addition, -- i'm being a good fed by giving you all of these numbers. it requires aren't keen to protect our agricultural industry. i would be happy to discuss those in depth. we rely on our employees for our success. when you look at the budget, the mass majority -- the vast majority is in personnel costs. it is vital that we do everything we can to support that workforce. to enhanceany ideas the workforce. they involve recognition, a strongbut also

mention from every leader to that workforce. and important things. we are doing lots of experimentation in expanding telecommuting, changing the environment within the organization. but i think when that message comes across from all of the leaders, many of whom are seated in front of me today, that message comes across from all of the leaders about the importance and the value that they place in employees that i think translates well. the better that workforce does, the more efficient they are, the less sick time and on and on but many of you know this. we are hoping that we are going to be able to improve the way we show on that federal employee workforce survey. this is also an important issue

with secretary johnson and also with their deputy secretary. when we work with this vision, we will improve the productivity and we will be better capable of carrying out our mission. carrying out our mission involves sharing information and creating community. partnerships and information sharing are the heart of all that we do. first 100 days, i have worked very hard to travel across the country and many places around the world to visit with our employees and listen to them and have town halls. also to enforce through relationships the important international relationships particularly with places like mexico. our counterparts in law enforcement, customs, immigration, security and foreign affairs and in peru, i joined the directors general of customs of the western hems fear to consider regional risk

management strategy. we do a better job here in the united states government on interagency collaboration and in turn we have to do a better job on international collaboration. i did the same thing in spain, meeting with members of the world customs organization. at this is not only to promote the lawful trade and travel but also to make sure that the supply chain is secure and not vulnerable to crime and corruption. in the middle east, i spoke with our arab leaders about building the capacity for more secure trade and travel. the unified border management system that is being replicated around the world is modeled on the good work that has been done by cbp here in the united states. it's a truly collaborative pproach. when i listened to all of these counterparts whether it was in customs or border security forces, more and more, you hear the talk from them that it's not just about the collection

of revenue. it's not just about the trade and facilitation which is often at the heart of customs organizations in other countries who don't have the dual responsibility that we have. security concerns were absolutely preeminent. they brought up increasing concerns about security. we have models and things that we can offer to other countries to help improve that. we have to work with our industrial partners. we have an extensive interagency collaborative network. in washington, we have lots of interagency meetings and everyone understands and appreciates the value of those relationships. as a result, cbp and his partners have prevented potentially dangerous individuals from coming into his country. those are often cases we are not allowed to talk about

publicly but i have seen it time and time again. we have private sector partnerships so it's not just the interagency and is not just our international partnerships. when you think about our networking and sharing of information with government agencies, we have to include the industry as part of hat. an example would be the acas system. the air cargo advanced screening program. it's the screening system that after the air traffic world wide was disrupted in 2010 with the printer cartridges from yemen, things changed dramatically and people stepped up to the plate from the private sector along with the government to develop a system that is risk-based and makes so much more sense in protecting the country. we needed to receive data in

advance on air cargo and the industry stepped up. fedex, dhl, ups and others expressed all of the air cargo that they handle globally. when we put the problem on the table, what was discovered is those private sector partners worked with us to come up with solution. i think acast is an excellent example. automated passport control would be another one. the more information that cbp customs and border protection officer has a port of entry, the more information they have where they don't have to spend time doing data entry and typing into the computer. if they have that information, because someone has already scanned their passport through that kiosk, then that's more information or more time they can devote to processing people and to moving legitimate travelers through the system, but perhaps then spending more where additional scrutiny

is needed. the automated passport controls are important. you have read extensively about the syrian foreign fighter issue. we are engaged with that with the interagency. it has been no secret and the remarks that director comey and others have made about concerns. the concerns were recently raised in belgium and france. they were highlighted in this particular threat and it's important that we are a part of hat. the need for illuminating this and working more closely with our foreign partners is not only helpful to our safety and security here in the united states but certainly, more helpful to the security of our partner nations. the employee morale, i want to get back to that with more depth. it's important, because

so much of what we do is also based upon those resources. we have huge, significant mprovements in technology, training, etc. but so much of what we do is labor intensive. when you look at all the technology and many of you travel extensively and go through the ports -- i hope you are a global entry member, by the way -- it is so fascinating to see all of the technology that is so helpful. it is also so fascinating to see and experience a knowledgeable cbpo that is there recognizing the importance of their mission to protect this country, but also having the skills to be able to identify. every single day when i mentioned those significant seizures of cash narcotics and others, the prohibiting of people who should not come to the united states, a lot of that is based upon the work and

skill set that those people have. the more we do to improve their training and development and recognizing their performance and thanking them, the better off we all are. we are going to expand our ability within cbp with a large organization to let people know about career path opportunities and perhaps additional training and where we can also be a partner with the interagencies and let people have an opportunity to work in other locations and learn other things. i have never been more impressed with the workforce han i have been withcbp. -- with cbp. when this job was being talked about within the white house and i was asked about it, in case i knew anybody, i raise my hand and said what about me? i had that opportunity because i have had the chance over the years serving the president to

work on something called the southwest border counter narcotics strategy. the first time i worked on those, i was able to spend a lot of time with cbp and a lot of time on the southwest border meeting with them. i said i knew this was a place i wanted to go. not that i was anxious to leave the white house, but i was anxious to also get into operations. let me talk about something that has been in the news a lot, the unaccompanied children. the number of children the cbp is encountering on the southwest border has increased by 92% over last year. i'm talking in the fiscal year numbers. many of them are girls. many more are under the age of 13. it has created a humanitarian crisis. secretary johnson on may 12 determined that this would be a level 4 condition of readiness

within homeland security which is a determination that the situation has exceeded the pacity of cbp and ice and we eded additional d.h.s. resources. he chose the deputy chief of the united states border patrol to be the dhs federal coordinator. it tells you the importance that he places on these individuals that are on the front lines, but also the recognition that they were going to work closely with their counterparts. making sure that these children are taken care of is a huge manage. act. i have been down there a number of times. i would tell you that those border patrols are doing yeoman's work. they are doing and a credible job. also the bringing together of the inter-agencies, having

coast guard corpsmen deal with these kids mail home, most of whom, have never been treated by a doctor or a clinician until they come -- have been encountered by us. fema has done a tremendous job. they know disasters and they know about coordination and they know about engaging the interagency and they know about working closely with state and local. administrator fugate and the men and women of fema have done a great job on this. as you know from secretary johnson's remarks yesterday, he takes his very personally and it's very high on his radar screen, as it is among every member of the obama administration. this group is all working together to ensure that these children are transferred out of our border patrol facilities

quickly and they go to health and human services and that they can provide from the moment we encounter them, from the moment we encounter them -- with nutrition, education, medical care, etc. and then we expand that later through h.h.s. and others, to include housing, to include mental health care, etc. many of these kids have been tremendously traumatized. the vast majority are from central america. they are fleeing hardships and economic conditions. they are fleeing violence within their own countries, and many are also seeking reunification with their families. while these children await the immigration proceedings that they are then under, h.h.s. is working with these children and relatives to place them here in the united states into onger-term facilities. cbp and many others i've talked about in so many

