Stephen, do you know if the President is considering a trip to Minneapolis in the coming days or vice versa?
Hey guys, good to see you. I basically, the last few times I was doing, uh, doing interviews, so it's good to be here. I only have, uh, a little bit of time. We've gotta run into a meeting, but I'd love to take your questions. I actually don't have an answer to that question. If I, if I did, I'd be glad to share it with you.
Can I ask you, Stephen, about, uh, we had reported that, you know, immigration in portion, there's gonna be a big operation next week, or starting as early as next week in Chicago. There's also reporting that there's gonna be a similar move in Boston, Massachusetts. Can you talk more about those operations?
Well, so I think there's a few important points on this, and thanks for the question. So just as a foundation, it's important to understand that immigration enforcement happens 24/7 in all communities in America. So one thing we really wanna underscore is that immigration in in customs enforcement. ICE is a federal agency with a federal mission that operates 24/7 from coast to coast and border to border.
Now, at the same time it's also true that the highest degree of national security and public safety concern are in sanctuary cities. So without getting into specifics and reviewing any operational details, the President has been clear repeatedly that we're gonna p- -- be prioritizing enforcement in these sanctuary jurisdictions as a matter of public safety and national security.
I think a lot of, uh, even journalists maybe may not realize what we mean when we say sanctuary city. You know, it's a, it's a term that can have a lot of meanings. It can mean free welfare for illegal immigrants, it often does, and free benefits for illegals and often does. But the core definition is used by ICE of a sanctuary city is a city where when an illegal alien is charged or convicted of a crime, they're not turned over to ICE for removal.
So just as a simple comparison, if in, say, the state of Texas, uh, they, 10 illegal aliens are arrested for committing a crime and they're about to be released, ICE will issue a detainer, and they'll be transferred from the state or local custody to ICE, and then ICE will then put them in detention and deport them.
In California, they will not be handed over to ICE. They'll be released at time and place unknown, and then ICE will have to go searching for weeks, months to find them, and in many cases those aliens will go on to commit additional serious offenses, including oftentimes, as we've seen over and over again, rape and murder.
And so that is the reason why it's so essential to prioritize enforcement in sanctuary cities.
Can you comment on the Federal Register, uh, published, uh, restrictions on terms for visas for students and journalists, foreign journalists? Can you comment on the rationale for those term limits, four years, and then like journalists, 240 days?
No, I think it's just a, a programmatic integrity measure to make sure that, that you're, that while you're in that status, you should be, in fact, at a school learning and educating. We found a lot of cases where someone, uh, applied for a student visa, they got it, and then 11 years later they're still in that same status.
At that point in time, obviously your education would clearly be over. So just making sure, it's a way to cut down on fraud to make sure that foreign students are actually being educated at schools and are not just staying on that status, uh, without actually being enrolled students.
And, and journalists, like they, they're limiting them to 240 days.
It's just, just a program integrity measure.
Ste- -- Mr. Miller. On, on, on the summit last Monday, South Korea, United States, uh, summit, is there any joint statement opened by both countries? If not, why?
I don't have any news to make on that except to say that the President has been very clear about his expectations for South Korea in terms of what, uh, an investment deal, in terms of what a fair and balanced trade deal looks like, and our Secretary of Commerce, uh, is working on that as we speak, as, of course, is the rest of the President's trade team, and as soon as we have an update, we'll share it with you.
Mr. Miller --
Yes?
-- would US tariff Norway after its sovereign wealth fund said it wouldn't invest in Ca- -- Cal- -- Ca- -- Caterpillar for selling to Israel? Do you have any insight into the --
No insight right now, sorry.
And then separately --
Yeah?
-- uh, the Cook, um, the Lisa Cook, um, court, um, hearing ended with no decision. Have you spoken with the President about, um, that, that hearing today?
I don't have any update on that except to say that the President's authority, as the head of the executive branch, to terminate executive branch employees is a plenary authority that is the, it is fundamental to our constitutional order, yes.
Thank you, Mr. Miller. On Kilmar Ábrego García, could you just speak a little bit about the administration's decision to keep him in ICE detention? You know, taking up a bed when he's already on the US Marshals' monitoring services of the criminal trial. And also if you could speak to the decision to or the plan to deport him to Uganda.
Uh, the judge raised, uh, the judge in the immigration case, I should say, raised concerns about coercion with that in, in a hearing earlier this week.
Why would it be coercion to send somebody to Uganda?
They said it was possible coercion. They -- they didn't make [Inaudible]
No, I'm just, yes, it was -- it was a rhetorical -- it was a rhetorical question, which [Laughs] I'll address. But, so first of all, uh, this is the issue with crazy liberal judges everywhere, is people who are a clear flight risk, a clear threat to public safety, get released over and over and over again.
We see that here in Washington DC. Not in the immigration context, but you see individuals all the time who are charged with extremely serious crimes. They are released on their own recognizance and they go on to commit robbery, muggings, carjackings, murder. I mean, I have -- I've seen example after example of extremely serious felony, including homicides where the individual would've been in jail, but for the fact that they were released by a judge.
