welcome back to "face the nation." president biden travels to el paso today after announcing new border enforcement actions last week. democratic congresswoman veronica escobar will travel with the president to texas later today. i'm so glad you could join us. >> thank you for having me. >> so, the president is going to visit one of the busiest parts of entry in el paso and will meet with officials and other aid organizations. what can he do to make sure this three-hour visit is more than just a photo op? >> well, we've worked with the white house to make sure that all the folks who are actually doing the work on the ground day-to-day are the ones that the president will meet with. he needs to hear about how over

time, the challenges that we have faced as a country on immigration, on border issues, they have grown exponentially. >> so, we looked at the latest cbs polling. only 38% of americans actually approve of what the president is doing on immigration. 62% disapprove. this has consistently been one of his weakest issues. this last week he gave his very first speech on the border policy. for the first time he's going today, and it's taken, what, two years to find some kind of alternative to title 42. i understand it's going before the supreme court, but why is it taking so long to get just this? >> this challenge that we're facing is so complex. i'm with you. i would have loved to have seen the administration lean in on immigration from day one. >> why didn't they? >> you know, you'd have to ask atth not the

only branch of govnment that needs to do its job, though. and i will tell you, i've worked very closely with secretary yomaas tas i b have asked him to explore, he has. every collaboration i'vskeedhi h has. where it's been -- where i've hit a brick wall is congress. frankly, democrats and republicans alike. i'm hoping things change. there's a bipartisann going to el paso fromioat the sd tomorrow. i hope they see what the president will see today, which is opportunity, but also long overdue work. >> let's talk about what the administration did just announce, because it was pretty big, this policy. they're expanding the use of that same title 42 policy, the pandemic-era restrictions that allow for expulsion without guarantee of asylum hearings. it's going to allow them to step up expulsions of cubans,

venezuelans, haitians. you oppose title 42. does that mean you oppose what the biden administration is doing? >> well, it's a complicated answer. so, thein aatisdminiotr tn he l available. i'm a staunch opponent of title 42. in fact, i think title 42 is th high, because people kept trying over and over and over again. when you'r eelemelro f t human trafficking that we've seen a significant increase in. and all of this started with the trump administration. in my conversations with the department of homeland security, because louisiana judge essentially created a situation where they have to continue to use title 42, they can't go to a different policy, which was used prior to title 42 called title

8. now, title 8 is much more punitive. i think that's what the administration is ultimately going to go towards once a judge allowed the biden administration to do away with title 42. >> which could come in june when the supreme court rules. >> could come in june. even then, margaret, we will not have had a legislative solution. so, all of these executive branch efforts really are just temporary band l-aids. whether it's title 8, titlesikee a lot of high hopes for that kind of action. let me ask about the biden policy. it will allow up to 30,000 migrants from the four countries we just listed to enter if they have a u.s. sponsor. it will also allow migrants to apply via cell phone app called cpb1. does someone fleeing abject poverty really have a cell phone to apply for access?

>> the vast majority of refugees who are fleeing their home countries do have cell phones. that's how they communicate with one another. that's how they communicate with the folks at home. but i will tell you, we do need far more robust state department access for those who do not have access to that technology. far more education. refugees i've spoken over the last couple of weeks have no concept of what the asylum process is. their idea is, i'm going to go a job and i'm going to help my family. something all of us would do, of course. so, there's a lot of work that needs to be done, whether it's assisting those who don't have a cell phone access the services and legal pathways offered through cbp1 or helping educate folks about those legal pathways so they have a better shot. >> i asked you that because i know some have argued it's

discriminatory against those who have the least. mexico, as part of this biden agreement, has agreed to take 30,000 people a month from the four countries, but one of the things that we've consistently heard over the past few years, and it was a harsh criticism of the trump administration, is that when individuals are pushed back to mexico, and they're awaiting some kind of action, they face a lot of violence. >> that's right. >> so if you criticized it during the trump administration, you must be a critic during the biden administration. >> absolutely. that's why i'm grateful that the president's going to mexico city to talk to the president. every step of the journey along the way for these refugees, people who leave with little more than a backpack and their hopes and dreams experience a nightmarish journey along the way. and many migrants have told me, in fact, that the most dangerous part of the journey is in mexico. so, there's a lot of work that

needs to be done. margaret, not just in mexico but for the entire hemisphere. we are seeing people flee their home countries heading to costa rica, heading to countries all south of here. we have to make sure that diplomatically we are engaging at the highest levels. finally, giving the western hem sphere the kind of attention it has lacked for a long time by the u.s. government. >> congresswoman, thank you for your time today. >> thank you, margaret. we'll be right back.