and so many volunteers, the texas baptist men's association, many, many other n.g.o.'s that are involved in helping to provide food, clean clothing, shower facilities, etc. it is a tremendous operation. we are working hard to loss of -- to launch the public affairs campaign in these other countries to talk about one, not only the dangers that these kids face by being placed in the hands of coyotes who are involved in smuggling them. not only those dangers, but also the dangers they face in other ways. also the clear recognition that regardless of what is being considered now in congress, for a comprehensive immigration review, they would not be entitled to a path to citizenship as a result of ntering the country now. cbp along with law enforcement

agencies has surged criminal investigators to break the backs of smuggling organizations involved in this, often times for larger amounts of money and oftentimes they could care less about the safety of those children in their care. we are working hard to make sure those people are apprehended and the department of justice is working hard to make sure they are prosecutors. -- are prosecuted. we have responded to the needs of these children. our border patrol agent zeb -- agents have brought in, and our cbpo's at the ports of entry, also where kids can walk up a bridge and turn themselves in. they've brought in their own clothing. they've done so many other things that is beyond any skill set that they have, and certainly something they didn't sign up for. use of force is another issue. so i'll change topics dramatically. the use of force, particularly

by the border patrol, has received a lot of attention in the media. cbp has been criticized about its lack of transparency about our policies and procedures. about two weeks ago we began to change that. chief fisher began working very hard to make sure that the policy changes and the training changes that are needed -- because you can't just issue a piece of paper that all of this was being done, too. so we're working within c.b.p. and c.b.p.'s leadership to be more transparent, to be more open, to improve policy, to improve training, and i think you'll see more to come in that particular area. let me say that c.b.p. has succeeded in unimaginable ways to improve our technology, our innovation, our vision. we know that people want to come to the united states. even though we hear quite often about the wait times at

airports or the wait times at seaports, people want to come to this country. and over the last four years, every year we have seen travel and trade increase. they want to do business in this country. they want to trade in this country. this is a safe country and cbp helps very much to make it that way. that is why people want to come here. also because, in many ways, you can do business in this country without having to be overly concerned about corruption and payoffs. when i think about the work that cbp does to protect intellectual property rights and make sure that everything they do with the borders, to make sure this is a safe and secure country and to make sure that trade and travel can flourish in a lawful and legitimate way, is a huge difference. those are just a few small things of an organization and workforce that i am extremely proud of and i could not be more honored than to have been

nominated and confirmed and now leading that organization. adam, i think i'm ready. >> thank you all. [applause] >> i'm going to moderate the discussion by starting off with a couple of questions of my own. and then i will look to the audience to follow-up with questions. i would ask folks to raise your hand when i call on you and identify yourself and your affiliation before stating the question. first of all, thanks so much for the remarks you made in depth and breadth. i want to touch on a couple of opics.

you talked about the tremendous increase in unaccompanied minors being apprehended on the southwest border. you talked about the humanitarian response effort and touched a little bit on what the government is doing. to try to deter these journeys from taking place in the first place. i wonder if you can talk more about whether you're seeing any impact from those deterrence-related activities and how you're going to be monitoring that and thinking about whether additional measures are required. >> some of you are familiar with the department of state and the department of homeland security prior programs to get essages out. a few years ago, they were concentrating more on mexico but certainly in the central american countries, that's where our concentration is now. to say that it is an incredibly dangerous thing -- it's dangerous to attempt in the

summer months to come into this country and to traverse really ugged locations. every single day i get reports from the border patrol and our air and marine operations on rescues of people. dehydration, etc. you cannot carry enough water physically to get across any of that terrain. we also need to make sure in this new round of messaging that it's not only the danger to themselves, placing children in the hands of coyotes is incredibly difficult. there has been a lot of discussion and looking at our facilities have been -- which actually, although not as much now, but have been overwhelmed by the number of people. i guess we need to show the same level of concern by many organizations about the danger these kids were in before they ever encountered somebody from

the border patrol or customs and border protection who is a safe and secure individual for them. the last part of that message has to be that this is not a athway to citizenship. >> what kind of an impact as this surge having on the underlying enforcement interdiction mission along the southwest border? >> it has taken away resources within the border patrol to concentrate on caring for these individuals that would normally be doing other enforcement duties. we have to look at alleviating that. chief fisher and others have taken on temporary detail, 115 border patrol agent from other sections where they were less busy and i don't know any place on the border where they are not busy but where they were a little less busy and surge them into this area. the sooner they can get back to doing those other duties, i

hink the better. >> you talked about the use of force policy and the modification. can you talk about how it is being received in the field? >> the message i have tried to make sure of is that to the people scrutinizing the use of force by any law enforcement agency but particularly the border patrol right now, is that a written policy is great for a start but it has to be backed up with training. we made changes in the training curriculum. we have made changes in the physical layout of the border patrol academy so that they have more of a real life situation for training without the use of force. has to be reinforced for supervision and people have to be held accountable if force is used improperly. i don't know any law enforcement officer that opposes these ideas.

the message i have given and all of the town halls with the border patrol is that there is no apprehension of an individual, there is no seizure of any amount of narcotics and there is no vehicle pursuit that is worth being injured over. e will have another day. law-enforcement officers across he country recognize this. we do a very good job. e will work very hard but we have to temper that attempts to apprehend with recognizing the risk not only to ourselves or to these agents but the risk to others. >> let me turn it over to the audience. please identify yourself and your affiliation, i would appreciate it. >> iq for your remarks

-- thank you for your remarks today. i am with northrop, and -- northrop grumman. i wonder if you might discuss what collaboration there has been with mexico for working on its southern border. what collaboration has there been with canada for the northern border? >> the mexican southern border with guatemala -- any changes or improvements that could be made there would certainly be a benefit not only to the government of mexico, the country of mexico, but would certainly be of benefit to the united states. many of these young people because of the changes in security along the border are not able to enter the united states or are being kept and -- kept in what would be called stash houses.

that has a direct impact on mexico. the united states knows something about the technology and training and skill set needed for border security. we continue to offer and work with the government of mexico to help them with that issue. that is important. in canada, when i was at the office of national drug control policy, we wrote the northern border strategy. a very different 4,000-mile border that is easily accessed. what i would say about both of these things is that it is not about the sheer number of people or the amount of technology. it's about intelligence and information sharing and focusing your finite resources on the risk. >> the lady in the pink shirt in the back? >> good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

i am rosemary i am with conflicts and violence prevention from kenya. i'm just here in washington, d.c. thank you so much for your presentation. looking at the border security, i wanted to ask if you can talk something about africa. this problem of the border is everywhere. we can see it in zimbabwe, somalia. how do we develop an nternational policy with immigration, security and customs? because this will prevent terrorism. they can go to another country, take another passport, get to another country, then it's all confusion. how would you look at that and how can we collaborate in africa and all over the world? because the problem is all over the world. thank you. >> one thing i would offer is a

customs and border protection has personnel and attaches and -- in 22 country. we have personnel in about 40 countries. we have advanced training centers and others and working with our partners at the department of state, we are very happy and have done it many times in many countries. we are happy to share our lessons learned. frankly, it is not the united states coming in and saying that this is the way you must do it and this is the way it hould be done. we are pretty happy to say that here are the mistakes we have made, perhaps you can benefit from those mistakes. we are better at this now and when we leave those partnerships and when we leave from those training sessions which we do quite often, we are more knowledgeable and we have almost always walked away from those sessions having learned more than perhaps we have imparted by we have developed relationships.

