White House press briefing on border and immigration orders: transcript

Key points

• The President will announce his Supreme Court nomination next Thursday after meeting leaders of both parties.
• Two executive orders cover a southern border barrier, more detention space, ending catch-and-release, and withholding federal grants from sanctuary cities.
• The press secretary says a draft interrogation memo being reported on is not a White House document.
• The President is looking at options to address voter fraud, including registration rolls with dead or duplicate voters.
• On Chicago, he says the President wants to offer federal resources and start a dialogue with the mayor.
• Asked about visa limits for seven countries, he says more details on extreme vetting will come later in the week.

Chapters

1. 0:01Supreme Court plans and call with India's prime minister
2. 1:04Border and immigration executive orders
3. 4:29Schedule, Secretary Kelly, nominees and ethics team
4. 8:18Questions on draft memo, wall funding and DACA
5. 12:03Supreme Court talks and agency social media
6. 13:49Chicago violence and federal help
7. 14:59Voter fraud investigation and Electoral College
8. 20:17Mexico meeting, detainee draft and visa restrictions
9. 23:48Voter ID, sanctuary cities and Supreme Court names

Full transcript

0:01Mr. Hey, guys. Good morning. We moved up the briefing a little today in deference to the President's visit to the Department of Homeland Security. As soon as he gets going over there, I'm going to wrap up. So we've got a little while together, but we'll try to make sure that in deference to his remarks when he gets there, we'll wrap it up. After briefing yesterday, the President brought leaders of both parties together to discuss his next nomination to the Supreme Court. It's an incredibly productive conversation, as you can see from the President's his tweets.

0:32He will announce that nomination next Thursday. The President also spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India yesterday. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to give you a readout during the briefing, so let me just let you know that during the call, the President emphasized that the United States continues to consider India a true friend and partner in addressing challenges around the world. The two discussed opportunities to strengthen the partnership between the United States and India in a broad area, such as the economy and defense. They also discussed security in the region of South and Central Asia.

1:04President Trump and Prime Minister Modi resolved that the United States and India should stand shoulder to shoulder in the global fight against terrorism. And President Trump looks forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in the United States later this year. Today, the President is focused on fulfilling one of his most significant campaign promises to the American people by making America safe again, by taking steps to secure our borders and improve immigration enforcement inside the United States. The President intends to sign two executive orders after observing the swearing-in of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kelly.

1:39The first order is the Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements. It addresses long-overdue border security issues, and it's the first order in that will be to build a large physical barrier on the southern border. Building this barrier is more than just a campaign promise. It's a common-sense first step to really securing our poorest border. This will stem the flow of drugs, crime, illegal immigration into the United States. And, yes, one way or another, as the President has said before, Mexico will pay for it.

2:11The executive officer also provides the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security with the tools they need, the tools and the resources they need to stop illegal immigration from entering the United States. Under the Constitution, the American people get the final say who can and cannot enter our nation, and they've spoken loud and clearly through our laws. We're going to create more detention space for illegal immigrants along the southern border to make it easier and cheaper to detain them and return them to their country of origin.

2:41We're going to end the last administration's dangerous catch-and-release policy, which has led to the deaths of many Americans. We're going to once again prioritize the prosecution and deportation of illegal immigrants who have also otherwise violated our laws. And after these criminals spend time in prison for the crimes they've committed, they're going to get back one-way tickets to the country of their origin, and their governments are going to take them back. The second executive order, Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, addresses the enforcement of our immigration laws in the United States and returns the power and responsibility to the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Custom Enforcement to help them enforce the law.

3:24These men and women want to enforce the law, and we're going to help them do that. Federal agencies are going to unapologetically enforce the law, no ifs, ands, or buts. We're going to restore the popular and successful Secure Communities program, which will help ICE agents target illegal immigrants for removal. The State Department is going to withhold visas and use other tools to make sure countries accept and return the criminals that came from their country. will ensure that these countries take those individuals back.