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as a matter of fact, said, i know why you were here. i said, why is that? because one of day of seeing is better than 100 days of reading. and i believe you got to see, you've got to be there and meet the people in person. and we had a very informative trip. there's a lot to learn and a lot to be able to communicate back here about what's going on in ukraine. >> well, as you were over there, here the white house announced it was released roughly $3 billion in security aid to uk, the biggest one-time package. it included for the first time tank-busting armored vehicles. why such a surge now? is it to get ahead of what may be a pretty serious spring offe offensive? what are we preparing for? >> there are two factors. the ukrainians, particularly, the first thing is air defense. i mean, they're just being pum pummeled. that's too mild of a word, for

energy. also what's going on in the east is essentially trench warfare. it's like world war i. it's horrible. these armored vehicles are designed to deal with that kind of situation to give the ukrainians a fighting chance against this invasion that's going on. and to putant's as if our east coast was occupied by a foreignng bei power. that's the entire eastern edge of ukraine, is occupied. that's where this fight is going to be. that's why these maneuver vehicles are going to be so important. >> but this drawdawn, which is what they call it technically, presidential authority allows for an immediate or close to immediate delivery of some of this weaponry. and i am hearing increased concern here in the united states that sending weapons there is depleting u.s. stockpiles in a way that's

concerning to some officials. how concerned are you about that? and how does -- how do you in congress get ahead of that to make sure the u.s. isn't hurt? >> part of it is replenishing our spocktockpiles. you're right, that's a decision the pentagon has to weigh when doing these drawdawns. a lot of this equipment is coming from other countries. it's not just coming from the united states. some of the fighting vehicles are coming from france, patriot battery from germany. that is an issue. but it's one that i know in the deliberations about what the drawdowns are going to look like, stockpiles is part of the issue. >> and it also makes me think of two of the conversations we just had in this program in terms of potential slash to defense spending that could potentially happen if this house proposal actually gets approved. >> it would be -- it would be catastrophic to cut off aid to ukraine at this point. i would just ask those people that are making those noises to

read a little history. google sudatanland, rhineland in 1936 when hitler could have been stopped. when he wasn't stopped, we ended up with 55 million deaths worldwide. this is a moment where we know that putin wants to take over ukraine. he wants to rebuild the soviet union. my yeah anglo says, if someone tells you who they are, you should believe them. he wants to rebuild the soviet empire. this is a place he can be stopped. the ukrainians are fighting for us, for our values. the aid we're providing to them isn't charity. it's self-interest. >> and you believe there is enough accounting for what is being given? >> i'm so glad you asked that because that was part of my mission. spent a lot of time in kyiv on accountability. in fact, sitting across from president zelenskyy, just as you and i are, i asked him point blank, what's the status of

accounta accountability? if there's a scandal, it's going to kill our ability to support that.phe understands that. later we had a meeting with many of their defense officials and privates, their finance people. they're developing -- they're working with deloitte, the accounting firm, they're working with s.a.p. software. they're accounting for every spare part that's coming into the country. plus, we have an inspector general from the pentagon who's going over, i think, next month. i was very impressed by the level of accountability. so this argument that somehow the money is being wasted, i don't think holds water. >> let me ask you about things at home and the conversation about the u.s. border we have been having. there are republicans who want to get something done in this new congress. you've got republican-held house. you've got a 51-49 senate. is there any possibility of getting legislation on immigration or anything? >> to me, there's an obvious deal on immigration.

which is heighten border security, which is very complicated. i want to talk to the congresswoman you just had on, talking about the ideas she has, republicans along the border, the republican congressman gonzales. i want to learn and there are a lot of people working on how do we figure out the border. the deal is, increased border security, a path to citizenship for dreamers and workforce. i'm hearing from businesses in maine all the time about a shortage of workers. it's one of our biggest economic problems after inflation. so, we've got to work on legal immigration for workforce. so, i think, as i say, there's a package. brder security is where it starts. and i believe, i'm delighted the administration -- the president is going down there today. they should have gone sooner, in my view, but let's work on this because we can't have the chaos and the humanitarian crisis that we have. let's find that. but then put together a package

involving dreamers and involving workforce. that's where i think we can move. and we ought to be able to move in a bipartisan way. >> well, you're a centrist, you're an independent, though your caucus is democrat. you can say you want to work with everyone, but the politics right now are so divisive. i read something you told "the new yorker" last year, you said you've never been so worried about the future of the country because the structure of our system is at risk. do you still feel that way? is it improving? >> well, what happened in the house this week wasn't reassuring. what you had was 20 people -- i did the math, 3.7% of the membershipek.groness h and i don't know what -- what tye foretells for the future. has, on the other hand, since i had that quote, which i certainly think has some validity, we've had one of the most productive congresses in the last 25 or 30

years. almost all on a bipartisan basis. not all but the infrastructure bill, the c.h.i.p.s. act, the p.a.c.t. act for the veterans. all of those bills were done on a bipartisan basis. they started, interestingly, from the ground up. they started organically from a few members getting together, rking from the middle out. the leadership blessed it. they allowed it to happen. but that's the path. i'm hoping -- i think immigration is a great opportunity to do the same thing. >> all right. well, we'll end on that optimistic note, senator. thank you for joining us. >> thank you, margaret. >> we'll be back in a moment with ukraine's ambassador to the united states, oksana markarova. stayh us w.

