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congressman of rizona and the closing session of a summer meeting at nashville q & a with . syndicated columnist george will. >> what kind of reaction have you had from the white house and do you think the president still border?o go to the >> no reaction from the white house other than the comments he his deep involvement in the issue right now in the right now that he made at his press conference after kerry and yes, i

do. decade plusrder for has been ground 0 on the issue of immigration. first. now you see texas in that same situation. borderlands in of itself is a complex issue. issues of e enforcement and the humanitarian risis that we're confronting now. it's one thing to talk to business folk and groups who are working with immigrants and talk the men and woman of border patrol and homeland security and get a deeper sense. be reality i think would

important. but the symbolism also would be important. and that a priority this region of our country needs attention and a presidential visit would give that. >> you can pick up the phone and president? >> not readily no. there are certain layers you that.o go through to get but i think we have access. usually like with this crisis it's through people in but direct use, conversations -- we're asking conversation this from the hispanic caucus. we ask for direct conversations secretaries of homeland security and hhs ecretary and the president to talk about this crisis and the otential for any executive orders to relieve some of the pressure around the issue of we hear on now that

from boehner that nothing will happen this year. thank you, congressman. i wanted to ask you what you hought of the president saying hat he was open in this emergency border supplemental to secure 8 billion he border and expedite proceedings. the president has signalled 2008 gness to revisit the trafficking law that coming ished children from contiguous country -- from non-contiguous countries. nancy pelosi said it wouldn't be a deal breaker for her if that request.ded in the republicans have said that xpect to move forward with something along lines. are you worried about democrats, colleagues not krdrawing that

line in the sand? am.es, i i see that as a means to negotiate the law has become the negotiating middle ground for whether or not the president needs and wants for these agencies in terms of supplemental. a mistake.t's and to tie these two issues, the the supplemental is basically a request to implement worry that exists and i that there's going to be piling on. chairman rogers is through with the request it's going to be much different than the president. there will be enforcement and the national guard and the governors have authority to do put them on the border delusion if not an elimination of the 2008 law. mistake for a huge many reasons. the law was put in place because violence and a legacy

f violence in the region and now now that it's been tied to kind of the boiling point of to do with aving is gration i think there diency.peed they voted for that. is a s point i think it step backwards and it on the otherupport

end. follow up on that. it was written when there were people unaccompanied coming from central american countries. a lot of people believe it's out and an unintended onsequence that children and families are misunderstanding that because of the law the u.s. is willing to keep these children. obama in meeting with advocates who are very much first in migrants their minds said very poignantly o them, in his mind he really has to get tougher because of some of these children are dying bid smugglers and we need to send them back. respond to that? >> i think there's truth to that a m here has been

manipulation by crime syndicates entice families give us 5, 3, get your kid to a safer protected zone with a once they cross the border that safety would be there. and that the fact manipulation is real and the that.ent's correct on ignoring is we're that 60% nation said of the children interviewed are fleeing violence and their at risk have put them somewhere else in order to get bigger risk, a a t in fact the law requires p process. it's not automatic. that happens ion under the law decides on issues asylum.

refugee status. whether they're reunited with in this y members here country or we integrate back in their country of origin. ande are the options before all the law is really asking is that due o through process. at the time with sim gregs continuing to be a central issue flood of untry, this children and unacompanied minors of become the center point the whole debate. i wish i could separate the two, impossible right now. but, no. i still think that the issue of violence and fear continues to be the central oint behind that law and it's not out dated. this probably would be more it was then. than is the key part of it. deportation ng off

of these children further their argument and compliment that whenever it comes into the house on immigration. debate debate or claim and accusation that anything we do around reform whether it's a past wave or following xistiexist these childrenth i think it's a red herring on this whole discussion. issueis a process and the of amnesty, the senate bill, in y proposal that we made the house, does not deal with granting of amnesty. he '86 experience under reagan taught us that that was a lanket policy of that nature has consequences way beyond that time. now it even effects this time. i don't think the amnesty issue is part of it but certainly will