3:56And we're going to strip federal grant money from the sanctuary states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants. The American people are no longer going to have to be forced to subsidize this disregard for our laws. Reform of our immigration system has been at the top of President Trump's priorities since he announced his candidacy. Now, in just the final first week, or excuse me, just in the first week, we're not there yet, of his presidency, The last administration will enforce the rule of law and restore value to the American citizenship, our greatest asset in the 21st century.

4:29As to the rest of the day schedule, this morning, the President started off his day in the Oval Office carrying out some official duties. This morning, he had the honor to greet now Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley in his office after the Vice President swore her in in his ceremonial office across the street. As one of the most respected governors in the country, Ambassador Haley has a proven track record of bringing people together, regardless of their background or differences, to create opportunities for bettering her state and now our nation.

5:00The President is pleased that Ambassador Haley, to the best of my knowledge at least, is our nation's first Indian American Cabinet-level officer. That's a big deal for Indian Americans throughout this country. And now she's able to get to work representing our nation as our nation's top diplomat. In just a few minutes, the President will be departing the White House to visit the Department of Homeland Security. As I mentioned, he'll attend the swearing-in of Secretary Kelly, but then be briefed by FEMA on the storm relief efforts in the Southeast, and conduct other related business specific to keeping our nation safe.

5:35Secretary Kelly has dedicated his life to protecting our country, enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1970, commanding at every level from platoon commander through the corps level and combatant command. He has a sincere commitment to fighting the threat of terrorism inside of our country and ending the dangerous flow of illegal immigrants through our borders. The President is looking forward to working with Secretary Kelly to implement his plans to restore our borders and protect our country. For everyone keeping score at home, this brings us up to four total confirmations of our cabinet or cabinet level appointees.

6:07And as a reminder, the Obama administration had 12 done at the end of their first week. So, needless to say, we think Senate Democrats should continue to spend some quality time getting our nominations moved out of the Senate. This afternoon, the President will have his final event, public event anyway, by speaking on the phone with Mississippi Governor Bryant. They're going to discuss storm relief and recovery efforts underway in Mississippi and any help that the Governor needs from the federal government. Today, the President also announced the appointment of an incredibly qualified team to serve under the guidance of White House Counsel Don McGahn to address compliance in ethics matters. This team consists of Stephan Pasatino, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy General Counsel to the President, Udam Dhillon, Scott Gast, and James Schultz as Special Assistants to the President and Associate Counsel. Together, these esteemed lawyers have decades of experience in political counsel, serving senators, members of Congress, Congress, congressional committees, governors, and federal

7:07agencies. The appointment of a team of this caliber at such a high level reflects the critical importance of ethics compliance to President Trump and his administration. Stefan has received the highest praise from party leaders of both sides from whom he has worked with. As former Gingrich said, no one understands the ethics process better than Stefan. And as you saw from his tweet this morning, the President is looking into various options to address voter fraud. On Thursday, he'll travel to Philadelphia for a retreat with Congressional Republicans, where in addition to discussing his legislative agenda, he'll also provide an update on the actions that he's going to be taking in the next few days.

7:42And finally, before you ask, because I know it's an issue that's near and dear to me. I was asked yesterday about the status of the invitation of Prime Minister Kenney from Ireland to visit the United States on St. Patrick's Day. And I'm pleased to announce that the President has extended that invitation. It happened actually during the transition period. And we look forward to the Prime Minister attending. With that, I'd love to take some questions. Dave Boyer, Washington Times. The Press, can you shed any light on this draft memo that's going around about interrogation practices in return to review?

8:18I can lend a lot. What agency did it originate in? Mr. I don't know. It is not a White House document. Mr. And I would just urge those people who have reported on it, this is now, I think, the second day that we've had a document that was not a White House document get reported on as a factual document. It is not a White House document, I have no idea where it came from, but it is not a White House document. Did the President direct that it be drafted in the first place? Mr. No. I mean, as I said, it is not a White House document. So, I'm not sure where it came from or how it originated, but it is not a White House document.

