Replies

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Today is the deadline for the nation's 361 major ports to meet new security guidelines. The United Nations International Maritime Organization and the Department of Homeland Security increased security standards for seaports and ships all around the world, trying to prevent terrorist attacks.

The Coast Guard today barred five ships from entering U.S. ports. This comes just days after a Congressional report suggested as many as seven percent of American ports would not meet the security deadline.

Joining me now is Asa Hutchinson, Homeland Security Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security. Mr. Secretary, good to have you here.

ASA HUTCHINSON, UNDERSECRETARY FOR BORDER AND TRANSPORTATION SECURITY: Good to be with you.

DOBBS: This deadline, is it -- in your judgment, is it -- has it been met? Are you satisfied with where we are?

HUTCHINSON: Well, I think it's a very good-news story, first of all, that we had domestic standards, followed by the international standards -- which is the first time in history -- implemented today, July 1. We believe that all of the plans have been submitted; they have been evaluated.

Now, we have to measure the implementation of those plans -- the new security measures at the ports and how they are in compliance with their own security plans. But this has been a very good day. As you pointed out, there were a few ships that were not allowed to come in because they were not in compliance.

So, we have the enforcement capability that were put in place.

DOBBS: They -- the level of security, now more than -- as we approach three years after September 11, there are people who wonder why in the world has it taken us so long. And one understands the bureaucratic issues involved in Washington in managing a huge department such as yours -- that of the entire Department of Homeland Security. But my goodness, how long is it going to take before we have full security at our ports, full security at our borders?

HUTCHINSON: Well, I think that you put it in perspective. First of all, to move toward security of our ports, we can protect our own ports -- and we're doing that. But you also have to recognize the international shipping industry and the international ports. And our security would not be sufficient if we do not bring those along.

And in two-and-a-half years to set international standards to bring the investment of the international shipping companies -- I talked to one today that have 2,300 employees in the shipping company that are involved in security and have gone through security training. This is an extraordinary step forward.

So, you combine what we're doing overseas for the inspection of the containers coming toward the United States with the port security standards that are in place, the private investment, I think it's a pretty good combination of success.

DOBBS: I've heard more than one or two people, very knowledgeable on national security -- and I won't use their names, because they were speaking not for publication -- saying that we need to do far more, that in point of fact we are still putting our commercial interests ahead of our security interests, whether we are talking about the borders or the ports. And that we need to be far more constrained. How do you react to that?

HUTCHINSON: Well, I think it's wrong. I think, first of all, we don't put anything below the high standard of security that is so critical to our nation. At the same time, we not to shut down our borders and our ports, we're to make sure we protect our commerce as well. But I think that whenever you look at 300 years of history of developing our ports without security in mind, in 2 and a half years you make tremendous progress, but certainly you're going to have some vulnerabilities that are going to remain for some time.

We have done, though, with these new assessments as a good (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

DOBBS: And a tough job. I think everyone acknowledges that. And in your job, you have to spend some sleepless nights knowing that it only takes 1 mistake across all of our borders and across our ports for you to be a failure at your job. How do you handle that kind of pressure?

HUTCHINSON: Well, you worry about not fixing those things that we can fix and we, you know, finding the vulnerabilities, the threats that we know that the terrorists are trying to exploit and fixing them. So, my job is to worry.

And I think that the 180,000 men and women are working very hard at it. And I think we're having progress every day.

DOBBS: Let me ask you a couple of questions about the border. T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Control Council, you know, saying basically that border patrol agents being ordered, effectively, not to apprehend illegal aliens crossing our border, to stand their ground and to simply not be permitted to apprehend them. Why would such a policy be permitted?

HUTCHINSON: Well, that statement is totally wrong. Whenever you look at our Arizona Border Control Initiative, we've deployed hundreds of new border patrol agents. We're apprehending 16,000 illegal aliens per week trying to come across this area of the border. And so to say that we're not encouraging the enforcement and protection of our borders is totally wrong.

We've added technology, including unmanned aerial vehicles that we're testing this week, as well as new personnel.

DOBBS: How many people do you think are crossing the border illegally every year? Southern border, the northern border?

HUTCHINSON: We're apprehending more than a million per year. As to what percent of those we are getting, I think it's a very high percent. But I think that's undetermined. I don't know that you could really speculate on that.

DOBBS: A lot of people do, as you know. Fifty members of Congress, including the House Majority Leader Tom Delay sent you a letter rather recently on June 24 talking about the mobile patrol groups. Why isn't that pilot project being more broadly implemented?

HUTCHINSON: Well, the mobile patrol groups of the Border Patrol do interior checkpoints. They also work in the transportation hubs responding to intelligence, very appropriate. We support them tremendously.

But we have, in Homeland Security, a number of different groups that is involved in interior enforcement, worksite enforcement in which we're almost doubling the funding for that program. We have detention and removal teams, we have fugitive ops teams. So it's a matter of coordinating among those.

The Border Patrol, when you look at their responsibility, we try to focus on the nexus to the border, that's why we're focusing on the Arizona Border Control Initiative.

DOBBS: Asa Hutchinson, we thank you very much for being with us here.

HUTCHINSON: Thank you, Lou.