we would be happy to follow-up with you later and. help in any way we can >> in the front row here. the lady in purple. >> thank you. you talked about air cargo as well as newport technology. how do you feel about the 9/11 commission 100% scanning policy and the pushback? there is new technology out there that is effective and passive. it can detect contraband so how do you feel about that and the pushback? >> many people in the audience know that the law requires 100% scanning and provides the secretary of homeland security with the ability every two years to say whether or not that can be achieved. 100% scanning based upon the

technology that had existed in the past would have left cargo and trade stacked up either in the air or stacked up in ships quite a ways out from our ports. technology has changed pretty dramatically and we are exploring a variety of ways to continue to look at this. as you know, radiation monitoring exists with everything coming into the united states or almost everything. there are a variety of risk-based approach is that we are using. but we also try to make sure we have not just at the border, the security screening but then further inland. it's a kind of layered defense that we can take. i think we are very hopeful that we can continue to look at the technology that is available to continue to move toward that

scanning. >> the gentleman in the blue shirt. >> thank you. you previously mentioned it's not about the sheer number of people on the border or the technology but it's about information sharing. can you elaborate more about how you can become more effective with information shared? >> we have to develop those trusted relationships with other law enforcement organizations and those organizations such as interpol or others can be particularly helpful. we have also done a better job and continue to move in this direction with something called pre-clearance, pushing the borders out and expanding the borders beyond their borders. when we look to being able to clear people coming into the

united states and entering through customs 3000 miles away like in abu dhabi, it makes an awful lot of sense of those of the kind of things we want to be able to continue to work with. my law enforcement colleagues around the world, we have very much come to the conclusion that we are all in this together. the more that we can support and work with each other, the better off we all are. >> the gentleman in the yellow shirt in the back. >> good morning and thank you. border security measures have pushed a lot of migrants over the years to go through the more city focused -- less city focused areas. where's the highest concentration coming through? >> it is the rio grande valley. it is the shortest distance traveling from central american

countries through mexico. it is clearly in that particular area that we have seen the largest number of kids. apprehensions along the border had been decreasing. this is a particularly difficult situation because of the terrain in that area but also because these are children. apprehensions is probably the wrong word. and captures is a much better word. these are kids that are saying they want us to take care of them. >> they are less focused on being caught by border patrol? >> i'm sorry? >> they're almost openly putting themselves out there? >> very much so. it is not through great detective work.

>> the gentleman in the jacket. >> i just arrived from paris. thank you for the global entry. [laughter] it's very effective. my question is -- on the process and the children going across the border, some of them, as you mentioned, are coming in for reunification of the family. i was born in morocco. i went through the system and i understand how long it takes. can it take less time for these children or the paper process through the embassies to make it a little bit easier or faster? it can take years to get the

paperwork done properly or legally. >> your point is excellent. the legitimate lawful way to enter the country going for the embassy and the system is certainly something the department of state is well aware of. we also know that given the numbers of people that wish to come to this country and remain in this country is an overwhelming amount. i think the question is better answered by the department of state but i'm glad you raised that issue. >> the lady in the third row. >> thank you for speaking today. in a recent csis event on the

posture of the national guard, it has been said that more guardsmen might be used on the southwest border. can you comment if that is going to happen? there are already partnerships in place. who else might be utilized? >> i was part of the administration when the surge of national guard come i think about 1200 guardsmen were deployed a few years ago, when secretary gates and secretary napolitano were involved. i don't know of any plans involving the national guard now but i know that customs and border protection has had a long and rich and fruitful history with the guard, particularly in the areas of intelligence and analytics, gathering information, etc.

we have no better partner than the department of defense and secretary hagel. he and the relationship that secretary johnson has is tremendous. the amount of technology that is being returned as a result of the drawdown in afghanistan is very helpful and a lot of that technology can very much be used by us on the border. we have seen a transition very quickly to that. there are some very good relationships going on and improvements there, thanks. >> the lady in the tan jacket four rows back? >> you mentioned the transition of equipment -- we are a vehicle manufacturer. we were just informed this week that dhs has requested 350.

we talked to the border previously and felt they did not need armored vehicles. is the intent of these to go to border patrols or are you aware of that request? >> i would like to pretend that i know the answer to that. actually, i'm very much unaware of it and i'm certainly happy to look into it and try to get back to you. >> the gentleman five rows back. >> at the press conference yesterday you acknowledge complaints that have been made about order patrol officers. you said those complaints would be investigated. can you give a timeframe for those investigations and can you say when the names of the officers involved in those complaints will be made public? >> sure, i think i have pretty much demonstrated my commitment to having complaints investigated, my commitment to

making the information as a result of those investigations known. i would tell you in reading a few of the complaints that the lack of specificity particularly when, where, what station, let alone the names of individuals is extremely troubling. the vagueness of the complaints is very concerning. that means it will take longer and we will have to look at that. the other part that i would mention to you is that i am extremely troubled by the difference -- i am extremely troubled by the fact that i've been down there a lots and spent a lot of time and i have seen these agents doing incredible things, taking care of these kids who were in a dangerous

situation. i have watched them do every thing from change diapers to heat formula. they don't have very good skills in some of these things. having to tilt of my own, i know something about diapers but many of these are single young men who were not particularly good at that. they are really getting better. i have watched them bringing in their own clothing. i saw the pictures of a birthday cake for an 11-year-old who had never had a birthday cake. i have not quite seen the kinds of complaints i am hearing about. i'm a bit troubled because these men and women need our support. i don't have a timeframe only because the complaints are so vague and lack specificity so that it will take a while to drill down into what is being talked about. >> the gentleman -- with the red tie in the back.

>> you had mentioned earlier about the apprehension of potentially dangerous individuals entering the country. could you detail or touch on the process which must be undertaken to either bar a foreign national or bring them to the attention of cbp or dhs? >> we have interagency agreements, interagency relationships so that information about individuals in the united states who may be prohibited or barred whether it is on the no-fly list or other databases, that they, by law, would not receive admittance to the united states. we work with these other agencies. we are actually the gateway or

entry point, the enforcer often times of those regulations. >> the lady in the front row here. >> thank you. you said that many of the kids are girls and many are under the age of 12. many is a vague term. we are hearing that the vast majority are young males under the age of 18 but between 14-18. can you give more specific statistics? if they don't have family here which already is kind of strange because the family are here illegally -- if our mission is

to put kids who come in a illegally with the parents who are illegal, that's one thing. what if they have no family? they just come in and they are under 18 and we consider them minors. what happens to them then? will they be deported? >> the issue specifically around the numbers has been a bit difficult. we have a number of border patrol stations where these encounters occur. we have a number of doors of entry. at times, we have definitional issues of family units as opposed to individuals. we have lots of information but what the secretary and i and others have stressed so clearly is we recognize that this is an overwhelming number of young people in need of care and in need of protection. that includes many under the age of 18 but the vast majority of

these kids -- needing our services, needing our support. i would tell you that health and human services is doing an admirable job under the circumstances to take these children within 72 hours so they can either be reunited with their family member or placed in foster care. i would not comment on the deportation issue. >> the gentleman in the front. >> wonderful presentation but my question is this -- the president has done such a wonderful job in trying to push

for immigration reform. one of the ways in which he has been blocked politically by people who are in congress, against immigration reform, has been against raising false questions they say they want to be for immigration reform when the border is properly secured. is there somebody in the administration with whom you would be in contact with who can explain this or is chartered to explain this to the american people. not everybody can come and listen to your wonderful presentation. that's really my question. there are spokespeople for climate change issue but what about immigration? >> i think the person most knowledgeable and has been the

spokesperson for the administration on the immigration issue is the head of the domestic policy council, cecilia munoz who is incredibly knowledgeable about so many details. the border security issue is important. often times, when we talk about border security and metrics, it's often discussed as an eye of the beholder quality. there are more resources, more technology, more time, efforts and focus devoted for border security over these last few numbers of years than at any time in history. i think we all have to recognize that we have finite resources and that we are going to continue to work very hard. the men and women of cbp will continue to work hard to uphold that responsibility.