8:50I don't know how much clearer I can say with that. Lori Montenegro from Telemundo. The Press, with regards to the executive order the President will be signing today, with regards to the wall, it's already been estimated that it will cost billions of dollars. Has the administration figured out how Mexico will pay for this? And do you have any guarantee from the wall? Republicans in Congress that they will provide all of the funding necessary to see this project come to completion. Also, about two days ago you were asked about DACA. And some of the DREAMers, as they are known, have lots of questions regarding what is their future. I mean, do they continue to apply? Those that apply for renewal, will their applications be processed? And with regards to stripping funding from the sanctuary What fundings are we talking about with regards to that?

9:46Mr. Thanks, Laurie. I think with respect to the last part of that first, what the executive order does is it directs the Secretary to look at ways that the look at funding streams that are going to these cities of federal monies and figure out how we can defund those streams. So part of this is a directive to the Secretary to look at those funding streams and then figure out how they can be cut off. So that's what the actual order directs them to do. The first part, with respect to DACA, I've talked about this a couple days. The order today doesn't specifically deal with that.

10:18We will have further updates on the rest of the President's immigration agenda further in the week. But as I've mentioned before, I think the President will talk about it in an interview tonight, but his priority is, first and foremost, people who are in this country that seek to do us harm. And he understands, I mean, the President um He understands the magnitude of this problem. He's a family man. He understands. He has a huge heart. And he understands the significance of this problem. But he's going to work through it with his team in a very humane way to make sure that he respects the situation that many of these children are in that were brought here.

10:55But his priority with respect to immigration is, first and foremost, making sure that people who are in this country that are seeking to do us harm or have committed a crime are at the forefront of that. Francesca Chambers. The Press on the border and the wall. And how has the administration figured out how Mexico will pay for it? Mr. No, I think the President is working with Congress and other folks to figure out opportunities for that to happen. There are a lot of funding mechanisms that can be used. At this point, his goal was to get the project started as quickly as possible using existing funds and resources that the department currently has, and then to move forward and work with Congress on an appropriation schedule.

11:33But, you know, again, we're here at day three. It's an issue that he has brought up several times with Congress in terms of making sure that we understand, that they understand the need to make sure that that's included in the appropriations process. Francesca. The Press, thank you, Sean. Could you give us a little bit more of a readout of yesterday's meeting with senators about the Supreme Court justice nominees? How was that list received specifically by Democrats? And has the President whittled it down to three names or one name, as we're hearing?

12:03Mr. The President has not wielded it down, at least not to the extent that he's willing to share with us. Maybe in his mind he's got that going. But he's going through the process. He had a very constructive and productive conversation with Senate leaders yesterday about the advice and consent role that they have, getting their ideas, the principles that they expect. And he was sharing with them the qualities and values that he expects in a judge to serve on the Supreme Court. I'm not going to go further than that but I would just say it was a very productive and constructive meeting. Eli Stokos.

12:38Last night, National Park published tweets that were scientific facts about climate change and then those tweets disappeared shortly after there. So, I'm wondering if this White House had anything to do with that and if there's a broader, as has been reported by some organizations, if there is a broader mandate going out to federal agencies about, you know, stopping, faulting speech coming from those agencies temporarily. No, there's nothing that has come from the White House. Absolutely not. I think in some cases, I know in the Park Service, for example, over the weekend, somebody who an unauthorized user had an old password in the San Francisco office went in and started retweeting inappropriate things that were in violation of their policy.

13:19And they've directed, I mean, so again, remember, I know this happened in the EPA is another example of, I think, some social media contact. The EPA actually violated the Anti-Deficiency Act and the anti-lobbying bans, I think it was a year ago, during the Obama administration and inappropriately marketing some policies of President Obama. And I think there's a couple of these agencies that have had problems adhering to their own policies. And I would refer you back to them as to why those things are happening.

13:49But I know that they are taking steps in both of those two cases to address inappropriate use of social media. The Press, Sean. The Press, Sean. Has the President reached out to Mayor Emanuel or any Chicago law enforcement authorities to discuss the concerns that he expressed in his tweet last night? Mr. Well, I mean, he met with Mayor Emanuel during the transition, expressed to him his support for the city, the need to deal with the crime and the killings that are occurring in Chicago.

