progress but is now engaged in a fierce battle against isil, the islamic state of iraq and levant. one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world. mondays coordinated attack on basel and which isil militants over in parts of the city highlight just how dangerous this group is.

-- mosul. will continue to work with international partners try to meet the needs of those have been displaced and will work for ways to support the government and the security forces in the conflict with the isil. overall, violence in iraq has reached levels not seen since the height of the surge in 2007. suicide vest and vehicle bomb attacks are averaging nearly 70 per month since the beginning of this year. the united states has taken important steps to help iraq combat this shared enemy. we provide urgently needed military equipment through the foreign military sales process, and the iraqis have told us that i couldn't and advice are making a critical difference. i'd like to thank this panel for making these transfers possible. in addition to military equipment transfers, we strengthen our information sharing relationships, and are developing programs to improve

border security. we have also initiated a high level dialogue between our senior military leadership and key iraqi military commanders. security assistance, however, is only one element of our assistance, and it is connected to intense political and economic engagement. the united states has also encouraged iraq to adopt a holistic strategy to isolate isil from the population and develop a strategy for sustainable security. this strategy were required continued engagement between iraq's political leaders, sunni tribal leaders and others. from a political standpoint iraq successful national election on april 3 was a victory for efforts to strengthen iraq's democratics institution while prime minister maliki state of law coalition won more seats ses than any other, it fell short of the 155 needed to form a majority government.

government formation is an iraqi owned a process. it will be up to iraq's political leaders to form a government that reflects the will of the people as expressed in the april 30 election. despite iraq's political security challenges, it's commits economic growth over the last decade has been impressive. iraq's economy has averaged 6.5% growth since 2005. it's now producing 3.2 million barrels of oil per day. united states and iraq a partner to share best practices on fuel production and exports but were engage with iraq on capturing gas for power generation and on political issues related to hydrocarbon revenue management. the government also faces a challenge in its natural resources industry leading the wealth greater by its natural resources to its population. and use its oil wealth to promote growth in other sectors.

iraq's economic growth offers exciting opportunities for u.s. firms, particularly in key sectors such as infrastructure development. if confirmed i look forward to promoting sector carries a shared prosperity agenda as ambassador to iraq. mr. chairman as i've discussed iraq poses a challenging security environment. if confirmed as ambassador i will bear responsibility for the safety of all u.s. personnel in iraq, including at embassy baghdad that are complex in basra. if confirmed i will work closely with our security team on the ground as well as with her diplomatic security professionals back here in washington to ensure that our people are well protected. this will be the highest priority as well as to protect the safety of american citizens in iraq. sensuous troops withdrew from iraq in 2011, the embassy and consulates have significant reduce our staffing. as of june 2014 we have

approximately 5300 staff, just one-third of our 2012 footprint. if confirmed i will continue to examine staffing levels to ensure that we have the appropriate number of personnel to carry out our mission. our diplomatic efforts are supported by our highly skilled team of individuals at the embassy in iraq, and to represent a wide range of u.s. department and agencies. this whole of government approach allows us to bring the very best experts our government has to offer and to do some the challenges i have raised with you today. i'd like to thank everyone at the embassy in iraq for their service as was the leadership vacuum in washington, including this committee, that makes this level of interagency coordination possible. our continued support in iraq depends on continued collaboration. mr. chairman, members of the committee, thank you again for the opportunity to address you today. i appreciate and value this committee's oversight of our efforts in iraq.

and if confirmed i look forward to welcoming you and your respective staff members to baghdad. your continued engagement on the policy issues that we face in iraq are a vital element in ensuring our successes. i would be pleased to respond to any questions you may have. thank you very much. >> ms. smith. >> chairman menendez, ranking member corker -- >> push a microphone on, please. >> this is my first time doing this. chairman menendez, ranking member corker and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as the president's nominee to be the u.s. ambassador to the state of qatar but i'm extreme grateful to present obama and to secretary for the confidence in me. if confirmed, i look forward to representing the american people and to working with this committee and other interested members of congress to advance u.s. interests in qatar. it's a privilege to share this panel with stuart jones and steven p. craft -- stephen beecroft. it's been understood as a foreign service officer since

