Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton - March 4th, Hour 3
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Here's our toll-free telephone number.
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If you want to be a part of the program, another big court decision I mentioned earlier, huge news put out by Governor Abbott that the federal appeals court is allowing Texas immigration law to take effect.
Law enforcement officers in Texas are now authorized to arrest and jail any illegal immigrants that are crossing the border.
Now, by the way, President Trump tied Joe Biden's wide open border policies, but of course the border is safe and secure and the borders are closed.
That's what they told us for three years.
And a new PAC ad, meaning outside of the campaign, tying Biden's border crisis to this tragedy, which is the University of Georgia nursing student Lake and Riley's tragic murder.
I mean, this is and all the violence of all the victims of crimes of illegal immigrants that has now been happening around the country.
Listen.
Following some breaking news out of Athens, Georgia, two colleges have canceled classes today as police look for a murderer.
Lake and Riley was described as a shining light.
Deansless nursing student.
Police arresting 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibrahim.
Ibarra crossed into Texas illegally back in September of 2022, then was released into the United States on parole.
We're confident this border is secure.
We have a secure border.
We agree that the border is secure.
We have a process of place to package migrants at the border.
The border is closed.
The border is secure.
We have taken unprecedented action.
Look, the border is not open.
Fox News can now confirm that Jose Antonio Barra was busted last year in New York City.
The ICE didn't even have time to put in a detainer on him because, hey, he was already back out in the streets.
All right, joining us now, we go to the state of Texas.
The Attorney General of that state, Ken Paxton, is with us.
Mr. Attorney General, sir, welcome back.
Glad to have you.
Let's talk first about the federal appeals court ruling.
Good news for Texas and frankly the country, although we've already seen because of Texas's border policies, 99.99% of people that were crossing where I was last week in Eagles Pass and Shelby Park, they're not coming that way anymore.
They have now moved on to Arizona and California.
It's amazing what enforcing laws will do to protect the border.
And I'm shocked that you don't believe that Biden has secured the border for the last three years that you even question that.
You mean they actually lied to us?
Joe Biden wouldn't lie.
Mayorkas and Vice President Harris and Jen Saki and Karine Jean-Pierre weren't lying to us, were they?
No, there's no way.
I mean, just because they dismailed all of our laws and decided not to enforce any of them, that's why Texas has been forced and why the governor has been forced to put up wire and fences of our own and why the legislature passed laws to allow us to deport people because our federal government's not doing the job and hasn't done the job for the last three years.
Well, they haven't and they've lied about it for the last three years and the consequences are really real.
California, for example, they had implemented free health care for illegal immigrants.
Now, California has a bill that would make illegal immigrants eligible for first-time homebuyer loans.
Now, this is also a state facing this year an $80 billion budget shortfall.
I mean, you got to be kidding.
No, I have two children that live in California.
They can't afford to buy a house because it's so expensive.
And despite the fact that two of them served in the military, my son-in-law, my daughter, they don't get special deals to buy houses.
They're living in rented housing because they can't afford it.
So it's ridiculous that California would cut some special deal for people that are coming here illegally, and yet their own citizens can't afford to buy houses.
I mean, it really is unbelievable.
So I'm down at the border with President Trump and with Governor Abbott.
And unfortunately, every time Governor Abbott and your state, and you've been involved in it, have tried or attempted to do the job that the federal government should be doing, which is enforcing the laws of our country.
Joe Biden just the opposite.
He's not only not enforcing them, he's aiding and abetting in the lawbreaking and facilitating people that are not respecting our laws, borders, and sovereignty.
Every time Texas has made a move, they end up getting sued by the Biden administration.
I'm glad to see you're winning.
I mean, I just don't even know what to say at this point.
I saw the Razor Wild that's been put up, the containers that have been put up.
I see the National Guard.
I had a lot of time to talk to these guys when I was down there.
I bet at the border 15 times, Mr. Attorney General, all the way from the Rio Grande to San Diego, been in drug warehouses, been in helicopters, boats, all-terrain vehicles, horseback, on foot.
I've done it all, and it was bad then.
It's never been this bad.
And then you see the countries that they're coming from, our top geopolitical foes, China, Russia, Iran, Syria, Egypt, home of the Muslim Brotherhood, Afghanistan, home of al-Qaeda.
I mean, what are they thinking here?
What are the consequences long-term going to be?
Look, I think it's hard to really understand this because it's hard to believe that our president, our leadership of this country is actually helping those groups you're talking about, whether it's the terrorists, whether it's the cartels.