>> the gentleman in the gray suit. >> you were talking about manpower and technology and border patrol, could you discuss what roles the systems have begun to play and where that goes in the future? >> the technology systems already in place? was that --? i think the things that are most helpful that i have seen and listening to people on the border would be things like the tethered arrow steps, the technology -- we have unmanned aircraft also along the southern border. we have remote video systems. they can be deployed that are

also, the infrared systems that are a part of that also. all of those things i think are value added to the people that are working on the border. >> we've got time for two more questions. >> nice to see you again. i was astounded by your comment that the increase in the number of children in this category from last year, i think you said 92%? that is an unbelievable statistic. i don't know what the numbers are present but normally, if you see an increase of this nature, it's due to some factor, it's not just things as normal. since the economy the draw we had in the past, is there an effort to identify what specifically you the right

interviewing these children or else where, what exactly is the spark here? is there an individual or groups of people? is there a cabal working to take advantage of something? the real problem is going to be what started this and how can we deal with that issue? >> no one in the administration particularly the secretary has tried to couch this about the reason why in terms of other than what we are seeing and what we are hearing area this increase did not happen overnight. it said about 48,000 right now. that has already doubled the number from last fiscal year and fiscal year over that which was

an increase. nothing quite extent we are seeing this year. we have seen surveys from the united states conference of catholic bishops, we have seen other surveys at igo that's of the issues. there has always been a pull factor for people coming into the united states. as we know, honduras has the highest homicide rate of any country in the world. gang violence, other kinds of violence within those countries like el salvador are quite a concern. the quest for an education, the quest for a better economy, the quest for safety and security are there and so is family reunification a part of all that. that's why we are trying to address in our comprehensive message to be broadcast, the fact that it is not only dangerous but the fact that this will not lead to a path to citizenship.

>> last question lady in black. >> what is your take on implementing biometric exit given your work on the southwest border and given technology now like smartphones and biometric software? >> the biometric exit issue is important and it has a lot of value. we look at how we can decrease wait times in the united states for people entering the country. our continuing study of biometrics is important. at the end of this month, they will be opening an experimentation center on biometric technologies. we will continue to reach for that. it's not just the biometrics that would be helpful.

we know they have to be put into an infrastructure. our airports are really not designed for biometric exit. all that has to be put into an infrastructure and would also have to be able to aware -- to be aware of privacy in the personally identifiable information. it's a pretty complex set of things. we are exploring with the number of people and a number of very smart people in a very open way with members of congressional staff biometric exit programs and technology. >> thank you for your time. not many people appreciate what a complex mission you have. you talk about processing a million travelers a day. part of that is trying to find very few high risk travelers in the midst of the great number of mostly legitimate travel. one of the things you have been doing for number of years as being the interface between governments and stakeholders in

the private sector. of the community in general is buried in that gap and getting greater visibility than the challenges that is facing the country. thank you for partnering with csis to provide the picture and the topics. >> thank you all very much. [applause] >> next, a home -- a senate homeland oversight meeting with

jeh johnson. after that, president obama talking about u.s. options in iraq. tomorrow, live coverage of the iowa state republican convention in des moines and bobby jindal. rand paul. and 2012 presidential candidate rick santorum. you can also comment on the event as it happens on facebook and twitter. when i started covering congress, you had people like senator russell. kautsky.ton giants in their own way. a couple of those guys got themselves into trouble.

but overall, these were people who knew how -- they were very intelligent. they knew how to craft legislation. they knew how to do a deal. they'll work with whoever the president was. their party or the other arty. yes, there was politics. they found a way to come together at the end of the day and make decisions for the good of the country. that. you just don't see first of all, the quality of members of congress in the house and senate, in terms of their intelligence and work ethic, has diminished. they are still great people and i should not malign -- there are wonderful members in both sides. increasingly, people are driven there'll --ics and their own cell survival. the hardest work they do is raising money. it is not crafting deals. ands making speeches

positioning themselves to get reelected. >> emmy award-winning journalist lisa myers is leaving washington, d.c. behind. find out why, sunday night at 8:00. homeland security jeh johnson testify thursday before the senate judiciary committee. on the child immigrants crossing the border. immigration reform. and deportation policies. this is his first appearance before the committee if -- is being confirmed -- since being confirmed. i welcome jeh johnson today to the judiciary committee for his first hearing. the secretary of the department of homeland security.

late because we had a roll call vote on the floor. we wanted to accommodate members. for the past seven months, necretary johnson has led a agency that protects our national security. the department of homeland security has primary responsibility for implementing and enforcing our nation's immigration laws. one year ago, we met and passed artisan legislation to fixate migration system. -- fix the immigration system.

we passed it in the senate with a bipartisan majority. unite families. spur the economy, as everyone from grover norquist on says. it would give a huge boost to the economy. attacked our borders. the cost of year inaction was too great. members of the committee and the full senate passed legislation that would create a system worthy of american values. the leadership refused to act. senators reached across the aisle and worked together on meaningful and copperheads of -- comprehensive legislation. we have seen repeated postponement. i think that is a mistake. republicans and democrats came together here in the senate. that to be able to do the same thing in the house. i don't think it has helped the republican party.

it has not helped the country, which should be more stuck -- important in any party. families are torn out and our economy lags. every day the house fails to lack -- act, we see the human costs in the gripping photographs of young children seeking a better life. housed in facilities at the border. the morning's news showed pictures of that. those numbers are skyrocketing. just the last seven months, 50,000 children have been apprehended. the number will likely double before the end of 2014. largestldren than the city in my state of for mont. -- of vermont.