1992 and give original experience and the arabic language in a wide variety of assignments. the foreign service even introduce me to my husband who is here today, and our two children pashtun, the foreign service didn't introduce me to them. it's exciting to have them here and there able to watch her democracy in action. i'm dilemma and on all coal a summit friends could be here as well. qatar plays a growing role in a national community with influence that extends far beyond its 4400 square miles and 250,000 citizens. we share a productive relationship on key regional issues ranging from syria to iran. they been extremist support of our commitment to find a solution to the israeli-palestinian conflict. if confirmed, i will work to ensure that our policies and diplomatic platform advance u.s. foreign policy and national security interest in qatar in the region more broadly. defense cooperation is essential to of our partnership and is best reflected in qatar

something of uscentcom forward headquarters, the combined air operations center and 379th air expeditionary wing. the renewal in december 2013 of our defense cooperation agreement is a further testament to our entering secured a partnership. if confirmed, i will work to deepen our military ties and expand our regional security cooperation. we have an active and productive dialogue on both counterterrorism and proliferations -- proliferation of weapons of mass ejection. and destruction. we are working together to improve the capacity of qatar's counterterrorism financing regime and to disrupt cash flows. the united states is also continued efforts with qatar and other regional partners to support the moderate opposition in syria. qatar believes as we did that bashar al-assad murders

operation of the same people the same with no legitimacy to rule. we share the view that the crisis in syria should be resolved through a negotiated political solution. we are working closely with regional partners to maximize the impact of our collective effort. qatar has also publicly welcome the joint plan of action reached between iran and the p5+1 on iran's nuclear program, and is the clear is which is efforts to negotiate a comprehensive agreement. as you know, qatar later in central and recovering sergeant bowe bergdahl. their efforts are testament to our partnership. with regard to five individuals are transferred from guantánamo in connection with sergeant bergdahl's wisdom this has and will continue to coordinate closely with qatar. we are confident this he could you measures that been put in place including restrictions placed on the activities of individuals will substantially mitigate any threat that the individual by postwar national security. the meter pursley provides assurances to the president and the administration is -- the

amir. but let me be clear, if confirmed, i will work each day to ensure that these commitments are upheld. i will consult regularly with the members of this committee as we move forward on this issue. our thriving commercial relationship with qatar continues to grow, presenting opportunities for american business. qatar is one of most important trading partners in the region, importing over $5 billion worth of u.s. goods in 2013. if confirmed, i will make it my priority to advocate for u.s. companies vigorously to ensure that we continue to seize on the multitude of opportunities offered by the qatari market. if confirmed, i will work to expand our cultural and educational partnerships to promote enduring ties between our people for the next generation. at his mission with employers from a variety of u.s. government agencies, my first priority, if confirmed, would

remain at all times protecting the safety and security of the dedicated men and women at our mission as well as of all americans living, working and traveling in qatar. chairman menendez, ranking member corker, members of the committee, it has been my privilege and great honor to spend my entire adult life in the service of our country, promoting and defending u.s. interests and values. if confirmed, i welcome your views and insights on qatar in the region and look forward to your visit to doha. i would be pleased to answer any question you might have for me today. thank you. >> well, thank you all for your testimony and again welcome to your family and friends. let me start with you, ambassador beecroft. well, let me ask you to offer you an, simply yes or no will do. will you make yourselves available, if confirmed, will you make yourselves available to the committee and answer inquiries to the committee while you are imposed? >> yes. >> yes, mr. chairman.