Obviously the US government with someone who was a -- a extreme flight and public safety risk like Garcia, we are not going to allow them to be on the street where they can engage. I mean, this is someone as you know, who's not only a member of a terrorist organization, who's not only been accused of battery, but who's been accused of grave crimes against children.
This is not someone we're gonna allow to be out on the street. Now to the point about the -- about Uganda. You just have to marvel at this. The, uh, the same left-wing NGOs who tell us that we should open our borders to all the poor countries of the world also tell us that it would be unfair, improper to have anybody live in those countries.
Well, if -- if those countries don't have good systems of -- of law and good systems of governance, then why would we want to have open migration from those countries? So these two propositions are in complete conflict. But more fundamentally, remember: Garcia has said he doesn't want to go back home to El Salvador.
That's what he said. So we're honoring that request by providing him with an alternate place to live. We're not a travel booking agency. It's not -- it's not our job to say to illegal alien terrorists, "Pick your favorite destination in the world and we'll send you a charter jet there." We have countries that have very graciously agreed to help resettle nationals from other countries, which is a -- a great, uh, benefit to the United States.
And obviously that's something that, uh, Garcia is eligible for.
Stephen, [Inaudible] the French president has said today that, um, if Putin doesn't have talks with Zelenskyy, then President Trump will have been, quote, played. Um, is that true? Is President Trump being played by President Putin at the moment?
Such an absurd question. President Trump has achieved seven peace deals in seven months. No president in history has done more to advance the cause of peace. He's been nominated by multiple world leaders for the Nobel Peace Prize. Literally no president, not just in our lifetimes, but that I can think of in American history.
And no world leader anywhere today on -- anywhere on Earth, has done more to advance world peace than President Trump. He's ended the conflict between Israel and Iran. He's ended the conflict between Rwanda and Congo, between India and Pakistan. Azerbaijan, I mean example after example after example. And obviously, he's working steadfastly to end the killing in Ukraine.
And keep in mind, this is President Biden's war. It started because of President Biden, and President Trump inherited President Biden's war, and he's working steadfastly to end the killing. And that's something that everyone in the world should celebrate. Yes.
[Inaudible] President Trump --
What happens if [Inaudible]
-- question to allow members of the PLO and the PA to come for the United Nations. Given that it's always been the -- the -- the norm that people who are part of official delegations get the right to come to -- to the UN.
Well, I would -- I would let the Secretary of State comment more on it. But I mean, very straightforwardly, we've been very clear when it comes to our visa system that we are going to take all necessary steps to prevent our visa system from being used by individuals who may support or espouse terrorism or terrorist activity.
Yes.
Sir [Inaudible] visa [Inaudible]
Oh, sorry. I already -- already answered that question. Yes.
[Inaudible] Okay. So, um, how confident is the White House that you can currently, um, nominate a CDC director that sort of balances the vaccine stance of Kennedy with, um, someone that could pass the Senate?
Well, as we know, I mean, so we'll -- we'll find an incredible nominee. I'm not worried about that at all. But it's a good opportunity to talk about the CDC issue more broadly. As we know, the CDC's credibility was shattered during the COVID era. This is now widely understood and widely acknowledged. And CDC used to be, of course, a -- or seen widely around the world as a premier health agency.
And much of the world discovered in the last few years that CDC was actually staffed by a lot of very partisan and very political bureaucrats who weren't at all concerned about public health and weren't actually very knowledgeable about public health. And we are working hard. And more importantly, Secretary Kennedy, one of the world's foremost voices, advocates, and experts on public health, is working hard to restore the credibility and the integrity of CDC as a scientific organization committed to the scientific method and getting to the root cross causes of the public health epidemic in this country.
You know, there's, there's one chronic illness after another where we have seen incidences and rates in the Western world in general, in America in particular, skyrocket over recent decades and years, both childhood illnesses and adult illnesses. And we know that the drivers of these chronic illnesses are things that can be explained both through environmental factors, both through pharmacological factors, uh, as well as other things that impact public health and well-being.
But there has been no serious effort until Secretary Kennedy came along to deal with these systemic root drivers of chronic health. And it's an honor to be able to work with Secretary Kennedy as he tackles these issues on behalf of President Trump.
Does the President have any hesitancies about any of Secretary Kennedy's actions or leadership?
Secretary Kennedy has been a crown jewel of this administration who's working tirelessly to improve public health for all Americans. And again, to deal with the drivers of the chronic health crisis in this country.
Should the new CDC Director be more in aligned with President, uh, I mean with Kennedy? What's [Inaudible].
Sorry. Sorry. Over here. Yes.
Thank you. At what point do you expect the crime operation in DC to end, taking into account that 30-day limit on federal [Inaudible]?
So, it's a great question. So first of all, we appreciate the comments from the mayor acknowledging how profound a difference President Trump's leadership has made in reducing crime and violence in the city. And I can say on a, uh, personal level, as somebody who has lived in this area for two decades, the transformation has been breathtaking.
And we hear every day from members of the community, but particularly from long-time members of the community, and n- -- native Washingtonians, been here for many years, some cases whose families have been here for many years, that they're just overflowing with gratitude at how safe and clean the city has become and how the parks are open again, and the sidewalks are clean again and they're not worried about getting shot or mugged or carjacked.