president obama has called it in an -- urgent situation. i agree. reports indicate the flow is overwhelming me agencies responsible for these children. passed bill would help address the situation. the house should take it up immediately. i am deeply concerned that the treatment of other detainees, especially those sexually assaulted well in custody. congress passed the authorization act last year. it included a provision designed to prevent sexual violence at dhs facilities. i think the department for issuing compliance regulations. i look forward to the changes. agents were assaulted with

rocks. josé rodriguez was shot multiple times included in the back of he should have been shot. the investigation is still without resolution. the border patrol's policy responded. we nor -- need more transparency and timely resolution. so families involved can have closure. the human cost of the broken

system -- there is a economic sauced -- cost. has joined me.s it is done with no cost to american taxpayers. the program's potential is limited. the uncertainty could slow down the program. -- urge thedid department to focus on timely considerations. the status quo is not an option. it is not sustainable for our families. the humanitarian crisis is the latest reminder of while house republicans -- as we did in the

senate, republicans and democrats came together to fix the broken system. we waited too long. there are still a window of time. republican leadership in the house to join us in this important event -- effort. i look forward to discussing these issues and i yield. >> secretary johnson, i .ppreciate you being here to quotecommitted ready with congress. there are some letters that are older then you became secretary. the department has still not responded to. the fact that those are -- were not responded

have antime you didn't answer saying that you wanted a deeper understanding of this look forward to hearing today what you have learned on those issues in the two weeks, because releasing 36,000 people with is no smallvictions matter. these individuals have been convicted of homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, they're also many of them drunk drivers offenders, and of course now they're free roaming our streets. administration cannot hide

behind this or release them due to court order. many cases the decision to e release as voluntary. to explainent needs those decisions in specific cases and in detail. that theconcerned president believes he can and heuld act on his own when doesn't get his way with congress. he said you've heard this quote, pen and i've got a phone. for example, 2012 congress was about deferring enforcement action on individuals in the country illegally. the department made its own rules and the program has proven haven for loopholes and mischief. announced ay just renewal of the program and weakened it. administration gutted the requirement and made to reapply bysier eliminating any need to provide evidence. alarming is that the

department confirmed that it does not routinely check the that areof documents presented by applicants. when applications seem to be and lawful status is so easily obtained it's no ofder there's been a surge unaccompanied alien minors at our southern border. minors coming to our country has climbed from to 11 to an expected year.0 next some are calling it a humanitarian crisis, and quite frankly it is. these of course are vulnerable children, they're being goided through -- guided through desserted areas countries with their lives on the line. they are escorted with away from family in some cases, not knowing what lies ahead, there's awe massive children tor these be abused. and if the administration its due diligence to

verify the relative or parental it releases when these children, then of course those same children will be put the hands of pimps or traffickers. children are being lured into dire circumstances, quite frankly, by false promises. administration has refused to be serious about immigration reform. just get toicy of the answer yes. and that's a philosophy that has signal that everyone has a chance of getting immigration benefits even if you have to get them.law to the administration is finding ways to get around the rules implementing many of the recommendations in the internal 2010 amnesty memo that was leaked. this is a disaster made by the administration and only the president can correct it by signals that these people should not be brought here. and that the law is going to be

enforced. in other word the president must responsibility. unfortunately the administration does not seem to be prepared. to propose any solutions that will prevent children from being put in this future.n in the let me suggest for starters the president needs to send a signal enforcedlaw will be and that people with unlawful their will be returned to own country, instead of reviewing deportation policies to removeting ways fewer people. i would suggest that the secretaryask you, johnson, with finding ways to enforce the laws that we have on the books. ironic is that the executive brarch has taken many controversial matters but refuses to do more to close loopholes and improve security in self programs. in january, the first circuit holder versus martinez, pave the way for former gang members here

illegally to argue that their gang memberformer entitles them to remain in the united states. tos would open the door violent gang members, renouncing in a ruse.rship, but the department of screws is didn't appeal the ruling and i would hold that you, secretary youron, would give us opinion on it, maybe even suggest that it be appealed. new exemption to the immigration laws that were announced by the secretary in veryry are also concerning. these exceptions would allow foreign nationals who have limited, quote, material support to terrorists and terrorist organizations, that these people could in fact find asylum in the united states. we should be relaxing our -- we shouldn't be e relaxings our laws to let minute with

connections. although some welcome progress has been made recently, i concerned that the program is not functioning effectively. in department is far behind meeting its deadlines, operational practice training created by executive branch regulation provides foreign students to obtain work in their areas of study during and after completing an academic program here. in 2014 the government accountability office report alarmingensive and mismanagement of the program. the department doesn't know where thousands of these are working or

whether they're working at all. given the risk that foreign have proposed to our homeland, i consider this a serious matter. secretary johnson to place a moratorium on the certifyuntil he can that all participants have been located. two other issues shortly. e.b.5 regional investment program, that's as is an immigration program designed to stimulate job creation through foreign capital investment. yet we have been told that this program is being used to travel,te terrorist economic espionage, money laundering and investment fraud. theinspector general said program cannot manage the e.b.5 program effectively a complete needs overhaul and some real attention beforee administration the vulnerabilities have a devastating effect on the

homeland. finally i want to comment on the use of drones. drone technology holds great promise for securing our borders. the department of homeland security should be as transparent as possible about drones.ntend to use july 2013 it was reported that a and border protection document connected to its drone public apparently made through, suggested that the customs and border protection might arm its drones with weapons. that some agency reported issuing a statement shortly disclaiming such an interest. but if that's the case, why say that.document floor. the >> in secretary, your full statement will be placed in the record as though read. came in here, though,

you mentioned to me and i think you wantedood idea, to talk about what is happening border. so consider your full statement the floore record and is yours. >> thank you, senator. senator grassley, members of you have myee, apparent -- prepared statement. in it i refer to the various of d.h.s. including the counterterrorism mission, border security,aviation cyber security, maritime security, response to natural disasters, protection of our national leadership, among other things. i have, i'dminutes like to focus on the problem of crossing our southwest border in particular into south grand valley rio sector. chairman, as you noted the rising from 2011 there were approximately 6,000 that year. this year there will be

multiples of that. overallrelates with an rise in illegal migration into sector,grand valley principally from what we refer nationals, country those from guatemala, el salvador and honduras, approximately three quarters of that population. this surge, we've had to surge resources that are dedicated to things such as border security. saw this situation vividly visitedn may 11, when i mcallen station processing center. it mapped to be sunday, mother's day, i approached a 10-year-old her where is your mother, and she told me i don't have a mother, i'm looking for the united states. i returned to washington the day determined to do

something about the situation. there a problem theumanitarian proportions, rio grand valley sector that we must deal with. so here's what we're doing about it. number one, on monday, may 12 i declared a level 4 condition of raeness within the department of homeland security, which is determination that the capacity of c.p.b. and with the deal situation is full, and we need of d.h.s.urces i appointed the deputy chief of theborder patrol to be d.h.s. coordinator of that d.h.s. wide response to this situation. the president pursuant to the homeland security act directed me to establish a unified coordination group to bring to bear the assets of the entire federal government. this includes d.h.s. and all of

its components, h.h.s., the of defense, d.o.j., g.s.a., and the state department. i have in turn appointed the f.e.m.a. administrator to serve the federal coordinating official for this u.s. government wide effort. goal is to quickly and safely transport the out ofpanied children c.b.p. custody into the hands of supplementing this process all along the way in a safe and humane manner, into ultimately a safe and secure environment that is in the best the child purr seubility to the requirements of the law. has dedicated 70 people full-time to coordinating this effort. we're looking for more space, forprocessing and detention. the department of defense has us lackland air base in

texas to for h.h.s. to process kids. we're leasing fort sell in oklahoma for the same purpose. we've gone to a d.o.d. facility dealntura, california to with the processing of the influx of people interest south had to go beyond mcallen station. nogales, to go to arizona. as senator flag knows, initially unit tosending family nogales for processing there, and then on into the interior. are released. children, sending u.a.c.'s to arizona, as i explained to governor brewer on pledged to deal with this situation as best i can and to manage the situation i can. as of now we're sending the unaccompanied children, to arizona pro h.h.s.ing, and then onto they were not being released