The facts are they've dismantled border policy.
They fight us when we try to protect our own citizens.
And the reality is they're helping the very people you're talking about.
That's on purpose.
It's not an accident.
It's not like Trump didn't show them the way you enforce federal law and you get less of illegal immigration.
Instead, he said, we're not going to enforce any.
We're going to fight Texas and Arizona at the time.
And we're going to make sure that they can't enforce even their own laws.
So this is all purposeful.
It has a reason, and they're not doing it by accident.
They're not doing it.
Well, then what is the purpose of this?
What is the reason for this?
Why would they possibly risk unvetted illegal immigrants from our top geopolitical foes?
And we're talking in the case of China about tens of thousands.
And in the case of Russia, the same thing.
I think there's two reasons.
One, they obviously want both.
They're putting them in Republican states because they want to change the balance of power.
They want a one-party country, and they want it to be the Democratic Party.
So there's no competition.
They can do whatever they want to do.
Second, they want to bring them into Republican states because it costs us in many ways.
It costs us socially because we have all kinds of crime that we otherwise wouldn't have.
And then we also have higher costs, health care, law enforcement, education.
And they want to bring us down relative to Democratic states because Democratic states are losing people.
People are voting with their feet.
And so they're trying to level the playing field by causing us to have to deal with all these problems.
Yeah, I mean, it's really unbelievable.
How important is this court decision?
And I would assume they're going to appeal it.
I mean, how much longer will Texas not only have to spend money that they shouldn't have to spend with Texas taxpayer money, but how much longer will monies be spent and allocated to these court cases that they keep pushing and forcing upon your state?
I think until the day that Joe Biden's gone and we have a Republican president like Donald Trump who will actually go back to enforcing the law, we've been forced for three and a half years.
I've sued the Biden administration, I think, 60 times.
I think 17 or 18 of those are related to immigration, like the cutting down of our fences.
That was our lawsuit.
We sued them because we didn't think they had the right to do that.
And even though the Supreme Court gave us no injunction, that has stopped.
They're not cutting our fences anymore because I think even Border Patrol has said enough is enough.
We're not going to do this.
I think you're right.
And I will tell you, I haven't spoken with Border Patrol people up and down the ranks and Texas National Guard people up and down the ranks, spoken to you, spoken to Governor Abbott, spoken to President Trump.
We had border policies that work.
Joe Biden rescinded all of those policies in his first 100 days.
That's exactly right.
And here's what's frustrating.
Benny talks for the last like six months of finally acknowledging that we have a problem after three years of disfailing these laws.
And he says, oh, we just need different laws.
It's Congress's fault.
It's the Republicans' fault.
No, the numbers speak for themselves.
When Trump left office, the border was under control like it had never been in my lifetime.
And now it's just the opposite.
Illegal immigration is up 400, 500%.
And the consequences of that will affect every American for decades.
Yeah, it really is.
Mr. Attorney General, we always love having you on.
Appreciate your time, sir.
Thank you.
Hey, thank you.
Have a great day.
800-941-Sean, our number if you want to be a part of the program.
Tim in Kansas City.
Tim, hi.
How are you?
Glad you called, and happy Monday to you.
Well, thank you.
It's a pleasure and an honor to be on your show, Sean.
You're doing great things for America, and I really appreciate it.
I can't do it without your help.
It means the world to me.
Thank you, my friend.
I'm glad you hope you're doing well as well.
I am.
I wanted to call in and talk about voter integrity.
I'm worried sick about this.
I mean, and then, you know, Garland just came out and said he's going to fight for no IDs and all that other stuff.
So is there something that can be done?
I mean, I see the stage being set again, exactly what happened in 2020 about them pushing, pushing for people being able to vote without any identification.
He's stating that, oh, no, it's impositioned and it's racist to make people in impoverished areas show IDs to vote.
I don't get it.
People in India vote.
They don't have.
There's only one real true answer that I can tell you about, and that's for Republicans to win elections and to get the most integrity they can in our electoral system.
So people have faith and confidence in the system and confidence in the results.
Republicans now are stuck with a system that they don't prefer.
And what I keep telling people is you better deal with the system you have, not the one you wish you have.
Whatever the Democrats are doing with legal ballot harvesting, Republicans better match that effort and surpass it.
Now, I'm giving advice.
It's not the system I want.
Am I being clear enough on that point?
I don't want this system.
I think we can do a lot better.
I think we'd have more integrity and there'd be so much more confidence in results if we would do it the way I'm suggesting.
