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Latest from Louisiana Regarding Approaching Storm; ICE Raids Expected to Begin Tomorrow; Interview with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot; Pence: Border Facility Conditions Are Unacceptable; Barry Now Category 1 Hurricane with 75 MPH Winds. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired July 13, 2019 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: That levy is one of two levies that was not reinforced with funding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The state's lieutenant governor says the levy can withstand a few hours of overtopping before they breach. And as you can see the storm is already causing lots of damage, snapping power lines and then there are power outages. Consequently both Louisiana and Mississippi are under a state of emergency. Residents are being told to now shelter in place. We're covering this storm across the gulf coast. CNN's Natasha Chen is west of New Orleans in Morgan City. What's happening there Natasha?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredricka, we're seeing a lot of debris around town and we're even seeing pretty large tree branches floating down the river there but you can see how flooded this has been already even prior to this storm coming. Though the water has risen significantly this morning as we've been there, you can only see the very tops of those benches now where people are usually supposed to walk over and be able to sit down an you can barely see the tops of the trash cans there too.

So we are just observing a lot of strong gusts of wind. We spoke to the mayor earlier, Mayor Boo Grizzaffi, who was talking about how a large number of people in town are without power at the moment. Luckily they haven't had to any rescue calls within the city but in the next town over they did assist with a call where a family was trapped in a mobilehome with a live wire that had fallen on top of it so definitely concerned as well about the flooding here. Here's what the mayor's message is to the people in town who have stayed.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

FRANK "BOO" BRIZZAFFI, MAYOR OF MORGAN CITY, LOUISIANA: There's a lot of work to be done. We're out there to protect you but it's hard to do it when we're trying to deal with a lot of sightseers. So hunker down. We'll get power restored as soon as possible and we'll try to get this city back to normal. But the problem is we haven't seen the worst of it yet; it's just starting.

(END VIDEO)

CHEN: And we definitely have not seen the worst of it yet. The people here seem to be paying attention to the message. We don't see a whole lot of people out but we have had some people come by just to take a look and take pictures. Of course, it can be dangerous because we do see many residential streets right now blocked from debris from tree branches and downed power lines, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Natasha Chen, thank you so much. We'll check back with you. I want to turn now to CNN anchor and reporter, National Correspondent Erica Hill in Lafayette, Louisiana. What's happening there?

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the things they're waiting for is not only for the storm to arrive but once it does, is some of those rescue calls to come in. We know that at least a dozen people were rescued elsewhere in the state of Louisiana in Terrebonne Parish and a cat rescued earlier today by the Coast Guard. And there is a staging area here where they will be ready to go with boats, with high-water vehicle, with busses to help with that. Preparation as we always say is key.

There's a University of Louisiana campus here in Lafayette. That school tweeting out pictures of the busses that they use to actually bring meals and water to students who stayed on campus to make sure that they had enough to eat and drink over the course of the next couple of days because once this storm arrives, it will be here for some time. So the main concern in and around many of these areas as Natasha pointed out, is going to be the flooding and what happens in the wake of that. So again, a staging area here in Lafayette so when those rescue calls come out, folks can get to those rescues quickly.

WHITFIELD: All right Erica Hill. We'll check back with you. Thank you so much. Meantime CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is in the weather center so Allison, what is the potential for this storm?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, the biggest potential we still have is the bulk of the rain. I think that's the thing that people need to understand. The majority of the rainfall in this storm is actually south of the center of circulation. All of this that you see here, this is the moisture related to the storm. There's really not much on the northern side so for a lot of the folks who may be thinking, "I really haven't had much rain yet. It should be making landfall soon. I'm probably in the clear." That's not the case with this particular storm. Oddly enough, most of the moisture is on the south side which basically means the worst is yet to come. You still have the heavy rainfall. You still have the potential for tornadoes. All of that stuff is going to come later on. We still expect it to make landfall here within just the next couple of hours really over portions of Louisiana.

