- We begin with an update on immigration

at the southern border.

The Department of HomelandSecurity announced today

proposed new rules to prevent migrants

from fraudulently using childrento enter the United States.

DHA is publishing a final rule

to implement the FloresSettlement Agreement.

A federal court agreement that limits

how long immigrantchildren can be detained.

Flores requires thatthe government generally

release children after 20 days.

That means migrants withchildren entering the U.S.

usually get releasedwhile their asylum claims

make their way through the courts.

- No child should be a pawnin a scheme to manipulate

our immigration systemwhich is why the new rule

eliminates the incentiveto exploit children

as a free ticket, where as one gentlemen

in Guatemala told me a passport

for migrations to the United States.

- DHS acting Secretary, Kevin McAleenan

announced the final rule toimplement the Flores Agreement.

It includes facilitieswhich will better care

for families, providing medical treatment,

outdoor areas like soccer fields

and access to video conferencingfor court proceedings.

Matt Soerens of the ChristianHumanitarian Organization,

World Relief joins usnow to talk about the

new immigration rule, welcome Matt.

- Yeah, thank you for having me.

- What are your thoughts

on the administration's proposed rule

regarding migrant childrenat the border with Mexico?

- Yeah, our general view at World Relief

is that children really do not belong

in detention facilities.

We think that it's not asafe or healthy condition

for kids and that's whyour government decades ago

made this agreement that weshouldn't detain children

and should release them

into the least restrictivepossible situation.

We think that it's really important

that we stick with that agreement

of course with safeguards to make sure

that children reallyare with their parents

as they said they are.

We should be testing those things

but those are a very,very small percentage

of all cases and this rule would apply

to all children allowingthem to be detained,

really indefinitely pendingthe end of their court hearing

which in many cases ismonths or even years.

- DHS acting Secretary, Kevin McAleenan

said this year that theU.S. has seen a quote,

"unprecedented flow of family units

mainly from Central America,"

announcing that during the first 10 months

of the fiscal year, U.S.Customs and Border Protection

apprehended or encounterednearly 475,000 families,

90% crossing the border illegally.

What do you think should bedone to address this Matt?

- Yeah, I'd say two things,one of the reasons a lot

of families are comingillegally is because

we have a new policy in thelast few years called metering,

where people who go to thefront door, if you will,

they try to walk up to the border

in their quest for asylumthere which is legal

are now being turned away,

they're being told they couldwait four or five months,

when they would have beenprocessed almost immediately

in the past and in fact that new policy

is funneling people out to the desert

which is dangerous for kids,

it's just not an ideal situation,

it doesn't honor the rule of law.

So, if you're respecting our asylum laws

it's really important and thenfor those who are apprehended

we think it's importantthat we screen carefully,

that we make sure that we usealternatives to detention,

like an ankle bracelet on a mom or dad

to make sure that theydo show up for court.

And the record thus faris that 80 plus percent

of asylum seeking familiesin the last several months

are showing up for court.

But that way that allowsus to not put kids

in a situation of detention

which is also incrediblyexpensive for tax payers.

- McAleenan went on tosay that the driving force

behind the crisis is weakness

in the legal immigration framework

with human smugglersadvertising in migrants

knowing that even if they cross illegally

if they have a child,they will be released

into the U.S. while theywait on court proceedings

that could take five years or more, Matt.

What is the solution here?

Is there a way to stop the fraud

and protect kids at the same time?

- I think the mostimportant thing we could do

to really address thiswhile still making sure

we're protecting kids is

to have a more functional asylum system

so that it takes in some cases five years

which we're talking about five years

that kids would be heldin a detention facility,

that is unacceptable andfrankly that's unacceptable

to those with legitimateclaims who should be processed

more quickly and grantedasylum under the law.

It's also unacceptablebecause it could provide

an incentive for people whoreally are not gonna qualify

under the law and to be fairmost of them don't know that.

Most of them are beingtold things by smugglers

and they don't know howthe U.S. asylum law works

but if we had a morefunctional asylum system

that processed peoplein a matter of months

on a consistent basis thanpeople with legitimate claims

who have a well foundedfear of persecution

would be protected whichis really important

including children and those

who do not have legitimate claims

would learn it's notworth a dangerous trip

through Mexico just to be denied.

- All right, Matt Soerens of World Relief,

thank you for your time sir.

- Thank you.