(upbeat instrumental music)
- [Announcer] What comes next
in the battle over the border?
The Trump administrationsplan on dealing with
what it calls a migration crisis,
why some Democrats are divided
on how to deal withanti-Semitism on Capitol Hill
and how a failing housing community
has transformed to a placeof hope for foster kids.
All this and more tonight on Faith Nation.
(upbeat instrumental music)
- The battle over the border
takes centerstage in Washington.
Welcome to Faith Nation, I'm John Jessup.
- And I'm Jenna Browder.
The numbers at the border are stunning
as we are learning more fromdual House and Senate hearings
on Capitol Hill this week.
Homeland SecuritySecurity Kirstjen Neilsen
testified today, sayingsome parts of the border
are seeing a 300% rise in migration.
- CBN White HouseCorrespondent, Ben Kennedy,
joins us from the north lawn.
Ben, the Administrationsays this is an issue
that needs action and right now.
- Yeah, John and Jenna, you're right.
Secretary Nielsen called thecurrent projections dire.
She says it is a crisis
and border officers are on track
to apprehend a million people this year.
- The current system isn't working.
- [Ben] That's because it's not designed
to handle the record number of people
at the Southern border.
Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen
broke down the stats toCapitol Hill lawmakers.
She said border arrestsspiked a nearly 75,000 people
last month alone.
That's up 80% over thesame time last year.
- These increases willoverwhelm the system entirely.
This is not a manufactured crisis.
This is truly an emergency.
- [Ben] The Customs andBorder Protection Commissioner
says agency is at a breaking point.
- We're facing alarming trends.
- [Ben] The trends are caused, he said,
by criminal organizationsexploiting US immigration laws.
- This increase flow presents
currently at our highestlevels in over a decade,
both a border securityand humanitarian crisis.
- You know how much thesmugglers charge people
to get across the border generally?
- So, it varies.
Our estimates and most recently
as last week what we heardfrom Mexican counterparts
is about $6,000 a migrant.
It's more for families.
- [Ben] These staggeringnumbers are a major reason
President Trump declareda national emergency
at the border.
Nielsen says we need more manpower,
technology and borderbarriers to combat the crisis.
- Have you advised the President
on his emergency declaration?
Have you given him the grounds
for this emergency declaration
in the context of what emergency means?
- What I have done is I'vegiven him all the facts.
- [Ben] But the Commander in Chief
is getting Congressional pushback,
including theRepublican-controlled Senate,
which could block thePresident's declaration.
Critics argue it's an abuse of authority
and warn it would open adoor for future presidents.
- I think what is clear in the Senate
that there will be enough votes
to pass the resolution of this approval.
- The Senate is expecting avote in the next two weeks.
If they vote as expected,the President will veto it.
It is highly unlikely Congresswill have enough votes
to overturn that veto,but in the meantime,
Secretary Nielsen warns border crossings
are only going to increaseas the weather warms up.
Ben Kennedy, CBN News, The White House.
- All right, thank you, Ben.
And CBN News ContributingCorrespondent, Chuck Holton,
joins us now with more totalk about his experience
on the Southern border.
Chuck, good to see you.
- Good to see you too.
- Chuck, these numbersare a bit of a reversal
from what we've long been hearing,
but you've reportedin-depth from the border.
Does this uptick in number surprise you?
- Well, it doesn't surprise me
because there are two factors
that you have to look at
when you figure out how many people
are going to be coming to the border.
And I think that we havenot done the best job
as US media in explaining to people
that this is not a caravanor a series of caravans.
This is a pipeline that is moving North
all the time from SouthAmerican and Central America
into the United States.
And what you have to look at
are the pull factors and the push factors.
What pulls people tocome to the United States
and that pushes them out of their homes
where they are now.
And right now, the biggest pull factor,
and I live in Latin America,
so I mean, I hear this all the time.
People know that the Democrats in Congress
in the United States are on their side
and are doing everything they can
to make it possible forthem to get into the US
and they're taking advantage of that now
to try to get in while the getting's good.
- And Chuck, how muchdo you think an actual
physical wall would help the situation?
- There's no doubt that aphysical barrier would work.
All you have to do islook at the situation
in the Gaza Strip, for example, in Israel.
They put up a 30-foot concrete barricade
that can't be climbed
and it reduced the number of people
trying to get across there,even trying to get across,
to almost zero.
Now, a double-layer fence is better
than a single-layer fence.