14:21I think when President Obama was speaking his farewell address the other day, two people were killed the same day that the President was in his home city. And I think the President-elect at the time extended his support to Mayor Emanuel to say that the resources of the federal government are here for you. To the best of my knowledge, that return call for help has not occurred. John Roberts, Lynn, I will get to you, but that was very, very enthusiastic, and I appreciate it. You're getting an award today.

14:59For the record, I very much appreciate and respect Lynn. You mentioned this morning, and the President's brought this up in the news again, that he wants to launch an investigation into voting irregularities in the 2016 election. Mr. Not just to be clear, not just in 2016. I think in terms of registration, where you've got folks on rolls that have been deceased or moved or registered in two counties, this isn't just about the 26th election. This is about the integrity of our voting system. The Press And there are studies that back up what he tweeted out this morning to suggest that people are registered in multiple states and that people who were dead are still on the rolls.

15:32But attorneys who were representing the President-elect during the recounts in several states emphatically stated, quote, but all available evidence suggests the 2016 election was not tainted by fraud or mistake. So how do you square those two things? Mr. I think there's a lot of states that we didn't compete in where that's not necessarily the case. If you look at California and New York, I'm not sure that those statements were, we didn't look at those two states in particular. I mean, as the President has noted before, he campaigned to win the Electoral College, not the popular vote. He campaigned in places like Iowa. He campaigned extensively to win Maine 2.

16:04And I think if you were campaigning to win the popular vote, you don't spend it, you know, with all due respect to my brethren in New England, you don't spend a ton of time in Maine, too, to get that one electoral vote. You would have campaigned more in California, which he didn't. You would have campaigned more New York, which he didn't. There are big states, very populous states in urban areas where you would have spent more time campaigning. But he played the game according to the rules of the game, which is an electoral strategy. That being said, I think when you look at where a lot of potential of the a lot of lot of these issues could have occurred in bigger states, that's where I think we're going to look.

16:38But I think there'll be more on that as the week goes on, and we'll be able to examine that further. The Pressure on the floor to live. Mr. I'm sorry, you're right. The Pressure on the floor to say, about the EPA and other departments that have been told to cease and desist in terms of social media. Mr. No, no, just to be clear, they have not I'm not saying that. The Pressure on the floor to suspend. Mr. No, no, no, hold on, zero. The Pressure on the floor to stay on the floor. Mr. No, no, okay, but I think I need to make sure that we're clear on this, John. They haven't been directed by us to do anything. I think what they, from what I understand, is that they've been told within their agencies to adhere to their own policies.

17:12But that directive did not come from here. The Press But the question is, does the President believe that these agencies and some of the federal workforce has become politicized? Mr. I honestly don't know that we've spent a ton of time thinking of that, that we've been fairly busy on other things. It's a good question. I don't, I've not asked him that question. I think our focus has pretty much been getting the job done as you've seen through the meetings that he's had, the work that he's had with members of Congress, union workers, the auto heads, the other business leaders. I mean, his focus has been much more focused on getting the job done than various tweets that are getting tweeted and unleaded. Hold on, sorry, Lynn Sweet. Not that I want to encourage everyone else to. Yeah. But this is so important to Chicago. Thank you so much. And President Trump has talked a lot about Chicago.

18:00So my question is, he said, if Chicago doesn't fix the horrible carnage, I will send in the feds. Could you perhaps share with me a little bit about what is the nature of the federal help that the president has in mind? Whether agents, law enforcement agents, or National Guard. And what factors will determine if he acts, runs? People told us that after the meeting in Trump Tower on December 7th, he did tell them things that would help Chicago that he could use, such as summer jobs, more prosecutions and gun laws?

18:32Mr. Well, I think what the President is upset about is turning on the television and seeing Americans get killed by shootings, seeing People walking down the street and getting shot down, the President of the United States giving his farewell address and two people being killed that day. And when you look at a city like that, he's had conversations with police officers in Chicago and asked them, you know, what is preventing you from solving this? And I think in many cases there are some issues that can be resolved that will help them do their job better to keep the people of Chicago safer. And what he wants to do is provide the resources of the federal government. And it can span a bunch of things. There's no There's no one thing.