>> absolutely. >> ambassador beecroft, you know, you have gone from one difficult assignment to another one, that's why we have some extraordinary persons like yourself, but speaking for myself as a chairman let me just say, if we're going to continue to see a massive death penalty sentences, if we are going to see mass arrests of young people who agree to situation in tahrir square that ultimate led to where president sisi can now be elected, if president sisi believes that only his engagement of the sinai, which i applaud, is sufficient for his relationship with the united states, then the we a rude awakening. and i hope that in your role as our ambassador that you will be

able to relay to president sisi that we need a broader agenda to see progress moving forward. not just because that is my view, but the fy '14 appropriations legislation contains certification requirements to release the rest of egypt's fy '14 assistance, putting that quote a newly elected government of egypt is taking steps to govern democratically. so i'd like to hear from you as you approach this new assignment what is it that you be saying when you go to egypt? and how do we make progress to create the political space for the egyptian government to address some of these concerns that, by law, they must do as were ultimate going to continue our assistant? >> thank you very much, mr. chairman but i agree with you

100% that if we wanted the strongest, broadest possible partnership, relationship with egypt and we want to and egypt that a stable and secure because it has been respects fundamental human rights democracy. and because of build a prosperous economy. if confirmed, i will engage on all these issues with the egyptian government and worked with them to partner and develop the economy, to build human rights, expand those rights, to stop practices such as the mass trials that you referred to, which we have condemned, and to ensure that justice is individualized to ensure there is a society and a country and a government with egyptian people buy into that they see as their interests are best represented inside the democratic process, and not outside it, and that will lead to fundamental long-term stability. egypt does have promising prospects including economic

prospects that it is ensured over last two decades at times that it can function as an emerging economy, that they can have real gdp growth in excess of 7%, and we need to again build on the and do whatever we can -- >> in addition to those concerns, you talk about the economic questions. i'm concerned by what i read, president sisi statements where it sounds like he thinks that greater state intervention in the economy is going to grade the opportunities that the egyptians need. i'm not sure having just returned from the gulf region that are gulf partners have actually been very helpful to the egyptians will have that view. want messaging will we be giving as it relates to have this economy can revive itself and grow? >> thank you very much. of course, very much in the interest to see each of build

its economy to strengthen its economy. it's an interesting work with gulf countries you referred to to target assistance and to encourage the economic reforms that are necessary for the economy to progress. i would note that egypt has a number of economic advantages we can build on. it has a relatively well developed infrastructure, specifically telecommunications, roads, ports. it is access to markets because of its proximity in europe and asia and africa. it has labor that should attract investment as well, and it is natural resources, particularly natural gas that can be developed. so there is the basis for a strong economy. went to encourage the reforms that will attract investors into the country and to target the assistance so that it addresses the parts of the economy that needs to be addressed, particularly reformed. >> ambassador jones, now, we had prime minister maliki here last

year, a difficult meeting. i don't know whether or not he will actually be the prime minister again. by many accounts i guess he will ultimately put the coalition necessary to do that. but as i said to ambassador beecroft as relates to our relationship with egyptian government, in this case the iraqis must understand that the use of barrel bombs, that the overflights and transiting of airspace by iran sending troops and military equipment into syria, with impunity, and and the lives of the people at camp liberty come until there resettled come is going to be part of what this committee judges as it relates to the

future arms sales, as relates to our relationship. so i'd like to hear from you, we understand the importance. we honor the lives of those who were lost in pursuit of a more democratic iraq from the united states, and an enormous national treasure, but there has to be some change in the course of events here, including having a government that is more inclusive in which every sunni isn't an enemy of the state. there are many sunnis who want to be part of iraq as a nation but they have to be included as well. can you tell me about what you will be messaging there as it relates to these issues? >> thank you, mr. chairman. let me take your last first, which is of course we completely agree that for iraq to succeed, the different, political element, sectarian groups need to come together and create a shared vision. they need to create a shared vision for the national

security. they need to pull together to address the terrorist threat posed by isil, and although the news from mosul is very bad, i think one positive aspect of it may be that the groups are indeed coming together to address this challenge. at least we are seeing signs of that in the last 24 hours. in regards to the barrel bombs, the use of barrel bombs is completely unacceptable. it's an indiscriminate weapon against civilians and cannot be tolerated. it's something that my colleague, steve beecroft, his race with senior levels of the iraqi government. there has been an in structure and headed down to the military that barrel bombs will not be used. and we also heard from military contacts that they recognize that instruction. with regard to the overflights, this is an issue that remains a problem. we are concerned that iran is supplying the bush our regime with overflights over iraq.