A 30-foot tall barrier is betterthan a 20-foot tall barrier
and so on, that doesn't meanit's gonna reduce it to zero
but in the places like in San Diego,
where they put up a doublefence, a double-barrier fence,
they have reduced the numberof people coming across there
by a huge amount and all you have to do
is ask border patrol agents.
Do you want a wall, do you want a barrier
and they say absolutelybecause this will allow us
more time and time equals safety.
- Chuck, it used to besingle men who made up
the bulk of illegal immigrantscrossing the border.
Now it appears to befamilies with children.
You actually interviewed people
who were part of that migrant caravan
and you just hinted towardsthese push and pull factors.
Can you talk about thehumanitarian side of this debate?
What's driving people toflee their home countries
and what are the ways to balance the ideas
of justice and compassion?
- Okay, so they're leavingtheir home countries
because they think that they can come
to the United Statesand get a better life.
That vast majority of people I talk to
were what you wouldcall economic migrants.
People looking for betterjobs, better wages,
in the United States.
One of the reasons they'remaking the decision to come now
is because there is aninfrastructure in place
to help them make their way north.
Now, if they had to walk on their own
several thousand milesfrom Guatemala or Honduras
to the US southern border,
most of them would nevereven set out on that voyage
because it's just too difficult, too far,
but there are left wing organizations
and there are well-meaningchurches and individuals
that are assisting people in getting north
to the southern border ofthe United States right now,
and so they're taking advantageof that infrastructure
to, like I say, getwhile the getting's good
and make it up to the north.
Now, the problem that they're finding
is that it's not as easy toget into the United States
as they thought it would be.
Donald Trump has takena hard stand on that,
and so then, they're stuckbecause that infrastructure
does not work in reverse.
It will not help them getback to their own country
if they change their mind.
- That's right.
Well, contributingcorrespondent, Chuck Holton,
thanks for being with us today.
- Glad to be here.
- Well, the future ofthat House resolution
aimed at addressinganti-Semitism on Capitol Hill
is in question tonight.
Democratic leaders had planned to bring it
to the floor today,
but it's been delayed as Democrats
are divided over the measureand what should go in it.
Resolution was supposedto come as a rebuke
of freshman Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar,
who, again, fasces blacklashover anti-Semitic tweets
hosted this past weekend.
Those tweets come in the wake of another
set of controversial Twitter statements
she made just a few weeks ago.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosiand other leaders of the House
condemn the remarks saying quote,
"Omar's use of anti-Semitics tropes
"and prejudicial accusationsabout Israel's supporters
"is deeply offensive."
- Well, chief politicalanalyst David Browdy
joins us now for more.
David, you know, thisResolution that the Democrats
are drafting right now,
it doesn't specificallymention representative Omar,
but this is definitelya rebuke, a response
to some of her anti-Semiticcomments she made.
- Right, here's the problem, though.
It doesn't mention hername, like you said,
and that's a waterdown situation.
They're also puttingattention in this resolution,
if it ever comes up for a vote,
they're also talking about well,
we need to put anti-Muslimbias there as well.
So you know, it's waterdownafter waterdown situation.
This is the problem thatthe Democrats are having,
you know, how to handle all of this.
With Ilhan Omar, this hasnot been the first time,
as we know, that she'sgone down that road,
but a lot of folks might not know.
And I wanna show you afew of these graphics,
tweets that she has put outthroughout, over the years.
2012, as a matter of fact,this is what she said.
This is before she ran for Congress.
"Israel has hypnotized the world.
"May Allah awaken the people
"and help them see theevil doings of Israel."
Just shocking, really.
Here's another one, this is 2018.
"Drawing attention to theapartheid Israeli regime
"is far from hating Jews.
"You are a hateful sad man,"
she's responding to someone on Twitter,
"I pray to Allah you get the help you need
"and find happiness."
Finally, she got ripped for this
because she was apparentlymocking Christians
like Mike Pence by saying,
"Jesus take the wheel," hashtag BorderWall
that was during that NancyPelosi, Chuck Schumer,
Donald Trump Oval Office meeting.
Anyhow, the point is thatshe has a history of this.
We'll see what happens in the future.
- Some of the other morerank and file Democrats,
they're not too pleased with a lot of this
anti-Israel rhetoric thatthese freshman Congressmen
are throwing around.
This is creating a huge dividein the Democratic Party.
- It really is,
and if you look at thepolling on all of this,
roughly, these moderate Democrats,
I call them moderate but okay,
they're more liberal, but compared to
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar,
they're moderate,
those folks typically support Israel,
but the problem is that theAOCs and the Ilhan Omars,
they are much about 10 to 12% below
what these other Democrats are
in terms of their support for Israel.
