Matt Mackowiak - Republican Strategist Joins Houston's Morning News

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, let's bring in Matt Mccoveyack as promised now to
talk about this visit from the real borders are Tom Homan,
The incoming borders are with Governor Abba going to be
visiting Eagle Pass today. Hey, Matt, how are you.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm doing great, good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Good to have you. So, first of all, before we
talk about today's visit, what is your impression of Tom
Homan from what you have seen and heard? Since President
Trump almost immediately after winning the election, it was his
first appointment that he announced special Advisor to the President
in charge of not only the northern and southern borders,
but also maritime and air and the chief Deporter, if

(00:33):
you will, the Deporter in chief. What do you think
of Tom so far?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, I mean, he served for four years as Immigrations
and Customers Enforcement Director ICE director in the first Trump administration,
and he's been i think at the America First Falsey
Institute of Heritage, I forget one or the other in between. Yeah,
I mean, he's our nation's leading bord security expert, and
he's going to be in a broader role this time.
And of course the situation he's inheriting is different than
what happened when Trump took office in twenty seventeen. And

(01:00):
it's not just that they want to put the Trump
policies that were successful back in place, like remain in Mexico.
It since you have this inflow of millions of people
that you have to you have to identify, you have
to categorize and prioritize and begin deportation is the way
that Trump promised it, and that's really part of the
mandate that he has. So Holman wants to start immediately,

(01:21):
and they have to get the border wall going again.
Of course, the state of Texas has been building it
to you know, in a so limited fashion on state land,
but you know, it's it's a massive undertaking. It's a
huge job that he's taking on and but he is
really probably the single best.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Person for it, I completely agree, and they're targeting him.
He has become public enemy number one of the left
because he is so aggressive about this. He very caures,
very passionately about the security of this country and it's sovereignty.
So he talked about having death threats. He's receiving death threats,
and and he's more than willing to go to battle
head to head with people like governors Police in Colorado

(01:57):
and Pritzker in Illinois in a course, Newsom in California
and so forth, who are basically saying, no, we're sanctuary
states with sanctuary cities, and we will resist every attempt
for him to that he wants to make, I should say,
to deport individuals, we will protect all residents here, whether
they are documented or undocumented. How does he win those
showdowns if they won't cooperate, Yeah, I think I think

(02:20):
we would go to the courts.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
At that point. You have you know, states, you know,
refusing to follow the federal government, and and so it
becomes a fundamental legal battle. I would think in the
end that that's would be on really strong ground. There
would depend on what the order is, what the basis
for the order is, what the statutory authority is, those
kinds of things. But but you know, if you're here illegally,

(02:43):
you have no legal right to be here, and and
so and look, you know, Obama deported something like three
million people, and I think most of us feel like
he did an adequate job on the border. So deportations
happen every year, and you know, I hope they start
with criminals. I hope they start with those who have
current deportation or that makes good sense, and those would
be the places you'd want to start, but after you

(03:05):
brought out after that, that's right. We have to get
these people obviously, is again a big part of why
Trump want It's what people voted for. The media and
the Democrats are going to go crazy as this happens,
but it needs to happen. We have there have to
be consequences for ear legal entry.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Yeah, no question about it. We're talking to Mamma Kovak,
Republicans strategist about Tom Holman's visit to the border today.
What's he going to see when he and Governor Abbott
get the Eagle Pass.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Well, I think what Apple has show him is what
the state of Texas has done. You know, I saw
that the government announced they put more river booys in
the Rio Grande River just two days ago. I mean
that was something that was not being done in first
administration because you hadn't had the massive info that we've
had under Biden Harris. So I think he's going to
show him some things the state has done, not just

(03:51):
the border wall. They've been on state land, the river booys.
The will show where personnel are. They'll show them where
the gaps are. But he pass the town of like,
you know, thirty thousand people and they've had days where
they had fifteen or twenty thousand people come in that
one day. Right, you can imagine just you know, how
chaotic that would be for a talent of that size,
even if a large percentage of those people don't stay

(04:14):
that you know, they come into your town for a time,
and it must be, you know, really disruptive to daily life.
So yeah, I think I think home and we'll see
from the governor kind of the current state of play.
And it's important because it is changing every day, every week,
every month.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
Yeah, and right now it's been changing for the worst,
really badly. Apparently troopers encountered what a large group of
more than two hundred illegals on Sunday, including over sixty
unaccompanied children, one of which it was a two year old,
And this kind of went viral as she was basically
carrying a piece of paper saying where she is supposed
to go, But she was not with anybody. I don't understand,

(04:50):
and I know I'm speaking preaching the choir here with you, Matt,
but I don't understand how anybody can look at that
and not call that a crisis. And of course this
is exactly why Tom Holman has been chosen to do this.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
That's right, that's right. And look, you know there there
are multiple levels to the things I think Trump wants
to do on day one, and I think you'll see
significant executive orders on immigration announced. You know, immediately any
catch and release return in Mexico, going back Title forty
three on the border from up Keels.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
Or even the history I apologize, but even the tariff
Anasoman yesterday twenty five percent against Canada and Mexico. As
long as the illegal drugs and people are coming across
their borders, if they're not doing anything on their side
of the border, they're going to pay the prize.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, and it increases us leverage in that situation. You know,
it may not be a tariff that he actually applies
he's threatening to do. It depends on how they react. Yes,
and look, Mexico has a new president, that negotiation would start,
you know, almost immediately. She was from the same party
that the previous president was, which Trump had a pretty
good relationship with, but who has basically taken advantage of

(05:54):
Biden with you know, with Biden's cooperation. So yeah, they're
they're inheriting a totally different situation. They know they have
that quickly. They know what works because it worked last time.
But you have to get so many of these people
out there are here now. That's that's going to be
the critical part. And how you how you execute that
is going to be very complicated.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
It is indeed. Matt mcove ack, Republican strategist, on the
home and visit to the border today. Matt, thanks so much.
We appreciate it. Happy Thanksgiving, same to you.

Speaker 2 (06:20):
Take care,