19:12It can be, you know, there can be aid that can be, if it was requested up through the governor, through the proper channels that the federal government can provide on a law enforcement basis. But there's other aid that can be extended as well, either through the U.S. Attorney's Office or other means that will ensure that the people of Chicago have the resources to feel safe. That's what he means, Lynn. And part of it is that no American, whether or not you live in Chicago or Nebraska, shouldn't feel like you can walk down the streets of a city, of a city in this country and fear for your life.

19:43And I think too often that's happening in Chicago. The Press So what will happen next, just so we know the timetable? Mr. I think next is we'll hopefully get a dialogue started with Mayor Emanuel and try to figure out what a path forward can be so that we get We come up with a plan that can keep the people of Chicago safe and help ease the problem there. Yes. The Press, did Mexico's government have any knowledge that this new executive order would be signed today? And do you feel President Trump and President Peña Nieto will be on the same page after they meet next week in terms of who is paying for the wall?

20:17Mr. I hope so. I think that they're definitely going to assess not only NAFTA but the wall. There's a lot of subjects that are going to come up. We have a lot of trade that goes between the two countries. There's some security, obviously homeland security issues, but there's no question I think NAFTA is going to be big on that list and trade overall. But, and with respect to your first question, I don't think we generally telegraph to people who are coming to visit what executive orders we're going to send. The Press, John, thank you. A couple of questions. I want to go back to that draft executive order that would undo some of the restrictions for handling detainees.

20:50Has the President seen that draft EO? Mr. I'm sorry, the one that he's signing? No, no, the draft executive order that will undo the restrictions on how to handle detainees. Mr. I guess I'm having a hard time. You're asking me if a document that's not a White House document he's seen. I don't believe to the best of my knowledge. And so I would ask, there's a, this is the second day in a row we're getting asked about documents that are floating around and people saying, and frankly, reports being published.

21:21Attributing documents to the White House that are not White House documents. The Pressure No, I haven't attributed it to White House. The Pressure No, no, I'm not saying you, I'm, I, I, I. The Pressure No, I just have to, do you know if he's seen it? The Pressure No, I, to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't seen it. I think he's got a lot of other things. The Pressure No, I have a couple of questions. The Pressure No, I have 2 more. The Pressure No, since it is floating around, is he considering the reading back black sites and water more? The Pressure No, I'm not going to start answering hypotheticals about documents that are floating around. That's a redi- you're basically- okay, Kristin, we're gonna end this right now. Hunter, Hunter, Hunter, no, Hunter Walker, thank you. The President is reportedly going to limit access to the country for visa holders and refugees from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

21:59Will he be taking any steps that will affect people from those countries who are already here, including perhaps registering them or beginning deportations? The President has talked extensively about extreme vetting today. And you'll see more action this week on keeping America safe. This has been something he talked about in the inaugural address, he talked about in the campaign. As we get into that implementation of that executive order, we'll have further details. But I think the guiding principle for the President is keeping this country safe and allowing people who are from a country that has a propensity to do us harm to make sure that we take the necessary steps to ensure that the people who come to this country, especially where areas that have a A predisposition, if you will, or a higher degree of concern that we take the appropriate steps to make sure that they're coming to this country for all the right reasons. And I think we'll have further information on that back later this week. The Press on the fraud investigation. What's the ultimate goal here? And essentially, isn't the President questioning the legitimacy of his own election? Mr. No, I think that the question, look, voting is the most sacred right that we have as Americans. This is what is the hallmark and the foundation.

23:08of our democracy. And to ensure that we know that every person's vote counts equally as the next citizen is probably one of the greatest things that we can do. The Press But aren't those steps and balances already in place? Mr. Part of the reason we need to do a study is to make sure, look, there's, I don't want to start throwing out numbers, but there's a lot of people that are dead that are on rolls. There are people that are voting in two places, or that are on the rolls in two different states, sometimes in three different states. I think taking the necessary steps to study and to track what we can do to both understand the scope of the problem, and then secondly, how to stop the problem going forward is something that's definitely clearly in the best interest.

