Incoming national security adviser Mike Walz said Sunday on CBS' “State of the Union” that President-elect Donald Trump “is going to go after” militia groups operating on the U.S.-Mexico border.
A partial transcription follows:
Margaret Brennan: There's a lot of work to be done. So my question is: What should we expect from Mr. Trump's executive actions in this early stage?
WALTZ: Yeah, well, you know, the campaign promises that he made to the American people are going to be on the table in terms of the border, in terms of energy, in terms of addressing this kind of DEI. It awakened a culture that infected so many parts of the federal government, including the military. Return us to meritocracy. He has a lot ahead of them. I'm excited to be a part of it. I cannot stress this enough, Margaret, that at the border the American people gave him a clear mandate. Close your borders, deport the worst people, and take on the cartels. We cannot have a situation where militias shoot down planes with heavy weapons, control 30% of neighboring Mexico, and control entire borders.
BRENNAN: Are you talking about an executive order that would probably designate cartels as terrorist groups, or designate them in some way –?
Waltz: — I don't want to get ahead of the announcement, but we have to — we have to take the announcement as it comes.
Brennan: –Okay.
WALTZ: These are militias with billions of dollars at their disposal, armed with armored vehicles and heavy machine guns, fighting the Mexican military. It's not the police or the military, it's a dead end. President Trump made it clear during the campaign that we would use every resource necessary to fight them and then protect the American people.
BRENNAN: Our polls show that there is a lot of support for the president-elect's plan to deport immigrants who are in the country illegally. But I want you to understand how it works. Can you tell us anything about the scope and scale of the roundups expected in the first few days?
WALTZ: Well, I think they're going to be — they're going to be pretty aggressive. Number 1. Second, they are going to go after the criminal organizations that are terrorizing our cities, especially MS-13, and Torren de Aragua in particular, and our communities are asking for it. Our neighbors want it –
BRENNAN: — one of those Torren de Aragua, excuse me, Torren de Aragua is Venezuelan. They cannot be deported to Venezuela. So where do you send them?
Walz: Well, we've had a number of discussions with a number of countries that agree to accept them.
Brennan: Well, that's a big diplomatic initiative that you're a part of.
Waltz: That's right. That's correct.
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