So there is the gap, about 10%,
and that's a big part of the fissure
within the Democrat Party.
- Yeah, some likeRepresentative Hakeem Jeffries
are trying to turn the table here
and blame this, all ofthis anti-Semitic rhetoric
and this whole catastrophe, really,
on President Trump sayingthat he's kind of started
all of this with his hateful language,
tweets that he puts out.
Do you think that thisargument holds water, David?
- Not at all.
I mean, once again, blame Trump, right?
I mean, he's been responsible for, what?
Hurricane Florence, I think at one point.
Now he's responsible forthe rise of anti-Semitism.
Don't give him that much credit, folks.
Look, no, that's ridiculous.
Anti-Semitism has been aroundfrom the beginning of time.
So the fact that DonaldTrump came on the scene
and all of a sudden,Ilhan Omar is now tweeting
this type of, she wouldhave tweeted it anyhow.
We know that because she's continually
repeated the same mistakes.
And Jenna, here's thebottom line of all of this.
Ilhan Omar will be back inthe news, you can bank on it,
in two weeks, a month, month and a half.
Those tweets will continue to come.
There's gonna still be problems.
She's not going away.
She feels emboldened, justlike the Tea Party did in 2010
when they were cominginto power, so to speak,
or they were coming into Congress,
they were challengingthe GOP establishment.
AOC, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Taleib,
they're all challenging Speaker Pelosi
in a pseudo sort of way
and they're not going away.
She will not be silenced andthat's a problem for her.
I think it'll cost her.
- David, do you thinkthere'll be any repercussions
for her if she continues down this path?
She is, of course, a member
of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
A lot of people are putting the pressure
on Speaker Pelosi to take action.
- That is a great question because yes,
I think the Foreign Affairs Committee seat
could indeed be pulled from her,
that would be a first step.
And ultimately--
- Will Pelosi do it, though?
- Well, I think she would
because she doesn't wantthis to be a distraction.
I mean, at this point, it's all about,
it's all about Trumpand trying to make sure
2020 goes as smoothly as possible.
If this because a big distraction,
it already is a problem,
but if it becomes even bigger,
that's not good for her or the Democrats
and it's always about Party first.
- Right, and David Browdy, thank you.
- Thanks, Jenna.
- Well, the President is reversing himself
on his military policy in Syria.
He's now saying a smallgroup of US soldiers
should stay in Syria.
In December, he stunned the world,
even his own generals
by announcing the immediate withdrawal
of all US troops from the country.
Announcements cause then Defense Secretary
Jim Mattis to resign.
Now in this new, handwrittennote to lawmakers,
the President agreed that200 peacekeeping troops
should remain in Syria, writing,
"All is being done to make sure ISIS
"does not make any gains there
"as American forces leave."
Well, as it stands now,
ISIS is seemingly days awayfrom defeat inside Syria.
Meanwhile, American's strongest allies
in the fight against Islamic state
hope they won't be abandonedonce the battles are over.
Chris Mitchell reportsfrom north-east Syria.
(explosion booming)
- That's the sound of victory,
is one of the final ISIS weapons depose
goes up in flames.
One more sign the end ofthe Islamic State caliphate
is near.
While the US provides air support,
this prolonged fight has also required
boots on the ground.
In 2015, the city ofKobani was the epicenter
in the battle against the Islamic State.
Nearly four years later,
you can still see much of the destruction.
It was also the beginningof the US-led coalition
to defeat ISIS.
Those fighting alongside US troops
are a team of Kurds, Arabs,Christians and others
called the SyrianDemocratic Forces or SDF.
- This alliance managedto repel ISIS attacks
from Kobani and from TalAbiad and other areas
and the day after theformation of the SDF,
we managed to defeat ISIS terrorism
from all north and east Syria.
- [Chris] As the frontlineshifted to the south,
these men and women paid a high price
as they took back territoryfrom the Islamic state.
- The Syrian people gavea lot of sacrifices.
I think we have more than9,000 or 10,000 martyrs
who sacrificed theirlives during the fight
to defeat terrorism in the area.
- [Chris] Aram sufferedgreat personal loss.
- Personally, I know all of these friends,
I lose them all on the field.
We were fighting together against ISIS
and we lose them inthe real sad occasions.
We find that they arereally our motivation
to stand up every morning and fight again
and win this war.
- [Chris] They fought side by side
and now are buried side by side.