Then from there it will continue its trek off to the north. Some of those outer bands really starting to pump some very heavy rainfall right now into areas of Alabama and Mississippi but again you see the majority of it is still down to the south. We also have the majority of the convection meaning the stronger thunder storms. That is also on the south side. So we still have yet to see the potential for tornadoes, the damaging winds, even some large hail. The bulk of that is really going to hold off until later this afternoon and especially as we head into the evening hours tonight for places like Biloxi, Mobile, New Orleans, even portions of Baton Rouge. Rainfall, however, is still going to be the biggest concern with this storm. Widespread amounts of around a 5 to 10 inches of rain. But it's not out of the question for some spots, especially where you see that pink color to pick up an excessive, say a foot of rain. And again notice its not just on the coast. That color extends even into places like Tennessee.

[12:05:00]

So you have other states that are also going to be impacted by this incredibly heavy rainfall because it's moving so slow. Yes, that means it's taking a while to make landfall, but it also means it's going to slowly move throughout some of these other states and dump a significant amount of rain as well. That's why you have over 10 million people under a flood watch right now and it likely going to stay that way for the next several days because as the moisture moves through the southeast, it then pushes into places like the Ohio Valley, and continues off to the north and east impacting even more states, taking a lot of that moisture with it.

This pink area here indicating a high risk for flash flooding. The red area surrounding it, a moderate risk. A lot of these areas are likely going to get widespread totals like we said of about 5 to 10 inches but in some of those cases, they could get 2, 3 if not 4 inches of that in just a few short hours. So it's not only the long term threat of how much total rain will they get, but how quickly does it all come down. And that's going to be another concern. Obviously that can flood homes. That can flood businesses, communities, roadways. But then you also have the long term flooding and that's when we talk about the rivers.

Take Baton Rouge for example. There are three main rivers that run in or around the city there. All three of them are expected to reach major flooding stage because of Hurricane Barry. One of them may end up breaking the all-time record of 34 1/2 feet. That is the forecasted crest in that region for at least one of those rivers. Again, that's going to be a big concern, Fred, is not just the flooding that's coming down from the rain but also the flooding, the long-term concern for a lot of the rivers, creeks and streams because there are so many of them that are already swollen from months of heavy rain.

WHITFIELD: There's a lot of potential in that storm indeed. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

All right, still ahead, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are gearing up for sweeping raids in major cities across the country but many of those same cities are taking a stand. We'll talk with the Mayor of Chicago next. And you're looking at live pictures from New Orleans as we continue to track Hurricane Barry making its way towards the Gulf Coast. We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:10:00]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Live pictures of a very swollen Lake Pontchartrain, not far from New Orleans where bands now from Hurricane Barry are beginning to leave their mark. The storm is now a category one. We'll have more on the storm in a moment.

But first, thousands of families are on edge this weekend, not just because of that storm but as immigration raids are set to get underway across the country now. Overnight hundreds across the country took to the streets protesting the upcoming U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps on migrant families. Those raids are set to begin tomorrow. I.C.E. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will target at least nine major cities across the country. A U.S. official says they are focusing on families who already have court orders to be deported.

CNN's Rosa Flores spoke with one of those migrant - migrants and families about their fears and the steps that they are taking to avoid being swept up in the raids.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will target at least nine major cities across the country. Figure officials say they are focusing on families that already have court orders to be deported. We spoke to one of those migrant families about their fears and steps they are taking to avoid being swept up in the raids.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Francisco Lino has lived in Chicago for some 20 years. She's the mom of four U.S. citizens, who she raised in the outskirts of town. But for the past two years, Lino has lived inside a church away from her family and hoping to not to be deported.

FRANCISCO LINO, UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT: (speaking in a foreign language).

FLORES: Lino, who is undocumented, says she gets in a panic thinking about getting pulled away and stashed in overcrowded detention facilities she's seen on the news. She took sanctuary in this church, a place federal agents typically avoid raiding.

Do you have a plan if there's a raid here in this church?

LINO: No.

FLORES: But now she's worried that it could all come to an end this weekend when planned I.C.E. raids in cities across the country, including Chicago, are set to begin. For more than a decade, a time span covering administrations of both parties, Lino checked in with immigration officials twice a year and there was never any issue, until Donald Trump took office. CNN was there on 2017, the morning of her first check-in during the Trump era.

