00:00Senator Moreno.
00:03Mr. Nesco, I'll start with you.
00:04Just a basic question, just to kind of level set.
00:06We can have the three of you answer decently, quickly.
00:09Do you think that people who are here in this country
00:12illegally, meaning they either entered illegally or
00:15overstated a visa, should be deported?
00:17Simple yes or no?
00:18The rule of law, yes.
00:20Mr. Ellison?
00:23Do they have an asylum petition pending?
00:26Your microphone.
00:29If they have a pending asylum petition,
00:31I think it should be heard.
00:32If they have some basis for their presence in the country,
00:36I think ordinary due process should take place.
00:40Yeah, just from my perspective, simple.
00:42I'm not a big-shot lawyer like you.
00:43Just a quick question.
00:44If you enter the country illegally or you overstay a visa,
00:48should you be deported?
00:52My simple answer is,
00:54sir, it depends.
00:56Okay.
00:56So if somebody breaks into your home,
00:57should they be arrested for breaking entering,
01:00or does it depend?
01:01It's an entirely different scenario.
01:03How's that?
01:04Because immigration is essentially a civil,
01:07and breaking into my home is a criminal matter.
01:09Oh, okay, gotcha.
01:10So there's laws that should be enforced,
01:13so we shouldn't enforce civil violations?
01:15We absolutely should enforce them.
01:17But you just said that it's a civil matter, so it's different.
01:21No, you enforce civil matters.
01:23So if somebody commits a civil infraction,
01:25it shouldn't be enforced?
01:26It should be.
01:27Okay, so they should be deported?
01:28No, they should have due process
01:31that is associated with their petition.
01:34So for example...
01:35So the act of entering the country illegally,
01:37you think we should say,
01:39well, did you really do it or not do it?
01:41It's pretty obvious that they did, right?
01:42Well, I mean, it would depend on the facts of the situation.
01:45And then they might say...
01:46I just gave you the facts.
01:47Right, but...
01:48They entered the country without permission.
01:51But, Senator, what if they had a good faith basis
01:53to say they would be persecuted in their home country
01:57and subjected to real oppression there under international law?
02:01There are provisions for them to make a case.
02:03That's a phenomenal, phenomenal point.
02:06Mexico and Canada, do you consider those to be safe countries or no?
02:11Generally, I do, but there are certain circumstances...
02:13Generally, you do?
02:14Well, I mean, I would just say this...
02:16You border Canada.
02:16Don't insult your neighbors to the north.
02:18No, I love my neighbors to the north.
02:19Okay, so is it a generally safe country?
02:21Generally, yes.
02:22So then somebody seeking asylum could certainly be safe in Canada and Mexico, no?
02:29Now, so, like, if somebody...
02:31We do know that in Mexico, which is another country I truly admire
02:36and think it's a wonderful country, but there have been cases of persecution,
02:40people who I have legitimate fear...
02:42But people aren't safe in Mexico?
02:43Refugees cannot be safe in Mexico?
02:45Some...
02:45Some might not be.
02:47And I think...
02:47And what I'm saying, Senator...
02:48So maybe we shouldn't have a free trade agreement with them, then?
02:50I didn't say that, but what I would say, Senator,
02:53is that we should hear their petition.
02:55We should at least hear it out.
02:56We should say, is there a well-founded and legitimate fear of persecution in your home country?
03:02That can't happen in Mexico?
03:04Well, I think that we just...
03:05She should just follow the international protocols that existed, and...
03:08It is.
03:09Which is that you seek asylum in your nearest country that you are seeking asylum in.
03:16But it sounds to me that your answer is no.
03:18Mr. Schnell?
03:21Senator, if I were to answer yes or no, it would be misleading.
03:24And I think, ultimately, it does boil down to the process.
03:28It actually is pretty staggering that the easiest question that I could possibly ask
03:33is confusing for the two of you.
03:34I mean, that's...
03:35That's decently disgusting, and I'm going to tell you why from my perspective.
03:38I wasn't born in this country.
03:40My mom and dad had to follow the rules to bring me and my six siblings into the United States,
03:44and I find it disgusting that the two of you guys want to reward people who skip the line,
03:48pay drug cartel members to smuggle them across the border,
03:51are coached to say exactly the right words when they hit Border Patrol.
03:54And by the way, the people who do that, the people who are from my neck of the woods,
04:00from South and Latin America, get abused, get raped, get held at gunpoint,
04:05because people like you say, oh, it's okay, maybe we'll allow them into the country,
04:10when we should have a very simple policy, which is you can't enter our country legally,
04:14and you can't oversee your visa.
04:15The fact that the two of you are top law enforcement people in your state,
04:20and you can't simply say, hey, violating a civil or criminal offense is a problem,
04:24is probably the origin of why we have these issues.
04:27Let's move on for something else.
04:30Ms. Ellison, as the attorney general of the state of Ohio...
04:32I'm sorry, the state of Minnesota, you would never get elected in Ohio.
04:36Who's Victoria Harwell?
04:38Because you haven't said her name. I'm just curious who she is.
04:43Is there a question you'd like to ask me?
04:45Yeah, who is she?
04:46As I understand it, she's a very unfortunate, tragic victim of a crime.
04:51Okay, and what have you done about it?
04:53Well, in Minnesota, sir, I prosecute crimes that are...
04:59What have you done for Victoria Harwell?
05:00I'm telling you about my jurisdiction.
05:02I'm just telling you what you've done for Victoria Harwell.
05:03No, no, I'm telling you about my jurisdiction.
05:05I didn't ask you a question about your jurisdiction.
05:07If I did, you could answer that one, but I haven't.
05:09So just tell me about Victoria Harwell.
05:11Just tell me what you...
05:12Maybe the answer's nothing, which is fine.
05:13Just tell me what you've done for Victoria Harwell.
05:16We have done everything that the law allows us to do.
05:19Okay.
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