this is something would like to see the iraqis stop and this is again something we've have raised of the most senior levels of it will continue to do and look for ways to find a way to stop this traffic. on issue of camp liberty, i know this is an issue of particular concern and it's a very important issue. when i was addicted chief of mission in iraq in 2010 and 2011, we witnessed a terrible attack on camp ashcroft in which many people were killed and others wounded. i think the steps that we've taken since then has been quite positive, moving the residents of ashcraft to camp liberty has improved their secret. the government has also responded to our request and others request to improve the security around camp liberty and that's encouraging to but the solution of course is to remove the members from iraq and get them to safer place.

they will not be safe and to the outside of iraq. our government is taking the lead on this. the special envoy for the secretary is meeting with represents to countries around the world and asking them to take members of the mujahideen, and we also have a team in baghdad to interview members, working toward receiving a group of those here in the united states. and i think this is the best solution that we can present. >> two final points so it's crystal clear. i don't want to hear iraq tell us that we need to actionable intelligence. would have it we will provide it. but they have a responsibility in doing random surveillance of overflights, and that is an excuse that is unacceptable. secondly, i agree with you that we settlements of the mek is the ultimate solution. i hope and i urge the state department to consider bringing some of them to the united states as an example to the rest of the world that we are asking to also seek resettlement to do

so. but in the interim i hold the primus are responsible for the lives of those individuals of the camp. ms. smith, i do what you think i don't question for you but in fairness to mcauliffe my time has expired. i will come back to you afterwards. senator spent i'm sure ms. smith was fine with that answer. thanks. >> that is correct spent i may not be from the south but that you i will be more genteel. [laughter] >> again i want to thank all three of you and to start, just go in order. ambassador jones, you know, i visited ambassador beecroft and have been to iraq like many of us many times. today when you're there unlike jordan were you just and were used to our come it feels like a vacant deserted lot relative to our emphasis on it. check the box and move on and that we really have lost influence. that i think everybody

acknowledges that, that we just haven't been really robust at all levels relative to our efforts there. we had a great conversation yesterday, and we talked a little bit about the lack of the sofa, the lack our troops are gone and that's been treated to the lack of influence in a pretty big way. you've had to george the and imagine us going to bring this up just to kind of set the record straight. many of us have felt, and maybe even after you say what you say, may still fill the one of the reasons that iraq is the way that it is, we didn't leave behind soft presents and that we actually, this is out of what the administration wanted to occur. you have a very different perspective of that, and i thought, don't take too long if you will, but i thought it would be good to share your thoughts will did to why we do not have a presence in iraq today. >> thank you --

[inaudible] >> as you said can we spoke about this yesterday. my view on this is that it is the iraqi people really did not come together and ask us to stay in a way that made it possible for us to stay. and it's as simple as that. no major iraqi leaders with exception of the kurds came forward and invited us to stay in a bogeyman and they didn't go on television. we obviously needed to have a status of forces agreement for the security of our troops, and the iraqis didn't need to make me this have on the. i think this was the result of that negotiation and that's how it ended. >> and so from your perspective, the fact that we have no presence there, candidly by schloesser influence, is a result really of just the iraqi people not wanting it to be that way? >> yes, sir. >> that's interesting and a very different perspective then, i've heard from most but i appreciate you sharing that. i would agree with the children. we had a pretty terse meeting

with maliki you. i've had one on the ground with him just before the. is obviously not been a good prime minister. he has not done a good job of reaching out to the sunni population, which has caused them to be more receptive to al-qaeda efforts -- outsider efforts. this june conflict, i know they're saying that's not having an impact on iraq. i believe it's having a major impact on iraq. but with our diminished status in iraq, and the fact that we use shuttle diplomacy if you'll between the sunni and shia and causing things to work in a better way, you did it before in your previous capacity, how do you view your role they're going there now under the circumstances that we have and trying to mitigate some of the problems that exist between, especially the she and the sunnis? >> well, i think i must be followed in the footsteps of