be the accusation. >> congressman you talk about many democrats are talking about the violence and the with us ous circumstances from which hildren are fleeing to the border. republicans are citing a dhs memo.from a i think a lot of it it's close 70% saying it's close to f asylum claims end up being fraudlent. over 50% of children claiming to have atus are found credible claims says another. two o you reconcile those statistics? >> i reconcile them by going through a third party validater that to me is the report that the united nations came up -- they interviewed 50%

they felt had a legitimate claim asylum based on the violence issue. legacy for this nation america, l banana republic issue and the corporate influence in that region, that's legacy and we're still dealing with that. is still partause of the argument and the root central america where civil society has broken up and law is arbitrary a. i talked to moms and their fear it is ter there than taking this very dangerous have to take.they i think to recon fig rate how we ourselves in latin

america. an open ilding is such concept but i think real investment in the development of those countries and real that ment in a system works and a security system that out. bought those are the root causes. in a k four presidents row, everybody's preached you ust involve yourself in this hemisphere as a priority. we haven't done that. perverteds there is a silver lining to this whole thing with the kids, but looking central america in particular but latin america as a whole in whole different light about our relationship and how we intervene in a positive way and historically negative past. have in the

see anddo you expect to are you comfortable and confident that these children safe environments and being taken care of properly and tod of things would you like see? >> thanks to secretary and his it the visit was rescheduled. did do the visit. other third parties did go to visit and the conclusions were a couple. i was very impressed with the very directness in which all our answered by fema, .s. public health and the channeder who is in charge of patrol.ion for border

and surprise asked very gratified that the men and woman and customs rol assignment r this family people and have children of their own and i think that's important. it's gotten so much better. were prepared for it. and i think there was a defensiveness on the part of the people in.to let we asked for more transparency press is being allowed in and that's happening now. hird parties can go in and religious groups can go in and i think that has helped what is on.ng sometimes homeland security in have a custodial responsibility and the more they see what that is the more support and the better have. tanding you

>> how far does it go? right now the critics of what's happening are saying you need it law and make it more to send those kids home. they're taken by health and services and placed with relatives in the united states and wait a year or two before immigration hearing and critics say many of these children don't show up. fabric of the the country and low priorities for removal at that point and that /* perpetuates this to america.ming support that or how much rights do these children deserve? >> i think these children the rights that are enumerated within the law. irst of all, it's legal representation to have advocates present.

four-year-old young girl, how is going to lay her case before n immigration judge about asylum, violence. how is she going to make her case? she can't. so this third party support has process.itical in the that's what we said in the cpc progressive caucus said, the emphasis on the kid and due essential. you want to speed up adjudication. don't do it with the premise you're starting like we do for kids from mexico or canada. looks at them and they make the determination asylum or not.e and it's usually toward deportation. w t's the premise they start the law requires now that you

start with the premise that they have a right to representation but theautomatic asylum right to asylum and they have to plead. move up to w the law requires now yes.dication, but if we're still in the men at we're expediting to deport then scheme. s the whole you are the cochairman of the congressional progressive caucus task the immigration force and the hispanic caucus. what kind of copsation are you in ng with your leadership terms of where we draw the lines in theyes. what democrats d on should or should not accept when a piece of legislation to the floor es that would -- that would either grant this monday thy or grant it only with certain conditions? >> two points.

one is the administration, the rez and the white house and what paper was our white to provide a guide for congress and the white house as to what priority&the other issue is within our own internal leadership. line in the uch a sand but being consistent with what we said a week ago or two the law was vital of that the implementation the law was essential. e start backing off from a position then it's incumbent upon leadership and the white to make that clear. ubliminal messages about stemming the tide and expediting don't work. progressive th the caucus and the hispanic caucus positions.similar children first as you indicated and the other position is when re you going to move on with your executive order since doing nothing in the house.