23:48John Gizzi. The Press. Thank you, Sean. Two brief questions. First, Congressman Todd Rakita of the Vice President's home state of Indiana, himself a former Secretary of State, is the father of that state's voter ID law, which went to the Supreme Court. He has long advocated other states following the Indiana example, all states adopting voter ID. Is that something the President would get behind to achieve his Mr. Look, I think the President's number one goal is to make sure that we, I mean, Georgia is another great example of a state that implemented a very successful voter ID program.

24:27And I think that's what the President's look, you know, one of several things. But let's, the first step is for him to get this, you know, I don't want to call it a task force yet because it's not there yet, but this effort underway that can look at the scope of the problem. And then, John, maybe make some recommendations. And maybe it is voter ID in states. But right now, we've got 50 states and the territories that all have various different IDs, and I know that there's some compliance issues to make sure. But part of that is to figure out the extent of the problem.

24:58In some states, what it takes to get a driver's license might be an issue, and I'm just ... But I think we have to understand where the problem exists. How deep it goes, and then suggest some remedies to it. But right now, to sort of prejudge the process, would sort of get in front of the whole need to have it. Paul Bedard. The Press, I have a second question. Next week is the National Prayer Bracket, Sean, and Presidents from Eisenhower to President Obama spoke about their faith. Will the President attend? Mr. I'm going to have to get me back to you.

25:28I'd be glad to check on that. I just don't have the President scheduled for the next week. So I will get, hold on a second. The Press, Sean, what will the White House of Presidents do on immigration to sanctuary cities and sanctuary counties that say, go ahead, keep your money. We don't care. We're going to harbor these illegal criminals. And also, what do you do about countries that pretty much say the same thing, who won't allow those people to come back into their country? Mr. Well, I think the first step, Paul, is the funding piece.

25:59And again, this is a multi-step problem, and it's why you've started to see deferent executive orders get rolled out and then there's a congressional piece that we have to do legislatively. But to the extent that the President can continue to identify areas that he can handle within executive actions and orders and memoranda. To get, start curbing the problem of executive, of illegal immigration, but also, again, it's about, we talked a little bit about yesterday in terms of funding. There's a taxpayer issue here. You know, you've got the American people out there working and then having their money sent to places where folks that aren't in this country legally are getting sent to cities that are therefore using their tax dollars. That's a part of it. So it's not a one-step solution. I think that's why you've got the wall. You've got some funding issues. You've got the vetting. But it is It's not a one-step process.

26:48It's going to be a multi-tiered, multi-step problem. The Press, Sean, on the Supreme Court, what is the President's views of Judge Gorsuch? He's a name that's been circulated. And then, more broadly, does the President feel like the choice should be someone who is in their late 40s, early 50s, as a way of leaving his imprint on the court? Mr. I think that there have been several names that have been floated out there. He put out the list a while ago of 20 or so.

27:18That's where I would look. I'm definitely not getting ahead of the president on this. But I would suggest to you that the people that are on that list that he put out during the campaign Represent the kind of people that he's not just going to represent, or he's not going to nominate for the Supreme Court, but we have well over 100, I think it's 103 vacancies at the federal level and at the appellate level. And I think that's going to continue to guide him. Margaret. The Press, Sean, one point of personal privilege. Can we get the text of the executive orders when the President makes the announcement?

27:49Mr. Yes. In fact, I will tell you this, with Margaret, I was just told the President is about to speak. I will get you the executive orders ASAP. Thank you guys very much. Hold on, hold on, real quick, hold on, real quick, can I, I got it. Just for guidance purposes, we will be gaggling tomorrow on Air Force One. Thank you very much. We look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia. Bye, guys. Thank you, guys.

Source and licence

Recording: File:1-25-17- White House Press Briefing.webm by The White House (2017-01-25), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The transcript is machine speech-to-text by the TidyTools Audio & video transcriber; the summary, key points and chapters were written by Claude from that transcript. Both may contain errors: check the recording before quoting it.