However, the only way you're going to make that change is to win elections and you have to win them with the system that we currently are stuck with.
And you played the cards you're dealt, but my concern is if I hear one more person say, well, my vote doesn't count.
I'm not even vote.
My head might explode.
This is insanity.
Maybe I'm hanging around with the wrong thing.
No, listen, what you're dealing with is a reality.
There's a lot of apathy among people.
I don't think they realize the extent that government matters.
Elections matter.
Principles that these officials hold near and dear that will be implemented matter.
Look at the border crisis.
That was a Biden-induced crisis.
None of this needed to happen.
The same thing with energy prices.
The same thing with foreign policy.
The same thing with our courts.
All of this is a result of radicals winning elections.
And Republicans on another front, I keep bringing up the issue of abortion, in vitro fertilization, the Alabama court decision.
They better understand where the country is politically because while they might think they're standing on principle, the country is not there where they are.
And they've got to understand, okay, well, what is the compromise position?
That would be first trimester or the Dobbs decision of 15 weeks.
And states have the right to decide it, whatever it's going to be.
And I think that's the way to go as well.
I thought that was the right decision.
I absolutely totally agree with that.
But back to my point, how to get the point across.
First of all, everybody needs to vote.
Second of all, we were so decimated and so discouraged and everything with the 2020 election with all the controversy and all that.
I don't want to go into any of that.
But how to build voter confidence back to say, yes, we are going to check your name.
And no, we're not going to let Mike.
Again, that's going to be the states that decide.
And I can tell you right now, California is not going to make that decision on its own, nor is New York or New Jersey or Illinois or Washington State or Oregon.
I don't think it's going to happen.
They don't count anyway.
They're going to go.
Well, they actually do count.
I mean, California has the most electoral votes of any state in the country.
It counts big time.
I mean, immediately, that's a state you just check off, put it in the Democratic column, because I don't think, although Steve Garvey is showing some life out there in the Senate runoff for Dianne Feinstein's seat, but it is a solidly blue state right now.
And there used to be a time when, you know, Reagan won California and Nixon won California.
Those days are long gone, though.
Well, I'm glad you brought up California because I moved from California to Kansas to get out of there.
And most of California's people, land-wise, are Republican conservatives.
When you get to the land, everybody knows this.
When you get to the land masses, San Francisco, Bay Area, San Diego, Los Angeles, there are so many people there that vote liberal or Democrat that the honest, hardworking people that are getting ran over by illegal aliens and everything, they don't even have a chance.
So that's frustrating.
To your point, yes, they need to change their elected officials and get more people.
And I think maybe the tide's turning because people are getting fed up, especially in Oakland and Los Angeles.
I appreciate the call, my friend.
I totally sympathize with what you're saying.
We could do better.
We're capable of better.
But people don't want better.
That's the problem.
All right, let's get to our busy telephones here as we say hi to Don in Virginia.
Hey, Don, how are you?
Glad you called, sir.
Well, Sean, thank you very much for taking my phone call.
My concern is what happens if Trump's immunity case gets denied.
Me, as a strong Republican, I believe as soon as Biden leaves that office, he should lose his immunity protection.
And he should lose.
Well, that would be the net result of it.
And that's one of the big arguments that President Trump has been making in that case.
And I think it is a very powerful argument.
You know, they're arguing absolute immunity.
But if a president in the capacity of being commander-in-chief has to make very difficult, hard decisions, which they all do, and the president addressed this today, I mean, you've got to have a certain mindset.
If you're president, one thing you can't be thinking about is if you have to make a tough choice, like in the president referenced, for example, taking out the caliphate or ISIS or going after Soleimani or Al-Baghdadi and associates or the al-Qaeda leader in Yemen.
I mean, those are not easy decisions.
And these are decisions that every commander-in-chief has to make.
And if they have to, in the back of their mind, think about potential legal ramifications post-being in office, what happens then?
I mean, it's a real issue.
I was concerned the court wouldn't take up the case, but it's so consequential, I don't think they had any choice but to take it up.
Yeah, I agree with you on that exactly.
And my point is, if they don't follow through with this, and Biden, our feeling, a lot of us feel that he should be held responsible for all these criminal charges that all the illegal aliens are happening and doing to our U.S. citizens.
He's an accomplice every single one of those crimes.
At what point do you not say that, yes, their policies, they're aiding and abetting in the law breaking, which I think I've been pointing out more than anybody.
At what point do they become responsible?