Even Christians and Muslims.
Armen Mardo takes care of this cemetery.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Translator] They sacrifice themselves
and give their souls to keepus in safety and at peace
and at least we can just take care
of this cemetery for them.
This is our duty.
- [Chris] The living now fightfor a new way of life here
where everyone is equal.
- [Aman] It's the first that we feel
we can take our decision by our minds.
It's the first time that welive in justice together.
No one is better than me
and I am no better from anyone here.
Chris Mitchell, CBN News,Kobani, Northeast Syria.
- [Jenna] The fight to protect free speech
on college campuses when we come back.
(upbeat instrumental music)
- Welcome back.
Well, President Trump is preparing to sign
an executive order thatwould guarantee free speech
on campuses across the country,
regardless of political leanings.
- Schools refusing to comply
would be hit where it really hurts
and lose Federal funding.
- Hayden, come up here, please.
(audience cheering)
- [Jenna] The Presidentpointed to the attack
on a conservative activist
as a major reason why theexecutive order is necessary.
- If they want our dollars
and we give it to 'em by the billions,
they've got to allow people like Hayden
and many other great youngpeople and old people
to speak.
Free speech.(crowd cheering)
- [Jenna] A protestor turned to violence
as Hayden Williams recruited students
for a conservative group
at the University of California-Berkeley.
Ladies and gentlemen,
he took a hard punch inthe face for all of us.
Remember that.
He took a punch for all of us.
And we can never allow that to happen.
- Neither Williams nor hisattacker even attend UC Berkeley
but his story is emblematicof an education system
that critics say shunsconservative voices.
- It's great that I'm being recognized.
There's so many conservativestudents across the country
who are facing discrimination,harassment and worse
if they dare to speak up on campus.
- [Jenna] The President has threatened
to hold Federal dollarsfrom UC Berkeley before.
- They are infantilized by safe space
and trigger warning culture.
- [Jenna] After protestsagainst Milo Yiannopoulos.
- No Trump, no KKK, no fascist!
USA!
- [Jenna] A conservativeand openly gay rabble rouser
led the university tocancel his appearance there.
In 2017, hundreds atClairmont McKenna College
blocked entrances to keep attendees
from listening to a conservative writer
critical of the BlackLives Matter movement.
- [Crowd] Your message is hatred!
We will not tolerate it!
- [Jenna] In this effort,students at a private liberal arts
school in Vermont stood up to protest
the author of a booklinking socioeconomics
to race and intelligence.
- We believe in free speech,
including online and including on campus.
- [Jenna] The PResident's Free Speech push
comes as conservativesfear Constitutional rights
are in peril.
- Colleges and universities,mainstream university,
have become so intolerantof conservative viewpoints.
- [Jenna] In a defense ofChristian values-based education,
Liberty University presidentJerry Faldwell Junior
depicted the product of a liberal-leaning
university system.
- We end up with politicians
like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
who have only been taught one side.
- [Jenna] The freshmanCongresswomen from New York
has become a symbol of liberalism.
- This last week, in theSchool of Government,
I had two students that came in
and they were asking, hey,
is there some way we canget Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
to come to campus and speak?
- [Jenna] Reaching universities,
Steven Perry says the schoolis open to liberal speakers.
- The university has, in the past,
extended invitations to many lawmakers
on both sides of the aisle.
- [Jenna] Perry supports the President's
planned action on freespeech with caution.
- With the different president,
they could certainly say well,
you're not eligible forFederal research funding.
- [Jenna] While the ChristianUniversity in Virginia
does not accept Federal funding,
Perry says there couldbe other restrictions.
- Potentially a problem down the road
is there could be some limitations
on students getting Federal money
to help with tuition payments.
- [Jenna] And for moreon college free speech,
check out today's CBN News'Daily Rundown podcast.
Producer Gabe LaMonica talkswith host, Caitlin Burke,
about how this push from the President
would help both conservativeand liberal speakers.
You can find The Daily Rundown
on your favorite podcast platform
or by going to cbnnews.com.
(upbeat instrumental music)
- [John] It takes avillage to raise a child.
How one community hastaken that idea to flight,
helping foster kids in Florida.
- When a retired nun in Tampa
took over what was once afailing housing development,
she saw an opportunity,not only to help provide
affordable homes, but toalso fulfill her dream
of fostering children.
- That's right.
Abigail Robinson brings us the story
of New Life Village from Florida.
- It takes a village to raise a child.