steve beecroft. ifsa stones good relations with all other groups in iraq and i think this is a role that we should continue to play, using our good offices to broker solutions to the major problems that face iraq. i think we've made great progress in recent months in trying to broker an arrangement by which the hydrocarbon law could be finalized and relations between the kurdish regional government in baghdad could resolve their problems. i think we can also find ways to support a process of reconciliation between some sunni groups and the government. this is the role the united states has played in iraq for the last 10 years and i would certainly hope to continue to play that role. i think we do have significant influence because of our continuing presence in the commercial and petroleum sector, as was continuing presence in

the military sector, though obviously not with troops on the ground. >> thank you. ambassador beecroft, we talked a little bit about another topic, and to some of topic but for different reasons, are influence in egypt itself. i mean, people have had really strongly held beliefs about what we should and should be doing relative to egypt and aid come and i felt we should continue to relationship, certainly with some contingencies. but no conditions. but the fact is we have sort of been on again off again. people there have received us -- proceeded to be somewhat supporting the most improved but not the citizens of egypt. you have some of the gulf countries step in and fill a vacuum when egypt felt we were stepping away. once your sense about the leadership of egypt today used the united states? and again, similar to ambassador

jones, how'd you expected up to step into that situation and exert appropriate influence in shaping the country? >> thank you very much, send it. let me first say we do have a partnership in egypt. the egyptians are continue to engage with us. we need to take advantage of that to pursue our own interests. our interests and egyptian interest do happen to overlap considerably i believe. is not going to always be come we will not always agree on matters but again engaging with them to working with the we can push them in the right direction one wants in egypt if we want to see security and stability that's built on the fundamentals of a sound society such as the economy and such as democracy and human rights, be as inclusive as impossible to our assistance, i see our assistance as pursuing our interest in egypt. and again, complete utter interests overlap considerably.

if confirmed, i will engage with the egyptian and push them in the directions we want them to go, encourage them to work with them and use the the extent it's approved by congress to further our interests in the country. >> well, thank you and i appreciate the relationship and conversations that we've had in the past with both the ambassadors, and thank you for your willingness to serve in this capacity. ms. smith, qatar is one interesting rule in syria because the lack of policy from our standpoint. i think they became exasperated and sort of went out on their own if you will. there are reports that is being sort of come is moving back in to more coordinated efforts with us. do you have any sense of their efforts on the ground in syria relative to opposition? and are they moving more into the mainstream relative to the type of support they are giving?

>> thanks very much for that question. yes, we do have the sense that we are making progress in terms of coordination. it's all of our goal to support the moderate opposition in syria, and, of course, to address the humanitarian disaster that is happening there. qatar has been incredibly generous. they have given $1.2 billion towards addressing the humanitarian needs in syria. and so going forward, what are engagement consists of with the countries is continue to find ways to coordinate, to work together, in support of the moderate opposition. obviously, with the ultimate goal being assigned not -- assad not being in charge more. >> motegi a chance to say something on the record that i think you are authorized to respond to, it's my understanding the vast committee

is developing land which that allows title x training of the opposition on the ground in syria. do you know if the administration supports that or does not support it? >> it's my understanding that the administration does support the 11 minute in the ndaa to offers training and equipment of the moderate opposition but again i am not in those policy discussions spent i understand the ideas understood you are authorized to see whether they supported it and i want that on the record. with that i will close and thank you. i do want to say to the other committee members that our staff has been able to go down and read the memorandum of understanding that we have between the u.s. and qatar. i wish it was able to all committee members. for some reason it's not. it is three pages long. by understanding is it's very unremarkable, and our staff had no antennas raised in reading it but i just thought i would share that and again thank you for your service, and thanks for having this hearing.