into arizona. looking for other space to lease to deal with to deal with the children. to deal with the processing of these kids. where we brought on more transportation assets. at my direction is loaning air assets to transporting children from d. hcht s. to h.h.s. custody, and from one h.h.s. facility to another, to deal with this situation. aircraft.leasing more five, we're doing a preliminary screening for health reasons of all those who come into our facilities in south texas. affairs andf health the coast guard is lending in that effort. called upon n. g.o.'s, volume organizations, charity organizations, to assist in this effort. the american red cross, i've had with them.ns

likeets, hygiene kits, i'd to give a shout out to the texas provideden who have shower trailers in south texas. the department of justice is resources. immigration judges for faster removal proceedings n. addition to all this, we know we must do something to stem this tide. we've been in contact, i've done this personally with officialss and other of guatemala, el salvador, honduras, mexico, to talk about our shared border security interest and faster repay triation. i plan to go to gotta mal la in july. we have reinitiated our public affairs campaign in spanish and english, radio print and tv to talk about the dangers of theing your kids over border and the dangers of into the handands

hand -- putting your kid into the hand of drug smugglers. in may 2014 there were 163 arrests of smugglers along the southwest border. a 90-day surge of h.s.i. personnel, 60 personnel to offices in san antonio and houston to work with d.o.j. to up our prosecutions of the smuggling organizations. i directed a unified campaign plan to deal with the border, calling upon all assets of the department of homeland security in a coordinated way to address our border security in the southwest the gaps ifill necessary to call upon other departments of our government to assist. i've asked that we consider all thisl options to deal with

situation. if there are options i want to hear about them. finally, members of this committee, and the senate, we your help. we've asked through o.m.b. for $166 million in f.y.15 to deal with this situation. i know h.h.s. has also asked for additional funding. daily reports to my interagency partners, i'm thisving daily reports on situation. yesterday we began briefing members of congress and their staffs, in conference calls three times a week. i'm told yesterday in our call had 300 call-ins from up here on the hill to keep you informed. we can and must address this situation. you. # because asiate that, you know this is an area we're greatly concerned about. like the take a moment to recognize some special

guests with us here today. we don't do this, but i want the record to show we have audience families mo have been impacted by deportations and some directly impacted by use of force, and i those --e please feel free to stab and just the record would note that are here. thank you very much. mr. secretary, it's been a year passed theenate comprehensive immigration bill. openingned in my statement about the work we went through when we were here some nights until 9:00, 10:00 at night. i remember the excitement when we finally passed it out of here. coast in in the west

oregon at a farm community and they had church, hundreds and hundreds of spanish said theyeople who watched every bit of this hearing. had seen, because we streamed it and c-span carried they'd watch it at night and on a big screen in the auditorium. and one of the hundreds of tople in this church said when ayou remember number of people in the back of shouted stood up and viva lahey, and i said yes and me. meant a great deal to well, the whole congregation that.up and repeated personally gratifying, but it would be a lot more gratifying we actually get the bill through. republicans and democrats work together and get it through the passed it.we

senate.d it in the but now we need to have real pressure from the administration on the other body. i am discouraged when i hear the press say immigration is dead. that's easy to say if you're in job or you're paid every week and, whether it's in the media anything else. but if you're a family looking notimmigration reform, it's easy to hear. so will you tell us why it's so i perfect active representatives take up the bipartisan senate bill? start voting on it? >> you noted, it my belief that broken.ent system is and totally unsatisfactory. i think almostt everybody in this room can agree, is i look further into

the system i find more and more we have eleven and a half million undocumented in who are not going away, they're not going to self deport. in many states now they can have drivers licenses. in the state of california the supreme court says that an undocumented imgrant can practice law. so i don't think they're going away and i don't think they're to self deport and i don't think we have the resources to deport 11.5 million undocumented. in fact, i know we don't. passed by the senate last year by a vote of 68-32, i think addresses the problems we have in a number of respects. border security, added border personnel.dded added resources, which is something i believe we need very much. particularly on the southwest border. e verify, and an

fored path to citizenship the s 1.5 million who were here. people would brand that amnesty. i do not. it requires an extensive requires accountability, it requires paying president bush tees and taxes. a 13-year wait to get on line behind those who already on line. so i believe it's an excellent len legislation. it's obviously the product of a very hardpromises and work. but i believe that the bill that was passed by the senate last go a very long way to adding to our border security system.ng our and i'm continuing to urge the representatives to pass comprehensive reform, whether in one bill or a series of bills, but we really need to act on this. optimistic that we

will. credit,country, to its has responded to humanitarian world.around the whether it's tsunamis in the earthquakes in haiti, and so on. we got a humanitarian crisis right here in the united states. children thateing age of gradehe yet we see these children holding each other's themselves,by from el salvador or where else across the border. they are risking everything on this journey. some don't make it alive.

some have suggested the administration daca policy or the pro motioned dream act is crisis.the i don't agree. i think it's the fact that we in broken,ress haven't haven't fixed a broken immigration system. i feel very strongly about this. i live on a border state and entirely different than the northern border. foremost.rican person and i any this is the america that brought my grand parent here from italy. doing.r what we're what do you believe is driving rise in these children crossing the border? theenator, i believe that situation is motivated primarily

by the conditions in the leaving. that they are el salvador, honduras and guatemala, violence, poverty, i believe that is what is the situation. the parentsso that are aware that under our current once they're in the hands of c.b.p., they are, we are to give them to h. hcht s., and h.h.s. is required to do what is in the best interest of the child. but i believe that what is principally, or the situations, are the the countries they're leaving. >> doing what is best for the children. but the facilities detained in, being outside observers haven't been able to look at those facilities. i heard you'd allow others to go these facilities,

or frankly some much us will them.own and look at done.k it should be >> i've been to mcgowan once, i'm going back against next week, i'm going to a detention facility outside chicago day after tomorrow. >> i appreciate that. >> it's something i care about. >> i know you do. but let's make more open what is on.g steps, iou taking excessive use of several teenager shot times because he threw a rock, nobody justifies the throwing of ae rock, but nobody justifies death sentence for throwing a rock. taking steps to insure there's proper training?

excessive action when force is used. >> senator, i know from my days senior lawyer for the department of defense that it's a law enforcement ifity or a military force, excessive use of force occurs, it threatens to undermine the entire mission. credibility of the entire mission. c.b.p. toencouraged be more transparent, when it comes to its use of force policies. and they have. and i have encouraged c.b.p. to explicitly deal in the use of force policies with rock situations where the officer is threatened by a vehicle. and they have rewritten those policies. i aplow the commissioner's greaterat more transparency and the personnel changes he's making in internal in c.b.p.

can discuss this further. senator grassley? >> mr. secretary, i'm going to start with documents from your department that reveal that released about 36,000 convicted criminals awaiting of thoseon, 116 individuals were convicted of of 193e, with a total thecide convictions among 116 people. one conviction included willfully killing a public official with a gun. the courtims that decisions required the release of criminals who were convicted of the homicides. i've asked for evidence to prove that. that means that by its own departmenthe voluntarily set free an untold murderers.