At what point do they have blood on their hands because they are not enforcing our nation's laws?
They're not respecting our borders and sovereignty.
I think that time has come and gone.
And the outrageousness of it is for three years, they have said that our eyes are lying to us and that the border is secure and the border is closed.
Well, we saw differently.
And now all of a sudden, it's become politically an 80-20, 90-10 issue in the country, and they're facing a lot of negative backlash because of it.
And the more recent case with Lake and Riley, a high-profile case, but there's been many, many more.
And we know why the government, why don't they keep track of violent crimes of illegal immigrants that they commit against American citizens?
I don't think they want to.
And at some point, I think the people have to be held accountable.
Exactly.
My feelings.
And the feeling is they don't want to track them because they don't want to know how many people have been hurt because of their decisions.
And they should be held responsible for that.
I will tell you, it is just, just put yourself in the position of Lake and Riley's family.
How proud they must have been of this young woman, University of Georgia, nursing student.
She had her entire life ahead of her.
I know my sisters were all nurses at some point in their life.
They became registered nurses.
And I view that as one of the hardest jobs in the world, but also one of the most giving and compassionate.
I mean, helping people when they're sick, saving lives every day.
It takes a special person to be able to deal with that.
And I had one sister that actually used to work in a burn unit until she couldn't take it anymore because she'd have to constantly be changing the bandages of people with really horrible burns, third-degree burns.
And they'd have to change these bandages often and keep it clean or else, but it was so painful when you take off the old bandage.
And there's no amount of pain medicine that's going to stop that.
And you're inflicting pain, but you have to do it to save a life.
It's terrible.
I mean, and I remember when she said to me, I just don't think I can do it anymore.
I said, I totally understand.
Even though she was helping people.
Very, very tough.
I mean, I can't imagine how her family feels today.
I can't imagine.
How do they recover?
When do they get their life back?
I don't think they do.
I don't think they'll ever be the same.
I don't think I'd ever be the same.
I don't.
Thanks for the call.
Appreciate you being with us.
Thank you, Don.
All right, let's get to our phones.
Let's say hi to Tony.
He's in the free state of Florida, my new home.
How are you, sir?
Glad you called.
Very glad to be on.
Thanks for taking my call.
Thank you for checking in.
What's going on?
Well, I basically have what might be a stupid idea, but I have this feeling that, you know, Donald Trump wants to win and we want him to win.
We voted for him twice.
We know he's not a politician.
But when I watch him on TV, the things that I don't see is if I'm on the other side, I want to feel like this guy is for me.
And I think that would be, I think it would do a world of good to do something to make the other side, because there's a lot of people who don't like him.
I know because I talk to so many people, especially on the other side.
And I just don't see that particular part of the campaign.
Somehow he's got to rake in those independents that are on the fence and those Democrats that don't want to vote for Biden.
And they will say to me to my face or online, there's no way I'll ever cast a vote for Donald J. Trump.
And it's like, you can't even get into why, because they just won't do it.
But there's got to be enough percentage of people out there that are just looking for something.
And if he could just swing over a little bit, I know he likes to talk to his base.
We watch him on TV, and he's different when he's talking to his base than when he's in some of the interviews, like the one you were at the border with.
Very, very, you know, collected and calm.
And that's a good projection.
But I just think if he could do something to look in the camera and let those people know he is talking to them too, it's not the rank and file Democrats necessarily that we're against.
It's the leadership.
I always say that to my left-leaning friends.
But I got to believe that there's a way to pull in a percentage of those votes to guarantee victory.
Otherwise, I'm not sure.
I hope he can do it, but I just don't know because we don't know who the Democrats are going to throw out when Biden, when they finally realize he can't do it.
We're 245 days away from Election Day.
I agree with much of what you're saying.
I hope the president takes time to go into maybe traditional Democratic strongholds, if you will.
We see demographically, at least on paper, and right now it's only on paper, that Joe Biden is losing massive numbers in terms of people of what is the base of the Democratic Party, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, young people.
Donald Trump now winning among young people.
But whether or not they come home on Election Day or whether or not they stay home, I can't fully predict.
I don't think anybody can predict how this year is going to end up.
And I think people that tell you that they can, I don't think they know what they're talking about.
But I think the idea that, you know, to go into communities and say, hey, the Democratic Party has told you, well, just ask people, how are their policies working for you?
If you go into minority neighborhoods, for example, how are their policies working?
How are your school system?
How is law and order and safety and security where you live?