when you humble yourself under the mighty hand of god, in due time he will exalt you. hi, i'm joel osteen. i'm excited about being with you every week. i hope you'll tune in. ll be encouraged. i'm looking forward to seeing you right here. you are fully loaded and completely equipped for the race that's been designed for you. with reliable covid-19 results in just 15 minutes,

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home. and, you know, when this invasion started on february 24th, until my first trip home in april, it was right after my hometown was liberated a couple days, literally, before that, i always woke up thinking, is that a bad dream? i always try to fight for the reality. but, you know, going back always, on the one hand, gives you a good perspective of how horrible it is. on the other hand, inspires because you see everyone not giving up. and everyone is even throughout the holiday seasons, when the bombs are still flying everywhere, the destruction is enormous, people are very focused on winning. people are very focused on helping each other. and there was still a festive spirit everywhere. people were singing. people were trying to give gifts to each other. of course, the main focus is helping our brave defenders and doing everything possible to

win. >> we were talking with senator king about this massive package president biden just signed off on, which also had sort of increase in the type of weapons and defense items for ukraine. why do you need this so immediately? what are you preparing for? >> well, first of all, let me take this moment to thank the previous congress for voting on the legislation and allowing us to have the possibility to have this package this year for everything we need for financial assistance, but most importantly, security assistance. >> that was a $45 billion -- >> yes, yes. the fact we have this support from american people is very valued in ukraine. so, everyone, you know, president, congress, big thank you. why do we need more? because we see that, a, we need to increase the liberation speed of our land. we need to free more people as soon as possible because we see what happens when they're under

occupation. we also do not intend to stop. we don't intend to take operational pauses, which russia probably needs because they have problem with their motivation, they have problem with even the rockets. i mean, they have so many of them, but they we would like to faster get to peace, which means we have to liberate our territories faster. so, whatever we can get from air defense to all the armored vehicles to everything you saw in the package, with you need even more because we are facing much larger enemy. >> so, this package of $45 billion from the last congress should take you through next year, according to some officials, u.s. officials. when president zelenskyy was here in washington on that surprise visit, he did meet with kevin mccarthy, who is now speaker of the house. did you get assurances that u.s. support will continue with republicans in control? >> we are fighting for the same values and for the same principles. we are fighting against the evil, which is a threat not only

to ukraine, it's existential threat for us. what is the threat for everyone who believes in democracy? during the president's visit here, both president and administration, but also with all leaders in senate and house of representatives on a bipartisan basis have been very constructive and productive. i believe the american people support us and will support us until we together can win this. >> when the president was h■ere, president zelenskyy was here, he said financial assistance is not charity. it's an investment. he said, ukraine will be responsible with it. but given the concerns about corruption over years past, how do you respond when you were asked that question of how do you guarantee every dollar being given to ukraine is going to defense and not to, you know, embezzlement or something else? >> i can only quote senator king, who was just here. first, there are three types of assistance, budget assistance,

security and humanitarian. on security we're not getting the money, we're getting the goods. the accountability for every piece is there. we're not only sharing implementation, nato systems are in place and providing information and we know where everything is located. on the budget assistance, we have reported on all assistance that has been provided to us. there's an audit under way. it's very clear where we're spending the money. our ministry of finance has reported even before the order is complete, and i have shared that report with every member of the previous congress. and we intend to do so in the future. the inspector generals are involved already from pentagon but from department of state, from treasury. so, we are not only open and ready, it's in our interest as well. in order to prove why we need more. that way using it very effectively and efficiently, we would like to be as open as

possible. every u.s. dollar that is given to us, we are putting to good use and using it as an investment into our joint fight for democracy. >> i want to ask you about something we've talked about in the past, and that's what's happening to ukraine's children. more than 13,000 were deported to russia. are you having any luck in getting your children back? >> first, unfortunately, we know the number is much larger than that. the 13,000 is the official number of the children we accounted for, we found. but we know we already have so many tens if not hundreds of thousands of people we don't know their fate yet. until we liberate our territories, we will not know. out of the 13,000, the vice prime minister already informed that 212 have been returned. 212 is, of course, a small number, even though, unlike russians, every child and every life is very precious to us.

we're so happy 212 are home, but we will not get tired and we will not stop until all of them are back home. that's why we need more weapons to liberate our territories and people. >> ambassador, we'll continue to follow this story and talk to you. thank you. we have to go. we'll be right back.

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>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thanks for joining us. there's breaking news on several fronts tonight. new storms threaten life and property in california and president biden faced sharp criticism today during his visit to the southern border. but we begin in brazil. tonight autrities announced they are in control of the country's national congress, supreme court and presidential palace. those places were stormed by a mob of thousands today. supporters of former far right president jair bolsonaro refused to accept his election defeat. they broke through bashds.

barricades and battled p