i'd like to know how that happened and have you may any effort to rewill indicate them. >> senator, first of all, i a letter from you on monday on this topic, which i intend to respond to promptly. a number ofd letters from members of congress on this and we've responded. are correct that a number of of ordersthe result from immigration judges, i believe you noted that in your opening remarks. also the case that a large number of these releases are after final orders of deportation and we've gone detention.months of requiresourt precedent with exceptional circumstances that we release an individual if does not months it appear we can repay tree it a the individual. you are also correct that a of releases are at the

officers, of i.c.e. pursuant to conditions of release that are intended to return.heir i've asked for greater clarity particularly the f.y.13 who appear to have been released after a homicide conviction. thelike to understand circumstances under which that occurs, particularly the indication you referred to of a public official with a gun. i'm waiting for an answer on that. do twoked our people to things, senator. one, i want to be sure that the supremeuing court precedent properly. an exception in the rule for extra or circumstances publiconal security, safety. i want to be sure we're not construing that too narrowly. the case of a convicted felon, convicted of a homicide, want to understand why that

doesn't fit within the exception. so i've asked our lawyers to look to see whether we're reading the case properly. greaterant to have clarity with regard to the approval process and the review theses for releasing individuals, and possibly elevate the approval level for convicted felon pursuant to conditions. so it's something that i'm very focused on. concerns, andour i'll be responding to your letter with greater detail, sir. moreay, then i'll go onto specifically in this area with the 36,000 criminal aliens released, the uses, says that many were released to court order. i would like to have you provide bywith data on the countries

the en of the week, if you would, why they won't take them. testified on the house side, you said you were not aware of how many times your thertment has asked department of state to use its visa denial authority, so i'd have you tell me, if you can right now, if you have any senator recommend that countries thate refuse to cooperate. and the reason i ask that question is it seems like in the of gyana, when we use that that they accept 115 out of 116 people that we wanted them back.e so it seemed to me to be quite a too many. files ofare of the guyana from 2001, i agree i was effective in that instance. asked my staff to take

a look at whether we should do more of. this >> when you reach a decision on that point, would you tell us, in writing, please? muchs, sir >> i hope you'll make a quick decision, because i think this tosomething that we need work onto get these countries to take these people back. brought up the, a specific case and i would only suggest that it needs a legislative fix. don't have a legislative fix to present. but would you say that as could look at you and as a way of narrowing the ipact of that case, because think you're reviewing it. hear that you're reviewing it and there may be wider use than is appropriate. think the legislative fix is necessary. >> senator, it's my that the case concerns a construction of the constitution. i don't know whether a

legislative fix is appropriate. i think looking at legislation is worth while. case, i wasthe struck by the fact that there room for greater space in the exception for detaining tople, who are true threats public safety. so i'm interested in having our sure we're interpreting it properly and i'd be willing to think about sir.lation, >> this might be my last .uestion because -- the crisis along the border, in regard to unaccompany children. the crisis along the these minors, i think, and you probably wouldn't disagree with this, but can an president'sthe policies. you recently said, quote, we have to avoid practices and policies that operate as magnets migration. illegal end of quote.

i understand that there are reasons that people come to this country, family, fining work, obviously wanting a better life. but it's clear to me and to agents interviewing these children that this surge is parly due to the promises of immigration reform and administrative amnesty. i aplow the administration's efforts working together to fine shelter, food for these children, no one has presented a long-term solution. theke into consideration context you said you have made make.ng to tens ofou're releasing thousands of individuals each year, how will anyone in a foreign country that we're about enforcing the laws. and i won't go interest detail because i don't have time, but a summary of some interviews that were made with about 230 people, and you quickly draw the conclusion from this memorandum from your

department that doesn't have an that people are coming here because they think we passed a new law and they want to take advantage of it. >> well, first of all, those apprehended at the border are priorities for remove. theou're apprehended at border, if you're a recent arrival, you're a priority for one.al, that's the legislation that is being contemplated provides for an citizenship only for those who arrived in this country before the en of 2011. so it would not provide for an earned path to citizenship for hereody who came yesterday. that's's the propaganda throwing out there. >> it doesn't square with the reality of -- >> what we could do if we want have thethe problem is house pass a legislation that we passed and that would settle it where wee would know are.

i'm going to turn the dwafl over to senator feinstein, but i am you in writing two questions. one about the staffing of the especially asr it's impacting the state of slowing where it's commerce due to the lack of staff, it's really slowing commerce and hurting us. and also the question that i you or yourif office could get me a response week.t this # >> yes. much,nk you very mr. chairman. let me begin by saying congratulations on taking forceful action. i'm really impressed with your initiative. i support everything you've done. i became involved in this issue tell, where onn television i saw young chinese was 14, chained before a judge, tears rowing down her face. was a survivor of one of the

container episodes where people came across the pacific in a container. and she couldn't speak the language, she had no resources, her parents were dead, and i got issue.d in the and authored the unaccompanied alien child act, which president bush signed, it became the law, and then there were some changes made which moved the children the office ofd refugee resettlement. but i've never seen anything this. i was just looking at the statistics, and here's the problem. honduras, it's gatt -- guatamela and el salvador. ism 09 to 14 the increase 1,272%. assume time, the

increase is 930%. it 707%.lvador unaccompanied aliens under the of 17 from mexico have actually dropped 28%. so this appears to me to be very central american problem. if you look at where they're that changes it. and of course the biggest change the rio grand, senator flake's area, where we have 33,470 minors coming into this country that way. but this is a real heart break, i were the president of guatemala orr honduras, i wouldn't stand by and see this happen. withening that you met your ambassadors, is there not something that those countries to provide to do, a,

some protective ability to the some food,amilies, because as i understand this these are parents that can't provide for their children. and see their children's best and remain to live unmolested as taking what must horrendous journey. probably for the most part by coyotes. so the question i have of you, thesecretary, what was response of the ambassadors with whom you spoke? allell, the response is, the right things. but the followup is going to be key. and that's why i think theaining engagement with senior most levels of their g.s is key. all four ambassadors monday morning and they all see and they allngs

pledged assistance to this. but sustained continued involvement, they've sent consul lar resources to texas, to help us repay tree it a some of these devoted their consulate personnel. but we've got to deal with the conditions in their countries which is obviously a big undertaking on their part. to engagejust got with them on this, because there other way. i think key to this also is the border whichmala is the choke point. it's our southwest border is 2300 miles long. their southern border is 130 miles long. through which almost all of are passing. so with the cooperation of the and the guatemalans, if borderhelp with greater security along that border, i think it will go a long way, one the reasons i'm going

month. mal will next >> i'm going to write a letter to the presidents these them the and just give statistics. and indicate our great interest in this issue. i mean we can provide, i've got senator flake mass a feuj facility in his state in one is about to open in ventura, catch. today, but i there am really concerned. this is the beginning of an isdemic and unless safety restored to these home states and poverty is alleviated to some extent, i see it continuing. because it's hopeless for children. and i would hope that people out thee, i see a collar of catholic church, and others would really pay attention to this. i'm certainly willing to be

helpful. we can work with the unaccompanied minors act, we can make some changes, i suppose. basic doesn't solve the problem. so i would ask any member that with like to join with me in a letter to the presidents of say what arees and you prepared to do? beean the embarrassment must enormous. do you have any specific actions might takecountries that we could work to convince take?o >> a be happy to work with you suggestions for such a communication, senator. are a number things that we are contemplating asking of but i'd be happy to work with you on those. >> good, thank you. add,d also like to senator, that we've gotten, i ofnk, some terrific offers help from faith based