part of this that we're seeing border with the kids is what we created around this congress, nothing. and so with nothing the blanks filled for us. this r we like it or not is part of the root cause of not fixing the system which is shot fede4rally finding yourself 'eminent deal with one another.fter the president has been going in congress.cans by all accounts they'll still together ears to work if the republicans keep control of the house. is anything going to change in terms of the relationship speaker and the

president in getting things through the house of representatives? >> i think the only way it's change is going to have public public -- sincere outcry to fix this problem. think the american people support reform and the polling indicates that. there's a great deal of confusion over this issue with the kids and the unattended now in terms of the american public. it's been almost a year negotiations.t let's do it piecemeal and something else and at the end of up with nothing. think the blame game is important politically but the substance of doing nothing is we're facing now and we'll face in the future. i think the president right now, is to ng that he can use

take that authority of his that used and do something bold a in that instance extend protection and a process for two is s and i hope that that the prod that moves congress as a whole forward. >> you mentioned that the said poignantly in the rose garden he will go as law to e can under the reform the immigration system. 11-12 million undocumented immigrants in the country and the 2012 law for 600,000s relief young people. how far would you like the president to go to expand this a larger number of undocumented migrants, whether it's 4 to 5 million estimated parents of young immigrants in he country that some people to like to see covered by this and 8 ers say let's go as far as million which is covered by the senate plan. how far would you like the president to go and how far do

think the president is go?ely to >> my little check box is the in the hat are categories that were imminent in bipartisan bill that was passed in the senate that has to be the ground floor from which discussions. those are large numbers but we're also talking about citizen children and unification and 5 year wait e 4 or for people who are already qualified to get permanent but are waiting. would be thefor me floor level in which we begin. >> that's 8 million at least the waiting le on list you're talking about estimated another 4 million trying to get in legally. the ar do you think president is likely to go and does this current crisis make it ore difficult for him to stand up in september and say, i'm to g to provide relief

millions more people even though it's a different category of people. it harder for him to do this considering what's happening on the border right now? i think it would be make everybody defensive about how how brave you can be olitically speaking with an executive order. ou can sense already, even among my democratic colleagues ind of this issue is a little too complicated and too risky. small.go i hope that that's not the thinking, but your question is that this is caused try to make a big point about it these are two separate things but they're not. politically they're tied together and the children at the executivers to will be tied together. >> about a minute left. legislation that

people were still sort of to ing towards or curious see if it would materialize and t was one being drafted by florida republican. he said yesterday that that legislation was not going to be and that leadership told him there was under no circumstances going to be a vote immigration reform this year. were you involved in conversations about that piece legislation? were you aware what was in it? o you think it would have had any support to pass? >> i think it it would have support to pass. talking about low hanging fruit on the immigration reform ree here and the spouses and families of active military that are in our military. we're talking about citizen children. talking about kids that have already qualified to get status and talking

about low hanging publicly supported fruit on the immigration issue and yet those of deemed not to be part the discussion. you know, many of us came to the conclusion if we can't get the comprehensive package let's start to practicing mat start to pull some things down. i'm still open to that iscussion, but if there's no substance and we can't even deal ith the low hanging fruit, it good. t look >> thank you very much for being us. thank you. >> thanks. our conversation with the "washington post". want to begin with you on supplemental bill 3.7 and $3.8 billion. no immigration bill

will get through the house in this calendar year. but what's next for the and where does the argument go from here? now is's happening right he propatio appropriations committee is making requests. group of eight or so by blican members appointed speaker boehner to be a task working group to disseminate this information. central america this to the making visits border. they are giving a presentation congress this an coming tuesday talking about hat they've learned and what sort of policy recommendations hey would make regarding the border. and they weren't talking specifically about the supplemental request but many of recommendations they might

have for policy writers that ould go into the supplemental request and into the legislative floor.e that comes to the >> this has been a very secret intentionally n secret. congress diaz hasn't wanted any it's such ae media. volatile issue. you wouldn't want critics to ammunition and members who were involved in these private conversations on both sides of aisle to be exposed and of

this is the latest volley back and forth the frustration and between the president congressional republicans. how high is it? coulds hard to believe it get much worse but it's an all time low. boehner speaker introduce this lawsuit and the how he is suing the president. a igration was going to be media of the minds. it was supposed to be a top riority for the president and it's been drag owl for over a year. to take all oing

the action i can despite these threats of a lawsuit to go forward on immigration and yet crisis on the border has things up.d you heard from the representative this is this this ation you'll get first before you get elief that undocumented expecting. are it's making it harder to provide easier to move forward. >> but when you talk to theyistration officials do game.ny end it's really unlikely in