>> thank you, mr. chairman. and thanks to all of the witnesses for your service and willingness to serve. ms. smith, let me ask you a question. i was carries about and we had a chance to talk but i forgot to ask you this. in qatar under the leadership of the new a mere, has there been any particular changes in direction in the u.s. qatar partnership our relationship that has seemed notable during this time of transformation? is it steady and continue to having to relationship in the same place it was, or have we seen some changes in direction because of that leadership transition? >> if i'm confirmed i would love to be given more fulsome response would've actually there and able to make my own assessment, but my understanding is that our relationship continues to be as close and cooperative as it was before. the amir has been in power for just about a year, and, of course, he is not new to the

governor kids working there for over a decade before under his father's rule. so while i wouldn't say they were seeing change in what we are seeing is continue to progress on the areas where we have good and close coordination. and to every expectation that if i'm confirmed will be able to deepen and expand those positive areas where we are working together spent one of the x. window there's been some tension, the chairman has hosted meeting before with the foreign relations many members have a chance to dialogue with the amir, has been who the referring to the questions the countries have been supporting in syria, that chris intentions. is that changing? are we maybe more in accord with them now and the government about what is the right way to influence to bring tissue matching issue and ultimate the civil war to an end to? >> this is something we are always watching very closely. i haven't heard from anyone that we are ready to just declare

everything is wonderful and perfect, but we do feel that we are making progress in our shared understanding of which groups constitute moderate opposition and i was worthy of r support. spent thank you for that. mr. beecroft, you talked a little bit about the economic issues in egypt. it seems like that would be a real test for the new president is how quickly he can try to demonstrate some economic improvement to give and i had a chance to talk about this the other day. could you talk a little bit about the role that the u.s. can play in helping egypt and economic transmission and also the role that other allies should be able to play? >> thank you very much. as i mentioned earlier in the hearing in egypt does have the fundamentals for successful economy. and it needs to be encouraged to take the steps necessary to build the economy.

we have a team that is actively engaged with the egyptians and the gulf states to help again target assistance to target -- egypt and misinformed one of the things that president sisi has called for is investment and investment is key to developing the economy in order to get investment you have to certain, sound fundamentals in place or the investment will not come. and among those are of course a stable society based on an inclusive democracy that respects and guarantees human rights for all the egyptians, and that provides security and stability that encourages people to invest. and again as a mentioned earlier, egypt does benefit from certain advantages that should help you get through these crucial times if it chooses to make the right reforms. among those are infrastructure that relatively well-developed. as i mentioned, telecom, access

to markets in egypt and asia. natural resource, particularly natural gas. my understanding is he to test the third largest proven reserves of natural gas in africa. and a labor market that should be very, very attractive to investors. and so we need to focus egypt and making ministry changes so it's a safe and secure environment, that people enjoy the rights and that they are making the right economic decisions that attract that investment. and begin we can do that by working with the gulf states that are particularly engaged in egypt and stay engaged with the egyptians i hope. >> ambassador beecroft, one last question on human rights front, and another the question before i walked into the room but i was most troubled when i was there in february about the situation with journalists, and probably because the day i was meeting with egyptian leaders, including general sisi, was the day there was a very prominent set of journalists going on trial the u.s. embassy in egypt even asked

if i were to a come one come all press conference just to show an example of an elected official doesn't have to be afraid to answer tough questions from and even hostile press. i got some tough questions from hostile press but as you said because of in the politics and the united states. but have you seen any signs since the presidential election, in the early evidence about the direction that this government will take with respect to press freedoms? >> well, president sisi in his inaugural address did make mention of his desire to be a president for all the egyptians and to see all the egyptians enjoyed fundamental rights and freedoms. and i think what we want to do to the extent we can, to push and taken up on that and encourage them to follow through. obviously, we believe in the strongest possible and freedom of the press. the broadest possible freedoms

for the press. it's a very, very disturbing and unfortunate that journalists have been detained and charged with crimes in egypt. society cannot function effectively without, a democratic society, without freedom of the press s so we do engage can we need to encourage, try to find ways to show that having a free press is in the interest of egypt as a country, in inches of government and interest of the people. >> ambassador jones, thanks for your service. i very much was impressed with your work leading the mission in jordan when i visited last july, and that much time left so let me get right to it. what do you think about the commitment of the iraqi government for political inclusion of the different factions within iraqi civil society? that's been troubling me and i would like your current assessment. >> and thanks also for your visit to jordan but it was a very helpful and positive experience. i think that especially as the government faces this terrorist