LINO: (through interpreter) It brings me a lot of fear.

FLORES: It was an emotional affair for her entire family. First an immigration agent told her she could stay for another year.

LINO: I feel very happy because I was given another year.

FLORES: And then... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, cameras away from the building.

FLORES: Her joy turned to heart break when she was asked to return to the federal building in four months with her bags packed and a one-way ticket out of the country. Her daughter became physically ill.

You were having a panic attack upstairs?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I couldn't breathe. I was choked up and couldn't talk.

FLORES: Lino says that's what hurts her the most about being hunkered down these last couple of years is not being able to simply hug her daughters outside of this church, especially when they needed their mom and that's something she may never do again on U.S. soil come this weekend.

WHITFIELD: Rosa Flores, thank you so much for your reporting on that.

Joining me right now, the Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot. Mayor, good to see you. So this week you moved to block I.C.E. officials from accessing the city's police databases, but other federal agencies will still have access. So, you know, can't they just work around that or what are you picturing might happen starting tomorrow?

LORI LIGHTFOOT, MAYOR OF CHICAGO: No I think -- look, the reality is that I.C.E.'s resources within the homeland and within cities is fairly thin. They need our police department to be able to facilitate a lot of the work that they're doing in immigration. So we've cut off access and we specifically said that our police department will not help facilitate or participate in any raids that are taking place.

I think that will have impact. It's also important to send a message to our friends and neighbors in immigrant communities across the city that we stand with them.

[12:15:03]

We cannot have our police department, on the one hand, asking for their support to help keep people safe in the city and then facilitating a weaponized agency like ICE.

WHITFIELD: So you say you won't allow the police department to help facilitate, you know, these raids. You do believe it will make an impact but in what way?

LIGHTFOOT: I think specifically because the resources of ICE are not as extensive as people, I think, think. They need local law enforcement to really extend their reach. They need to get intelligence about who's in the city --

WHITFIELD: So it might make an impact in that way making -- sorry to interrupt you. It might make an impact in making it more difficult, but it is not your feeling, or is it, that the raids just won't take place at all as a result of police not assisting? LIGHTFOOT: No. Unfortunately, it looks quite clear that the President is determined to go ahead with, I think, this disastrous policy and practice. But to the extent that we have levers that we can use to protect our communities, to stand with them, we're going to do everything we can to make that happen.

WHITFIELD: Have you received phone calls, personal calls from people who expressed, you know, the kind of fear they are living in right now, if they're even perhaps inquiring, you know, what recourses do they have if they know that they are on that list of those who have received orders? This is how, you know, the White House is explaining this, that those people know who they are, that they have been served notices of deportation.

So as a result, have you heard directly from any of these people who say, I know I'm on the list, what are my options, what kind of protection can you give me, what should I expect?

LIGHTFOOT: Well, I think the most haunting thing that I've experienced is, because I'm visible and out in communities across the city, particularly in these last three weeks, is hearing from young children, preteens, the age of my daughter, who may be the only English speaker in their home. And to have them have to shoulder this very really, scary adult burden because of the role that they play in their family, they're terrified.

So it's undeniable that this uncertainty, this fear is wreaking havoc, it's traumatizing people, and that's why we're trying to stand tall with them to provide them the support that they need to get through this very, very difficult time.

WHITFIELD: So what do you envision this raid could look like? What do you you envision families could experience as early as tomorrow?

LIGHFOOT: Well, look, we don't have complete information obviously. ICE isn't sharing with us what they're doing. But if they're going to families' homes, they typically go -- I know this because I'm a former federal prosecutor, they're going to try to go early in the morning to capture people at home. They're going to go to businesses where they think that people might be in existence, whether it's a restaurants or whether it's an actual workplace, and that I would expect that they're going to extend it to going to businesses and demanding information about who their employees are, whether they're documented or not. So I think this is going to take a series of steps, and that's why we're doing everything we can to look at the entire ecosystem of individuals, neighborhoods and businesses that are going to be affected.

