CASA BLANCA, MEXICO, CENTROAMERICA

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 7/15/2014 James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 12:46 P.M. EDT MR. EARNEST: Good afternoon, everybody. It's nice to see you all. Jim, I don't have anything to say at the top, so if you want to get us going with some questions, I'll let you do that. Q Wow. MR. EARNEST: Just in the name of efficiency here. Q A few questions on immigration. I'm wondering if the White House is open to the idea of combining, or at least parallel-tracking the supplemental request that you put out there and efforts in Congress to change or at least to adjust the law to accommodate some of the demands that members want to expedite the process. MR. EARNEST: Well, Jim, I think we've been pretty clear about what we would like to see. We would like to see, first and foremost, Congress take action on the specific proposal that we've put forward to ensure that our administration has the necessary resources to deal with the spike in apprehensions that we've seen along the southwest border. We've been clear about itemizing about what specifically that money would be used to accomplish. This would include everything from ensuring that public health precautions are in place to adding additional surveillance resources at the border to assist Border Patrol agents as they do their important work. So we've laid out a comprehensive, detailed request. The request that we've put forward answers a lot of the questions and concerns that have been raised even by Republican members of Congress who have been talking publicly about this issue. So we would anticipate and certainly even expect bipartisan support for this proposal. What’s critical is that Congress act quickly to pass it. It has been out there in the public now for more than 10 days, this detailed proposal. A week before that, we announced our intention to submit this proposal. So there’s already been ample opportunity for Congress to take action and we want to encourage them to move forward with some sense of urgency. Q I guess my question is do you want a clean supplemental, strictly on the spending, and have the policy issues, the authorities, the greater authorities that you want for the Homeland Security Secretary -- do you want those separately? Or do you have any issue with the two being combined? MR. EARNEST: Well, you're right, the second thing that we have asked for is we've asked for Congress to give greater authority to the Secretary of Homeland Security so that he can exercise greater discretion in enforcing the law more efficiently. In terms of the legislative machinations of all of this, we're going to have to rely on Congress to do their business in the way that they feel is most appropriate. What we would like to see is prompt action on both of these things. Q You’ve addressed this before, but I wanted to get a little bit more clarity on it. You said yesterday that the President wants all individuals crossing the border to get the due process to which they are entitled. And I’m wondering if does treating Central American individuals, minors who cross the border the same way that Mexican border crossers are treated now -- in other words, a review or an interview with a border official and then a determination as to whether they should be returned or whether they somehow qualify for the immigration system -- is that adequate due process for a Central American minor for which that process does not exist? MR. EARNEST: Well, Jim, I’m not in a position to shed a whole lot more light on the details here. We’ve been pretty specific about the principles that are at stake. As it relates to this surge of individuals that we’ve seen from Central America, we want to, A, ensure that their basic humanitarian needs are met. That is a requirement that is in line with the law; it is in line with the values of this country, particularly when we’re talking about children. Second, we do believe that individuals from Central America who are apprehended along the southwest border are entitled to due process. Again, that is what the current 2008 law requires and that is a principle that this administration continues to support. What we would like to see change -- and this goes to the third principle -- is we would like the Secretary of Homeland Security to be given additional authority so that he can use his discretion about how to more efficiently enforce the law. For example, after an individual has gone through the removal proceedings and an immigration judge has concluded that they do not have a legitimate claim for humanitarian relief, we would like the Secretary of Homeland Security to have the authority to use his discretion, in some cases, to act quickly to remove those individuals back to their home country. Q That’s different than what’s available for a Mexican border crosser where there’s -- at the very beginning of the process there’s this sieve, at which point they get separated -- either put into the immigration system or returned. Is that the same kind of -- would you have that same application for a Central American? MR. EARNEST: Well, the reason that this is more complicated when we’re talking about somebody from Central America is purely -- well, is in part a matter of logistics, that the southwestern border with the United States is adjacent to Mexico throughout. So if it’s an individual from Mexico, you’re able to in some cases prevent them from entering and they’re not sort of caught in this no-man’s land that an individual from Central America might be, because if they’re not allowed into this border -- or they’re not apprehended and taken into custody by Border Patrol officials, they’re not in their home country if they’re on the other side of the border. And so it’s this logistical complication that we’re working through. And it’s my understanding, based on some of the interviews and comments I’ve seen in the press from those who authored this 2008 law, this is a consequence that I’m not sure they fully intended. So what we’re trying to do is to work through this process in a way that is in keeping with the values of this country, but just as importantly, is in keeping with the laws of this country. And we would like to and are committed to enforcing that law. In fact, what we would like is additional authority to be given to the Secretary of Homeland Security so we can enforce that law more efficiently. And that’s what we’re focused on. And that may require, as we discussed a little bit yesterday, either the passage of a new law to give him that greater authority, or a change to the old law be passed by the Congress. Either way, we’ve been pretty clear about the principles that we’d like to see Congress ultimately arrive at. Q And have you had an opportunity since yesterday to review the Cornyn-Cuellar proposal? MR. EARNEST: We have not. It’s my understanding that that bill has not yet been filed. Jeff. Q Josh, the U.S. government flew some Honduran immigrants yesterday back on a charter flight to Honduras. Is that a flight that the President authorized himself? MR. EARNEST: Well, Jeff, the flight that you’re referring to was a flight that was operated by the Department of Homeland Security in their capacity as a law enforcement agency, that they were enforcing the law. So that is a decision that was made by that law enforcement agency. I would point out, though, that that is a reflection of the effort that this administration has made to increase the resources that are used to deal with this surge that we’ve seen in recent days. That flight was composed of -- the people who were on that flight were individuals who had attempted to enter this country without documentation and were traveling with a minor, so these were so-called family units. And they had been apprehended at the border. They had been detained at the Artesia facility in New Mexico that we opened up a just a few weeks ago. And it is a reflection in part of this administration’s commitment to prioritize the cases of recent border crossers, and that should be a clear signal, again, to individuals who are contemplating making the dangerous journey, or putting their children in the hands of a criminal to make the dangerous journey from Central America to the United States, that if apprehended at the border, they will be -- they're entitled to due process, but they will not be welcomed to this country with open arms. Q So you’ve made clear that it was DHS. But is the White House or the President involved at all in authorizing that flight and/or future flights like it? MR. EARNEST: Well, the President is responsible for setting out sort of the topline policy for -- adding additional resources within his capacity as the head of the executive branch to address some of these problems. And he’s certainly been working closely with the Secretary of Homeland Security to surge those resources to open these facilities. He directed the FEMA Director to step in and play a role in coordinating among DHS, DOD and HHS, who are the agencies involved in this broader effort. So there is a role for the President to play in terms of making decisions about where to devote our resources and how those resources should be deployed to address this specific problem. But when it comes specifically to enforcing the law, that's the responsibility of law enforcement officials, and that flight reflects their commitment to carrying out their duties. Q Do you expect to see further flights like this coming up? And will any of them have unaccompanied minors without the family units that were characteristic of yesterday’s flight? MR. EARNEST: For those kinds of questions, because these flights are carried out by DHS through their law enforcement capacity, I’d encourage you to direct your questions along those lines to them.