organizations who are concerned in texas. ituation and that's been a terrific response. you.ank >> i would like, before senator hatch, i'd like to put in the the ber vows you spoke about in my last question to the secretary -- problem, so ordered. senator hatch? >> thank you, madam. madam chairman, i appreciate you and all the difficulties that all thesein putting matters together. remember resolving the agricultural component of the in your office under your direction. job by you.y good mr. secretary, i comez rate with you -- commiserate with you, this is a tough job. anybody can do this right, i hope with all my heart that you can. it's also an impossible job in ways because the failure

to, the failure of congress to a really needs to be done here. but even then it going to have to take a lot of effort on just everybody's part to resolve these problems. the concerns raised by senator grassley about the alarming increase in the number of unaccompanied alien children along the southwest borders. the administration is calling this a humanitarian situation. thein my view administration's even unilateral actions and permissive approach immigration enforcement have created this problem. and i'm concerned about it don't think the administration, i think it's been irresponsible in this regard. let me just say this. u.s. citizenship and immigration services confirmed for the second year in a row that the visa quota was reached days. the first five now, we tried to solve that in

the senate bill, or at least strides to solving it. preserving jobs for american arkers is important, but h1vnt study shows that the visa cap actually hurts u.s. job growth. our time is limited this more than, so i'd appreciate maybe some brief responses to what questions i'm able to ask. me onknow you agree with this one phase of the situation solve thatd to problem. or least i hope you agree with me. >> i owe >> senator hatch, before the secretary answers your question, i have a french intelligence delegation waiting, and i'm ask senator whitehouse to take over and give him the list. thank you. >> okay. the secure community

to locate designed and take custody of and remove criminal aliens. this important program, however corks be rendered useless if local law enforcement agencies criminal aliens over to i.c.e. officials. litigation involving immigration detainers is increasing. these are the official notices that the agency intend the take custody of an a local lawrom enforcement agency. now, that litigation is the cooperation between i.c. expevment the state and local law enforcement agencies. believe that i.c.e. detainers should be honored by local law enforcement agencies? not, how will you keep the secure community program effective? >> i have a lot of thought about secure communities. first of all, immigration themselves go back

decades. prosecutor 25 years ago we had immigration detainers put on people. new.ose are not the secure communities program is essentially fingerprint anding between the f.b.i. the immigration component. that's what it is. there's a lot of misunderstanding about what secure communities is. i believe that the goal of secure communities is a good one, which is to promote more effective enforcement against who are threats to public safety. those who are criminals. a worth whiles program. however, it's gotten off to a very bad tart and has a very bad name. there are mayors and governors executivesigning orders passing laws that limit a ability tocity's comply with the detainer. thethat is an extremely of situation. they're -- unfortunate situation. ofy're limiting the ability our people to do their job.

so i believe that we need a program.rt on this i'm evaluating how to more effectively enforce our immigration laws against those who are threats to public safety, and i believe we need guidance for our people, and with the clearer guyance i to theto take that governors and mayors to say enforcementur priorities are, so that you don't have any uncertainty about hopefullyore and we'll do a better job in cooperating with each other. because i do believe that the principle is a good one, senator. >> thank you, my time is up, mr. chairman, and i appreciate you and what a difficult job you have. you.ank >> secretary johnson, how are you? >> how are you? about cyber for a mnt. i have two topics on that, one is quite narrow and specific. lead federal

agency is that responsible form working with tate and local governments and state and local law enforcement in a variety of ways, but specifically around pleking -- protecting their information systems. and it appears that there's been little spate of recent cyber on local law enforcement agencies. and across a lot of this country, small, rural police departments don't have a lot of cyber resources available to them. they don't have even in some full-time information officers. it strikes me that both from a of view of creating embarrassment and upheaval in goals of some cyber

compromisingrom law enforcement and emergency intent,, a more serious small police departments make a appealing target. d.h.s.onder where within we can work together on trying have bothre that they the resources and the threat awareness, and the knowledge that they need to protect sayselves, because if crypto locker takes out the of a smallrces department, including current law enforcement records and and things like that, it can create a very situation. >> well, first of all, i agree with your observation about local government. i also know that more and more askingrs and mayors are me about this issue.

governor snyder of michigan mine, for example, me and i have talked about this thatal times and i know more and more state and local governments have cyber security devoted to this. and bostonpd and do police. but i think we need to figure common we organize a resource and have their back in a better way than we presently do. >> my cyber secure experts if they were sitting here i'm sure ways in which the we do work with state and local law enforcement. didn't knowt i there our grab making a billity, we may be able to also support the development of cyber security capability in these governments. but i do agree that it's something that is an emerging threat that we all knee to focus on much forward to continuing

to work with you on this. this hearing isn't the forum for do think it's important and i think that there are a lot of, as you said, mayors and governors around the country who are seeing that this particularly unfortunate target to emerge. to docond cyber topic has structure our cyber response.t i want to first of awe commend departmenthe justice, what the fib all do much we are throwing a lot of resources at the problem, we have immense talent beg thrown at this problem. had some really terrific thesteps, specifically by department of justice against hackers and against nets.o big bot so there's great stuff that is

going on. yet thatot convinced we're doing the thinking that we need to be doing about what our enforcement structure needs to look like five years out and 10 years out. we're so engaged in today's hack examiners trying to warn businesses who is coming through windows and doors at them, that there really isn't a very comprehensive process of what this needs to look like. in transition,t it's a growing threat and a like to hear your thoughts on the preparedness and the our what structure should be to address this threat. >> first of all, the secret a tremendous capabilities in the cyber crime, we do it on a routine basis. the secretary service is the whenlaw enforcement agency it comes to the target stores episode. i've had conversations with jim

comby who i've known for 25 we were at u.s.a.'s together, and others in the intelligence community and also general alexander who is recently retired about how we answer this exact question. view is that, and i know my these people, either from a u.s.a. days or from my d.o.d. if wet, and in my view, can sit done together and this is not a complicated a monk the three wefour of us to say how are dif verying thisup. when does the f.b.i. get and when does it nationalmatter for our security belings intelligence resources. we can develop a common strategy, and i don't believe it's come politicked and it's the items on my agenda.

>> our next senator, recognizes senator sessions. >> thank you, mr. chairman. having a humanitarian disaster, there's no doubt about that. the humanitarian disaster is caused by a legal disaster. and thedership president's leadership has failed to send a clear message youughout the world that can only come to the united states lawfully. unlawfully.ome in fact, you've sent the message opposite.ys just the it's unbelievable that the top law enforcement officer of our doing such a thing. you'd been sued by your own overses or at least your for not allowing them to follow their oath to the law. and under your leadership it seems to have gotten worse, johnson. you and i talked about it. i expressed my concern. getought maybe it would better, but actually things have

gotten worse and worry seeing this flood of young people and just tragic. it should not be happening. the first thing a law should seekofficer to do is to create a climate lawlessness, not encourage it is amazing to me. back a little bit with our chairman talking about excessive force and violence. i wish she would push back a little harder, mr. johnson. kind of thing that is happening to your border patrol agent. they are being shot and pummels with large rocks. a rock hit an agent. i would offer that for the record. >> without objection. >> lawlessness begets violence. in