WHITFIELD: So the flipside of that, what kind of obligation does any city have when there appears to be there is a process of immigration, people do report, you know, occasionally, whether it'd be once a year or every couple of months and then it turns out they receive notice that, you know, their time is up, they are facing deportation? What obligation does a city have to assist and help honor a federal decision or a federal mandate? LIGHTFOOT: Look, I think as mayor of the city, the thing I am obligated to do is to speak our values. Our values are not about terrorizing people. It's not about demonizing individuals who are productive members of our community. And that's what this is about. It's turned completely on its head.

Obviously, the rule of law matters, but where we should be working is on comprehensive immigration reform and not demonizing young children and people who are here because they left countries where their rights were not respected, that they lived in poverty, they lived in fear of repressive governments and where governments didn't protect them from violence. They're here to contribute to the fabric of our communities and that's exactly what they're doing.

Absolutely, what we should be doing is focusing on people who are wreaking havoc, but the people that are being targeted in these raids, that's not the story, that's not their history.

WHITFIELD: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, thank you very much. Yours is one of nine cities that is being targeted for these raids to take place as early as tomorrow. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it. We'll follow up with you.

Meantime, Hurricane Barry is now a category one storm.

[12:20:01]

New Orleans officials are about to answer a few questions and paint the picture of what it is experiencing.

MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL (D-LA): -- anyone tampering with barricades. Understand, this is illegal. You're not to tamper with barricades that have been dispersed by the City of New Orleans or any of our partners. High-water vehicles and boats remain pre-staged around the city should water rescues be needed. Again, we're expecting a heavy rain event that will start today through the afternoon, tonight and into tomorrow. Call 911 for any emergencies, emergencies only. This is very important.

I want to just thank the citizens of New Orleans. You heeded the call and you stayed off of our streets after 8:00 P.M. last night. We will remain consistent with that message. Again, this evening, asking you to stay off the streets, being prepared to shelter in place, you heeded the call, you did great. And although you may not have seen rainfall, as we've been discussing, it is coming our way. So, please, continue to listen and react accordingly, and we appreciate you so much, I have to say. And it's worth repeating, as you'll hear, I'm sure, throughout this press conference.

At this time I'm going to turn it over to other agencies. As you know, this is what we do. And I'm going to start with our Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Mr. Collin Arnold, at this time. Collin?

COLLIN ARNOLD, DIRECTOR, HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Thanks, ma'am. Good morning, everybody. Latest update we just saw before coming in here was that category one Hurricane Barry has made landfall near Morgan City. And we -- obviously, they're in our thoughts. We've been in this situation before. We're still in the situation with Barry.

As the Mayor said, Barry has slowed. The timeline is being extended out. We went through a lot of winds last night and a little bit of rain, but there is rain coming. And we've all seen what this looks like to the south. There is a lot of rain, a large mass that is going to be moving into our area potentially this evening and overnight.

So I would really just reiterate what the Mayor said, please, you know, continue to hold the course and continue to be prepared and take care of yourselves. Text BARRY to 888777 for updates. We can keep you informed. We'll tell you everything that we know when we know it with these alerts. We've had over 6,500 people sign up in 48 hours, which is terrific. And, you know, continue with your emergency supplies and follow us at social media @nolaready and you can find us online at ready.nola. gov. Thanks.

CANTRELL: Thank you so much, Collin.

Colonel Terry Ebbert, come on up, Colonel.

COL. TERRY EBBERT, DIRECTOR, PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY: Thank you, Mayor.

I've just got a couple of comments that are very short. One, again, as you've heard me the last two days, I want to thank everybody for the support, not only the media and the cooperation we've had from the media, but the state, federal, local agencies that allow us as employees of this city to design plans meant to take care of our population and our visitors.

You, all of you, have done a great job because, yesterday, it was proven, and last night, it was proven you heeded our advice and you are as much a part of this partnership as we are. And so, again, we got about 24 to 36 hours to look, follow your guidance that you're hearing this morning, and, again, thank you for your contribution to this great city.