challenge with isil, there's a strong incentive and political will to try to unify the groups. just recently the prime minister has issued a statement encouraging national unity and inviting participation in unifying the groups against isil pics i think there is political will, and you know, even before the most recent crisis in mosul, the prime minister has reached out to sunni groups. is a broad 6000 tribal members into the iraqi security forces. he is aiming for a number of, and even larger number pics i think that there's movement on this. this is obviously something where think the united states can continue to play a positive role, and we should. >> senator rubio. >> thank you, mr. chairman. ms. smith, first of all congratulations on your appointment, interesting time. going -- first question just out of the box, what is the definitive pronunciation, qatar,

qatar or qatar? >> in arabic it is qatar spent how would i say it? >> qatar. spent qatar for ease is probably the best for most americans spent let me ask you about qatar. have you been briefed on the memorandum of understanding? >> yes, i have. >> will that be provided to congress? >> i believe it's been made available to the chair and the ranking member. >> do you know if it would be made at the will to other members as well? >> i don't. i'm sorry, i'm not in those conversations. >> what can you tell us about how much of the supervision of these individuals will the united states have the ability to participate in? >> thank you for giving me the opportunity to address this because i know this is very much on people's minds, not only in this room. if i am confirmed, this goes to the very top of my list of priorities. we will be working very closely

with the qataris. we will engage them very closely, verifying both what they have, the restrictions that they put on these individuals and information that they will be collecting all these individuals, but also verifying from our own standpoint and will be assessing continuously every day, everyone when i wake up gum every night when they go to sleep, just to we assess whether these people pose any threat whatsoever to our national security. and so i can guarantee that i will be leading a country team representative of our whole government that will be working on this tirelessly if i am confirmed. >> what exactly are the expectations of the u.s. participation in the effort in terms of providing capabilities, is that something you could share with us a? >> i think what i can share is we have a very good and close and productive information sharing relationship with qatar. and, obviously, as secretary

kerry said, qatar will be the only one with eyes on these individuals and it is probably best to leave at that. >> can you give us come your indication and your feelings about the capabilities the qatari government, to carry out this obligation they are committed to? >> is by understanding that they have the capacity to do this, that we have a high degree of confidence in the capacity, and we also assess that they have the will to do this. they are emir called and gave the president personally his assurances, his personal commitment to upholding this agreement. so we are cautiously optimistic that there is the ability to do this. of course i think it would not be an effective way to into into it just with blank pages about some will be working constantly to verify and assess from our own standpoint. >> what are your views in the aftermath of the swap as to the risks that opposes for

americans, both in and out of uniform in terms of the coming even more appealing targets for other groups to try to capture american for the purposes of carrying out an exchange is similar to this? >> that's something i am not probably qualified to address. >> let me ask it is within. are we concerned in the aftermath of this that americans serving our country, whether it's in the embassy or as part of any of our governmental efforts in qatar are not at increased risk given the fact, given the aftermath of? >> we are, as diplomats, we are always concerned about our national security. it's our top priority. so the people working on her team and also for all american citizens, whether in the countries where we are representing america or whether back here at home. so i absolutely, sit-ins agree of americans is the number one thing that we're concerned about and care about.

>> in that light obviously we have all seen, all are aware of what happened in benghazi and we understand when we send men and women to represent us in the diplomatic corps around the world, particularly in areas of the world where are more prone to terrorism of the presence of terrorist linked groups, better places particular dangers upon those who serve our country in that realm. can you give us an assessment of how you view our security in the embassy there? obviously you talked about what i priority that would be. if you could share with us a little bit about to the extent that you can a process by which that becomes a priority and how we ensure the safety of those who will be working underneath you in that facility. >> sure. and this is something that every chief admission is concerned about, and particularly focused on a light of events in benghazi. chris stevens was a close friend of mine so it's something i am very mindful of. so as we have moved through since the events, every embassy

has been looked at and looked at again come and it is the responsibility of the chief of missions to look at both the physical security working with the security team that you lead, as with any threats that are posed day in and day out at the threat level might be changing, and it's a constant give and take, constant conversation. and i think it's probably best to leave at that. >> thank you. ..