Friday morning news: October 6, 2023

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Border wall » The U.S.-Mexico border wall is about to get a little bit longer.

In a stunning reversal, the Biden administration announced that it’s clearing the way to build additional sections of wall.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas:

MAYORKAS: There is no more fundamental responsibility of any government than to safeguard its homeland and its people. We all share that principle, and we all work together to fulfill that responsibility.

Roughly 20 more miles of border wall will go up near McAllen, Texas.

Many on the left are criticizing the move. But President Biden said the construction funds are from a 2019 appropriations bill, and his hands were tied.

BIDEN: The money was appropriated for the border wall. I tried to get them to reappropriate it, to redirect that money. They didn’t. They wouldn’t. And in the meantime, there’s nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated. I can’t stop that.

Mayorkas says the administration is waiving more than two-dozen federal laws, including environmental regulations, to resume construction on the border.

The secretary said, “There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers” despite President Biden’s response to this question on Thursday:

REPORTER: Do you believe the border wall works?

BIDEN: No.

While campaigning for president in 2020, Biden promised not to build another foot of border wall.

But border traffic has soared to record levels since then with agents reporting more than six million migrant encounters since Biden took office in 2021.

SOUND: [Motorcade]

Blinken border » And in Mexico City, a motorcade, including Secretary of State Tony Blinken rolled into Mexico’s Foreign Ministry.

Blinken and other U.S. officials met with leaders from Mexico, Panama, and Colombia to discuss how to keep migrants from showing up at the border in the first place.

BLINKEN: The challenges we face are in many ways historic in nature, and we have to make sure that our progress not only keeps up with the challenges but actually gets ahead of them.

Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador has stressed his belief that the U.S. should spend more to improve the quality of life in Latin America.

That’s a point the Biden administration also emphasizes.

BLINKEN: When they can put food on the table for their kids. When they can build a future at home, that’s exactly what they’ll choose to do.

But the left-wing Mexican president also blasted the Biden administration’s move to allow more border wall construction.

NYC Mayor Adams in Mexico » New York City Mayor Eric Adams is also traveling through Latin America for much the same reason hoping to find answers to a migrant crisis in his city.

He’s also urging migrants to stop coming to New York.

ADAMS: I say to those who are pursuing the American dream, it should not turn into a nightmare.

His city has put many thousands of migrants up in hotel rooms. And the state of New York has granted work permits to nearly a half-million migrants … many of whom crossed the border illegally.

Adams is trying to spread the message that his city is now at a breaking point, spending $10 million dollars a day to house migrants.

Jordan campaigns for speaker » Back in Washington, GOP Congressman Jim Jordan is speaking out about the border crisis, as he campaigns to become the next speaker of the House.

JORDAN: The very first thing I would focus on is one sentence: No money can be used to process or release into this country any new migrants. You have to change the equation. You have to stop what’s going on there in Texas and across our country.

He also sounded off on an increasingly contentious topic among Republicans continued support for Ukraine.

Jordan said “until you can tell me the goal, I don’t think we should continue to send money there, particularly when we have the problems we have on our border.

Ukraine aid » Meantime, at a gathering in southern Spain, nearly 50 European leaders declared that they stand by Ukraine, even as cracks have appeared in Western resolve.

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte:

RUTTE: This is about our common values. This is about our common security. And we cannot accept in 2022, 2023 invading another nation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the same point, telling leaders that his military is on the front lines … defending the borders of Europe itself.

ZELENSKYY: Every Russian drone shot down in Ukraine, every Russian tank destroyed in Ukraine, will not strike anyone else in Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron noted that President Biden has assured allies that Washington remains committed to the cause. But he said regardless, Europe has to be —quote— “totally committed, because this is in our immediate neighborhood.

Russian strike » As Zelenskyy looked to firm up support from European leaders, Moscow’s forces carried out one of its deadliest attacks since the start of the war. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHR: Russian missiles struck a cafe and grocery store … killing more than 50 people, including a six-year-old boy.

Rescue workers have been sifting through piles of shattered brick and twisted steel … to recover the remains of the victims.

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

Zelenskyy called it a terrorist act and another deliberate attack on civilians.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said he has no doubt that Russia intentionally “carried out the attack during lunchtime, to ensure a maximum number of casualties.”

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

I'm Kent Covington.

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