That's the motto here atNew Life Village in Florida,
a unique intergenerational community
that's goal is to reducethe number of children
in foster care
and provide kids in need witha loving, stable environment.
- I want to empty the foster case system.
I want to be part of a process
that, and that's a call from God.
- [Abigail] Sister Claireanswered that divine call
with New Life Village.
- These kids have reallybeen through a lot
and so, it's like living at a YMCA.
We have all theseevents, we have pool time
and movie night andcraft time and tutoring.
There's always something going on.
- [Abigail] The Villagedoors opened in 2012
after a donor provided money
to purchase a Tampa housing development
sitting in foreclosure.
- I was hoping that anintergenerational community
such as this one
would be attractive topeople who otherwise
could not adopt or even foster children
out of the foster care system.
- [Abigail] Her original plan
was residents would either be parents
of fostered or adopted children.
- There's so muchsupport in this community
that it's crazy,
but it's what's gonna helpme and the other kids,
so I'm grateful for that.
- I think it would be moredifficult for us to foster
if we were at a place where we wouldn't
have the support.
- [Abigail] Or retirees willing to care
for the children community.
- Of course, being ineducation all my life,
it was a thrill to come here
and be again with children.
- [Abigail] Then SisterClaire quickly realized
this community could providehelp on a wider scale.
- What God said is,
there are a lot of grandparents
who are adopting and caringfor their grandchildren,
and they need a lot of support.
- [Abigail] So her vision expanded
to include families like Antonia's
who needed low income housingand help with grandchildren
she was suddenly raising.
- This blew my mind,
but then again, I kindaknew and felt like you know,
it was definitely all God.
We automatically knewthat God was taking us
to a higher level.
- [Abigail] And he wasusing Sister Aline to do so.
- For me, Sister Aline ismore than just a neighbor.
She's actually my angel, our angel.
Any time last minute, I canalways call Sister Aline
and know that she would always cover
for the girls, for the boys,
and has stayed with them numerous times.
- [Abigail] Vivian Bordeaux moved here
after retiring from teaching
and now tutors the kids.
- Gives me goosebumps when I think about,
I might make a differencein that kid's life.
I might be the grandmother
they were never able to have.
I praise the Lord thatI've been chosen to do this
and I really feel that way.
- [Abigail] She alsohelps Marquise Carter,
a single parent raising his two nephews.
- It's important becauseboth of my parents
are deceased and so my kids don't have
a biological grandmother,
so to have someone like Miss Vivian,
someone like other residents here,
who take on that responsibility,
give an extra hug, give a meal,
come over here and let melove on you kinda thing.
That's really important.
- [Abigail] Marquise toldus many children here
have been through trauma
and need an understanding community.
- A soft place to land
because life can be hard.
They have meaningful relationships,meaningful friendships.
- [Abigail] New Lifedirector, Mariah Hayden,
tells CBN News they know the Lord
will furnish needs for the future.
- Any time we have a hurdle,a challenge around here,
we're such a prayerful community
and we all come together and pray
for what's meant to be
and it's like the wind is at our backs.
- [Abigail] Mariah sharedthe story of a miracle
for one of their newest residents,
a grandmother who took inher three grandchildren
after the fourth died from child abuse.
And a three-bedroom houseopened at just the right time.
- They had seen several
different foster homes,
they'd seen their brother die,
they'd seen the system of care
try to figure out what to do with them
and God had, in His way,shown the grandmother here.
- [Abigail] Even with this new home
and friendly surroundings,
the kids would not leavetheir grandmother's side.
- When she came, they were glued to her.
They were afraid to go to the restroom,
they were afraid to just do anything.
They'd seen so much thelast couple of months.
- [Abigail] Then Mariah noticed a change
that led her to believethings would work out.
- That was a big moment
because he felt safe enough
to just take off with his bike
and he was doing lots around the Village
with his new bicycle.
I saw the kids like okay,
we're home, it's safe, we're good.
- [Abigail] Residents hope the trauma
will be left in the pastfor many of these kids
now that they're at New Life.
- It's a joy.
It's a joy being here.- It is.
- There's a long waitlist toget into New Life Village,
but they're workinghard to raise the money
to build even more houses on the 11 acres
they're blessed to own.
Reporting from Tampa,Abigail Robertson, CBN News.
- Thanks, Abi.
What phenomenal workthey're doing down there.
- Yeah, it's incredible.
So encouraging to see.
- Yeah, and a lot of happy kids.
- No kidding.
- Well, that'll do it forthis edition of Faith Nation.
- Have a good night.
(upbeat instrumental music)