CANTRELL: Thank you, Colonel.

Calling on Superintendent Sean Ferguson, New Orleans Police Department.

SUPERINTENDENT SEAN FERGUSON, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Thank you, Mayor. Excuse me.

First off, I would like to thank and commend the citizens, the residents, as well as our visitors in New Orleans. Your cooperation did not go unnoticed. We did not have much of any vehicular or pedestrian traffic last night. But as they have said before me, we are asking you to continue to cooperate with us. We have not made our way completely out of the storm's path, and we are expecting high winds as well as some possible rainfall, significant rainfall.

WHITFIELD: All right. New Orleans officials there bracing for Hurricane Barry, at the same time, reminding people to be wise and to shelter in place.

[12:25:06]

We'll continue to look at the coastline there along the gulf.

A live look now from Morgan City, Louisiana, millions under threats of flooding, and as Hurricane Barry bears down on that gulf coast, more live updates when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right pictures right now. Morgan City, Louisiana, where bands of rain are coming in from Hurricane Barry, they're beginning to see the surf kick up, white caps there. We'll continue to follow the latest of now category one Hurricane Barry.

Amid growing concerns over the treatment of migrants detained at facilities along the border, Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Texas this week to get a firsthand look at the overcrowded facilities. Pence is the highest ranking member of the Trump administration to visit one of the detention facilities.

And in an interview with CNN, the Vice President called the conditions unacceptable but placed much of the blame on democrats.

CNN's Senior White House Correspondent Pamela Brown joined Vice President Pence on his tour, and she's joining me now live.

So, Pam, you also sat down with him, talked one-on-one. What did he have to say?

[12:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: -- detention centers, but also the adult (ph) migrant facilities.

Now, let me just say, I'm here at the Catholic Charities, where many of the undocumented migrant families are brought once they're processed, once they're given a court date, they're brought here. Now the overcrowding at many of these facilities holding the families has been greatly reduced. Most are released within -- well within that 72-hour limit because of the recent supplemental funding passed by Congress. It's a different story at the single adult migrant facilities that we went to yesterday. And we also at first hand with the vice president.

The first place we went to though was the facilities that housed the families. It's called the Donna facility, it is new, just built in May. It is considered one of the finer facilities. It was cavernous, large, air-conditioned. There was an abundance of supplies, of snacks, of drinks for the kids, of medical supplies. There was a medical unit. We went into one of the big rooms called a port and the kids were seen there watching an animated Hispanic movie. They seemed to be well- cared for by the CBP agents. In fact, the vice president asked them how their experience has been, if they'd been well-cared for and they nodded, yes, that they had been. But I will say walking in it was eerily quiet, a lot of the families were sleeping on the floor. They were under these blankets, kind of like tin foils so you could only hear in some cases the crackling of these blankets.

They give them these because they say it's more hygienic versus the cloth blankets that they used before that they had to wash. But it was certainly a different story when we went to the next facility in McAllen, Texas. This facility housed the adult, single migrants. And we walked into what's called a sally port and there were nearly 400 men crammed into the cells. There was really -- it seemed to be standing-room-only. They weren't given cots because there wasn't enough room. They didn't have pillows. All they had again were these blankets, and there was just a strong stench.

As soon as we walked in the room, it smelled of sweat and urine. It was very disturbing. The men cried out, they wanted to talk to the reporters, they talked about how long they had been. Many of them said they'd been there 40 days. The CBP said 32 days was the longest.

Showers had just arrived there yesterday in trailers, so some of them, if not most, hadn't even taken showers yet. Some of them complained about being hungry, though CBP said they are given three hot meals a day. Some complained about not brushing their teeth, again, the CBP agents say they are given that opportunity once a day.

But it was a starkly different picture at that facility versus what we saw at the facility housing the families. And I asked the vice president about this whether there should be a difference in care, a difference in the standard of care and he said no, there shouldn't be. But he admitted that he was uncomfortable with what he saw at the single adult migrant facility.

Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: We went to two different facilities today and there seemed to be a big difference between the first one where the families were being housed and the one here where there are single adult migrants. When I went in there, one of them said to me, I'm talking about the second facility, this isn't human the way we're treated. There was a horrible smell, I'm sure you smelled it. You were in there as well.

They were sleeping on concrete because there was not enough room for cots, we're told. It was hot. Some of them claimed they were hungry. Is that acceptable to you?

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, it's not. It's the reason why we demanded that Congress provided 4.6 billion in additional support to Customs and Border Protection. Look, the last six months Democrats in Congress have been saying this is a manufactured crisis. But as you saw firsthand today, here at McAllen station where our cells are overflowing and now that temporary facility that you just saw had to be established. And then the first facility that we saw where nearly a thousand families with children are being detained. It ought to be a very clear message to every American that the time for action is now and the time for Congress to act, to end the flow of families that are coming north from Central America to our border is now.

BROWN: Should there be a different level of care for the families versus the adult migrants, single adult migrants?

PENCE: I think it's all the same standard of care.

BROWN: But what we saw today was very different for the families versus the single adult migrants. It wasn't the same level of care.

PENCE: Well, what you saw today was a very clean facility where people were being detained indoors, and then you saw a temporary facility that was constructed because this facility is overcrowded. And we can't keep people in a cell beyond what the rules and regulations allow for. But everyone even in that temporary facility, Pamela, is getting three meals a day, they're getting health care, they're getting hygiene. And the Customs and Border Protection is doing their level best in an overcrowded and difficult environment to address this issue.

[12:35:07] But Congress has got to act to make it possible for us to reduce the numbers of people coming into our country illegally. And that's going to require us to change the loopholes, reform our asylum laws. My hope is today -- I hope two things today, Pamela.

I hope first and foremost that we put to the lie this slander against Customs and Border Protection. I mean, people saying that families and children are being held in concentration camps is an outrage. And the Nazis killed people. Our Customs and Border Protection as you heard today are saving lives every day. And you saw the profound compassionate care for those families and children in the detention facility today.

But the other thing is I hope we also move past this rhetoric about a manufactured crisis. The president wanted me to come down here today to look in on how families are being treated but also to be able to show the American people that this system is overwhelmed, it's overcrowded, and Congress has got to step up to end this crisis of illegal immigration on the southern border.

BROWN: The first facility we went to with the families, was that really a fair representation of how most of the migrant families have been treated under CBP care?

PENCE: You are at the epicenter here in the Rio Grande Valley of this crisis of illegal immigration. Sixty percent of those that are being detained coming across our southern border are coming through this sector. And so I think what we saw today was a very fair representation of how families are being treated.

And look, I understand --

BROWN: But there are several different facilities, and this was one of them that was just built and made to handle the overcrowding.

PENCE: Americans are troubled by what they read in the newspapers about families --

BROWN: Well, all you have to do is look at pictures like this. I mean, when you look at that, what do you see?

PENCE: Well, I can't account for that. What I can account for is that --

BROWN: But you're the vice president. How do you not account for this?

PENCE: This facility that you saw today represents the level and the standard of care that we are working to bring to all those caught up in this crisis. But remember, it was just a few short weeks ago that Congress finally acknowledged the crisis and gave us an additional $4.6 billion in humanitarian aid. Now, we're going to continue to improve, we're going to continue to provide care at the standard the American people expect. But, Pamela, remember for the last six months Democrats in Congress said it was a manufactured crisis and it was all we could do to finally get the Democrats in Congress to agree to give us additional funding to deal with this crisis.

And so we'll continue to provide the level of care the American people expect and we'll do it with compassion and with generosity. But ultimately we have got to demand that Congress take the next step, reform these asylum laws, close the loopholes, and end this unprecedented migration.

BROWN: DHS IG says that some children under this administration's watch didn't have access to showers or hot meals. Does the administration take any responsibility for that? Democrats are not in the White House. Where does the buck stop?

PENCE: Yes. We read those reports and I know that they are being --

BROWN: Government reports.