I remember in 2016, at different points, he said, well, what have you got to lose?
I do prefer.
I tend to agree with you that I think his base is rock solid.
We've seen that now in the primary.
I don't think they're going anywhere, but you've got to get that extra 5%, 10%.
I don't know what the exact number is, and you've got to get other people.
We may be facing an election in 245 days that could be decided by a couple of hundred thousand people in six or seven states.
It could come down to that yet again.
And I mean, that's a pretty frightening thought.
I think the idea I prefer, for example, I've seen a lot of his rallies.
Okay.
I think they tend to be more geared towards the base.
But I think you're right.
I think in an interview situation where he's actually given the opportunity to explain his views.
I did this with Robert Kennedy when I gave him a town hall.
A lot of people were angry with me.
They wanted me to debate him on some issues that positions that he holds.
For example, not just on the COVID vaccine, but on vaccinations in general.
I'm like, that's not my job.
He's a presidential candidate.
I want him to give his full answer.
And it's not my job to sit there and debate him.
And it's up to the people.
I give people a lot of credit in terms of their intelligence that they can decide for themselves whether or not they agree or disagree.
But let's hear people out.
And I think Donald Trump, when he's conversational, a guy that I've known long before he ever thought about getting into politics, he's funny, he's gracious, gregarious, probably generous to a fault.
And I think the more he shows that other side of him and his concern for people of all backgrounds, races, et cetera, I think that would absolutely benefit him.
Reaching out to people that know that the country is in decline and don't like it, that maybe don't like his style and explain, well, I've asked that question.
And he says, if I didn't fight Sean, I wouldn't be where I am.
I wouldn't be doing this interview with you.
I mean, it's a pretty good answer.
It's a pretty strong answer because it's true.
So anyway, I appreciate the call.
I think you raise a lot of good points.
Jeffrey in Arizona, same point he wants to make.
I think he's an independent.
We got about a minute.
I'm sorry, Jerry in Arizona.
Jerry, you're on the Sean Hannity show.
I've got about 90 seconds.
They're all yours.
Yeah.
Hey, Sean.
So I am an independent voter.
I'm going to give you a perspective.
In 2018, when I lived in California, I voted for Newsome.
In 2020, in the presidential election, I voted for Trump.
I am a PhD student here in Arizona.
And the thing that gets me is I don't know what conservatives are doing to try and canvass the college base.
So anytime I go to campus, it's all Democratic strategists promoting Democratic policies.
I don't ever see a conservative one out there trying to talk to college students.
So I was just wondering, what can conservatives do to actually reach the college base?
I think you raise a good question.
And one of the problems conservatives have had historically on college campuses is they get shouted down.
If they were invited to speak, they get protested and they never get to utter a word because then their safety becomes a question and an issue that has to be dealt with.
Look at, for example, Riley Gaines goes to one university, is speaking and gets chased off the stage, hit in the process, and is even in the room with a law enforcement officer.
And help didn't arrive till four hours later with people banging on the door trying to break in and bring them harm.
I don't know if I'd advise any conservative to go on some of these liberal college campuses.
I had an occasion not that long ago after the terror attacks in Israel.
I was on a college campus as incognito as I can be.
And throughout that day, I saw not one, but three separate, quote, pro-Palestinian, in some cases, even pro-Hamas protests going on.
Pretty scary.
And it's happening all around the country.
No, exactly.
I just, from what I've seen, and maybe it's the same with what you've seen, a lot of college students are lost.
And when they leave the college setting, they have no idea what's in store for them.
And colleges kind of coddle what is expected, especially when you go into the job market, right?
So I just, I feel like there is so much value and potential for conservatives to kind of just, you know, get to college students and have them understand, just like kind of what Tim Scott says, at the end of the day, you control your own destiny, right?
You can make the American dream happen, but it takes your initiative to make it happen.
But there are many conservative and Republican groups that have emerged on college campuses around the country.
And my advice to young people is don't be afraid to speak up and take a stand and be part of a group.
And you can organize, you know, a whole variety of events to inform people.
I would wish that college campuses allowed for vigorous debate and a free and open exchange of opinion, ideals, and principles, but many of them do not.
It's kind of sad.
Anyway, I hope you organize it, Jerry.
Good call, man.
Appreciate it.
800-941-Sean, our number.
All right, full complete analysis, Colorado ballot decision, 9-0 decision.
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And Charlie Hurt and so much more.
Set your DVR at 9 Eastern tonight.
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We'll see you then back here tomorrow with more reaction.