The President has the authority under both that statute as well as inherent Article II authorities, uh, to maintain control of, of the federal and local policing in the city for as long as he may desire. But at a more fundamental level, the key point is that this is the capital city of the United States, and the President is gonna do whatever is necessary in order to ensure that the capital is the safest big city in the country.
And of course, we want all cities to be the safest that they could possibly be. But here right now in the nation's capital, this is a historic effort to transform our nation's capital into something that is the envy of the world in terms of beauty, in terms of safety, in terms of community. And it really is a wonderful thing to watch that happening.
But there are a lot of deep systemic challenges we have to overcome. There are scores of organized street crews in the city that are, that are comprised of career criminals that are engaged in narcotics trafficking and weapons trafficking and organized gang violence that represent a, a severe acute public safety threat to this city.
And we have DEA, FBI, ATF and every federal law enforcement agency working to root out the chronic gang violence in this community and liberate this city for the people who live here. And it, it really is, it's a, it's an extraordinary thing that is happening right now. Nowhere in the history of our country has such a dramatic improvement been made in such a short time, but this is just beginning.
And so I guess just to restate what I was saying to you, and I'm spending more time on this because it's so important, the, the President's authorities under the Home Rule Act, under the Constitution are clear in terms of his ability to direct and control public safety in the city. But even more important than the, than the, than the questions about specific legal authorities is the fact that as President of the United States, he will not relent and he will use every authority and tool at his disposal to ensure that the capital city of the United States is safe for all Americans and we will never waver and he will never waver from fulfilling that mission.
And again, the gratitude and the appreciation that we've seen from the residents of this community has been really one of the more amazing things I've seen in my time here serving in the White House. But again, this is just the very beginning.
[Inaudible] Have you talked about the Insurrection Act?
It's, it's time for, time for --
Stephen, it, it, Stephen --
It's time for, I only have time for two more questions. Yes?
How do we interpret this U.S. Naval buildup around Venezuela? Is it drug cartels? Is it putting pressure on material or both or what?
I wanna be very clear, the president has said from, well, actually going back to the campaign and then from day one of this presidency and the early executive orders, criminal cartels in this hemisphere are foreign terrorist organizations that present a clear and present danger to the American people. There are no organizations on this planet that are responsible for more dead Americans than the criminal cartels, the narco-traffickers that are operating in the Western Hemisphere.
And so the president has been clear in saying that the, that the mission of the United States military includes the defense of the nation against these foreign terrorist organizations and criminal cartels. And so what you are seeing is the resolve of the president and the United States military to combat and dismantle drug trafficking organizations, criminal cartels, and these foreign terrorist organizations in our hemisphere.
Chicago [Inaudible].
On Russia, even the president has said or raised concerns that Putin may be tapping him along. How is that not a concern now considering that, you know, things just seem to be stalled a bit? I mean, there's no, seems to be no progress between Putin and Zelensky either. Is there any concern of this happening?
I don't think I have anything to, to add to what I said already on the subject, which is that President Trump, since he came into this office, has made it his highest priority in the national security space to deliver peace, security, and stability in the world. He's ended seven wars in seven months. He's been very clear in his public statements about his priority in ending the killing in Ukraine.
We're not a combatant to this war or in this war. We're not a party to this war. This is a humanitarian concern about the mass death that's taking place as well, of course, the ever-present risks of, of escalation and spiraling. And I think like all Americans, I'm endlessly grateful that we have a president who is so committed to stopping violence, stopping killing, and making the world a safe place for the future.
And that's something that fills me with pride every single day. It's time for one last question.
[Inaudible] What are your plans for Chicago?
I'm sorry. Back here on Chicago.
What are your plans for Chicago from this administration? And have you had a direct conversation with the president about invoking the Insurrection Act for Chicago or any American city?
Well, it's a great question. No updates on Chicago. So as soon as I have some, I'll be glad to give them to you. The president has been clear in his public statements on that. But I will just take the, the privilege of the question as an opportunity to reiterate once again, this administration is committed to the eradication of organized street violence in the United States of America as one of our top public safety objectives.
There is no place for organized street violence in America, whether it be from homegrown crews of street thugs, or whether it be from foreign criminal cartels operating on our soil. Every American city should be safe and free from this organized, horrific, bloody street violence that we have tolerated for too long.
The Democrat Party as an institution at every level, its judges, its lawyers, its community activists, and its politicians exist to serve these criminal thugs. We see it here in D.C. We talk to the cops. They say, we're not allowed to arrest anybody. And then when we do arrest somebody, then they're immediately bailed out.
They're immediately released, they're immediately set free. We arrest them again, they're back on the street again. And what do they do? They kill, they attack, they rob, they rape. Why would we put up with this? Right. These are society destroyers. This is a simple choice. You either side with civilization or you side with anarchy and violence.
[Inaudible].
And so President Trump is proud to be using federal law enforcement international guard to make this city safe and peaceful for Americans. And he stands ready to help and assist any community that wishes to be liberated from these criminal elements that are such a dire threat to the freedom and tranquility of the American people.
Thank you.
[Inaudible]