PENCE: -- they are being thoroughly investigated. I know there were also lawyers who were here who presented what ultimately became unsubstantiated allegations. But, make no mistake about it. Any allegation of people not receiving the standard of care that the American people anticipate is thoroughly investigated. The recent allegations of abuse are being thoroughly investigated.

But what you saw today I hope is an encouragement to millions of Americans that even before Congress funded a temporary facility, we built that temporary facility to house families who are caught up in this crisis of illegal immigration. And you saw not just three meals and day, children with snacks, there were diapers, there were hygiene products, changing tables, children sitting in a comfortable, air- conditioned environment watching television. This is how the American people expect us to treat people caught up in this crisis. And we're going to continue to work to make that a reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: You heard the vice president focusing on a lot on the first facility we visited, the one with the families. Now in terms of the second facility with the overcrowding among the single adult migrants, the vice president's office said that actually, it pushed for access for the press there, that the vice president didn't want DHS to clean or sanitize the area so that we could see firsthand the overcrowding what is taking place.

[12:40:13] But even just the day before we arrived, trailers with the showers arrived for the first time at that facility. But we are told that with this funding from Congress that now they are building another temporary facility to help with the overcrowding with those single adult migrants. And that you heard the vice president there blamed the Democrats saying we've been asking for ICE beds for them and they haven't given us the funding for that. Of course, Democrats say they want DHS to focus on the criminals.

So it certainly a complex issue, and even though border crossings are down because of the summer heat and because Mexico has been helping out more, the question is what is going to happen moving forward because this is clearly such a politicized issue with both sides digging in their heels. The vice president kept talking about Congress but of course, it was his party that was in control not so long ago and they couldn't get it done.

So the question is what will change now? We only saw the tip of the iceberg. Back to you.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, Pamela Brown in McAllen, Texas, thank you so much for that.

All right, coming up, drenching rains and potential floods as Hurricane Barry makes a slow crawl across the Gulf Coast. More in a live report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, we continue to follow breaking news out of the Gulf Coast where Barry is now a Category One hurricane as it moves closer to landfall with winds of 75 miles per hour.

[12:45:05] More than a million people are in the storm's path but the biggest threat right now is for flooding in areas that were already saturated from earlier rain. The storm is now less than 40 miles offshore and is expected to make landfall within the next few hours.

Ryan Young is in New Orleans for us right now. So Ryan, what's happening there?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey Fred, you could tell there is no rain and it's heavy wind right now. But one of the big conversations here I think you can hear that in the mayor's news conference is trying to keep everybody still inside. You have a lot of tourists in this city, and they all were expecting the heavy rains to hit. And as you look out here, you don't see the heavy rains so people have started sort of coming out, especially around the French quarter because they are hungry, they're looking for places to eat, they want to get back to their vacations. They were expecting a tropical storm but now we're hearing it's a hurricane.

Nothing that's happening so far in the downtown area especially here in New Orleans and I think that's why you heard them saying please don't move barricades because people are getting sort of anxious. We were even talking to some of the workers who are in this area who think they've lost several days of wages because of all this talk of the storm. You even have people who are just literally looking for a place to go to get something to eat at this point.

So, right now the 10 to 15 inches of rain that everyone's been talking about, this storm has been so slow-moving, they believe that's probably going to happen in the overnight hours or maybe even later on this afternoon. But so far the big story here has been that it's been pretty dry overall today. It's not been one of those days where you even need a heavy rain jacket. And that's been part of the conversation.

We do know police officers are working 12-hour shifts and they have several areas set up just in case they need to respond to any rescue- type situations. But the water is not even ponding on the roads like it was on Wednesday when they had that flash flood. When you look at the mighty Mississippi, yes, it is still high and during high tide, we saw some water coming in and encroaching on some areas. But right now, Fred, the big story here is it's dry than expected as the storm moves slowly toward the coastline.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks for the update on that. Ryan, appreciate it.

All right, still ahead, Hurricane Barry batters the Gulf Coast and other areas. Flooding is now a main concern as you see in these images right here out of Lafayette, Louisiana. Live updates coming up.

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[12:51:12] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. We're watching breaking news from the Gulf Coast where Barry is now a Category One hurricane as it moves closer to landfall with winds of 75 miles per hour, the storm is now just miles offshore and it's expected to make landfall soon.

I want to bring in Nick Watt who is just outside New Orleans in Youngsville, Louisiana in an area that flooded pretty badly back in 2016. And already I see some rainfall has begun there. What are the expectations?

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, yes, we've been having these small bands of rain moving through throughout the morning. They say we're really going to feel Barry in maybe about an hour from now. And there's a gas station behind me that's been open all morning, pretty much the only place open in town, everybody stocking up just before the rain hits, including us. But the cashier there told us he is closing down in about 10 minutes from now and heading for home.

The issue around here, Fred, is going to be this is a low, flat area and they have seen flooding in the past. 2001, Tropical Storm Allison hang over here for way too long. As you mentioned back in 2016, they had according to the police chief 17 inches of rain in just four hours, 600 homes flooding -- flooded including the chiefs. Now after that, they didn't wait for federal, state or even Parish funding, they went ahead themselves and fix their drainage systems to try and cope with what is about to hit them today and over this weekend.

Now elsewhere in this area, Lafayette just 15 minutes up the road, that's a little bit higher like 10 feet higher than we are down here but the River Vermillion there could be an issue. It's running very low right now, three or four feet, but it is going to rise to 15 feet, Fred, by tomorrow morning. So people sandbagging up there, trying to stop their houses getting flooded because they also got flooded back in 2016 when the Vermillion rose.

People around here know what to do but there's only so much you can do. The rest is in the hands of Barry.

Fred?

WHITFIELD: Wow, Mother Nature is fierce. All right, Nick Watts, thank you so much.

All right, still ahead, continuing coverage of our breaking news, Hurricane Barry hovers over the Gulf Coast leaving tens of thousands without power. More live reports coming up.

But first, an update on a CNN hero we first told you about last fall. Luke Michelson wanted to help children who were sleeping on the floor because their families couldn't afford beds. Well, he quit his job to start a non-profit that builds and delivers bunk beds to children in need. In less than a year, his project has taken off in ways that he could never have imagined.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUKE MICHELSON, CNN HERO: We went from just one little community to over almost 200 communities now. Over 30,000 volunteers.

CROWD: Bunk beds.

MICHELSON: We've also received over 50,000-bed requests.

We're here to deliver beds. You want to show me where they go?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

MICHELSON: All right!

We started a new program in 2019 to help kids that have been affected by natural disasters throughout the country. We bring dignity, self-respect.

Perfect.

We're bringing something that they own and can be proud of.

Yes! You like it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is how I want it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: What kid doesn't love a bunk bed? Go to cnnheroes.com to read more about Luke and his great work.

We'll be right back.

[12:58:25] WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

A live look at Morgan City, Louisiana right now where rain bands from Hurricane Barry are beginning to hit the Gulf Coast. And you can see kicking up the surf as well.

So back when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, it was a nightmare scenario for New Orleans to say the very least. CNN's Tom Foreman explains why many worry about a similar situation with Hurricane Barry.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What the authorities are really looking at here is a triple threat, already high river levels driven by floods up in the Midwest that flow down this way then the storm surge pushing in from the Gulf of Mexico all colliding here at New Orleans while the rain is falling in such huge amounts.

And remember, so much of this city, everything in yellow here is below sea level. Yes, it's protected by a series of levees and floodgates all around town and that can do an awful lot. For example, in a normal quick flash flood, the bowl of New Orleans can fill up with water from all of that rain and then dozens and dozens of these huge pumps will start pushing it back out to these water sources on either side. Usually, that can do a pretty good job.

The fear, what they're watching this weekend, is the idea that maybe there could be so much water from all of that combined that it could actually over top the levee in some places. And when that happens, it kind of turns the system inside out because the thing designed to keep the water out now sort of keeps it in. And, frankly, there's nowhere for the water to go. So that's what authorities are looking for through all of this, whether or not they're winding up with places where the water just can't go anywhere except to the places where people live.

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