The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 12th, 2024: Israeli Forces Free Two Hostages & Migrants Are Targeting The US Northern Border

Episode Date: February 12, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     An overnight operation in the city of Rafah by Israeli forces freed two hostages being held by Hamas, though the action is drawing intense criticism. As the crisis at the southern border continues, we’ll look at the record illegal crossings currently being seen in northern states as migrants take advantage of the porous border with Canada. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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You talking to me? Kayak, got that right. This podcast is sponsored by Blackout Coffee. Start your day off with the great taste of American-made Blackout Coffee. Family-owned, premium coffee, fresh-roasted, and, as you've heard me say before, shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first purchase. It's Monday, 12 February. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin.

I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world's state. stage. Let's get briefed. First, an overnight operation in the city of Rafa by Israeli forces freed two hostages being held by Hamas, though the action in Rafa is drawing intense criticism. Also, as the crisis at the U.S. southern border continues, we'll take a look at the record illegal crossings currently being seen in northern states as migrants take advantage of the poorest border with Canada. But first, our afternoon spotlight. We begin in Rafa, where an overnight operation by Israeli forces freed two Israeli-Argentine

hostages from the clutches of Hamas. As we discussed this morning on the PDB, the Israeli military is likely preparing for a controversial ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafa, which they see as the last refuge of Hamas fighters. Now, the risk of civilian casualties is high for the roughly 1.4 million Palestinians displaced by the conflict to have taken shelter in the city. This risk was thrown into sharp focus on Sunday evening when Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed nearly 70 Palestinians as Israel launched their hostage rescue operation. During the operation, members of Israel's Shimbet Security Service and a special police unit freed 60-year-old Simon Marman and 70-year-old Louis Herr from captivity, according to a Reuters report.

The pair were among the more than 250 hostages taken by Hamas during the brutal seven-October attacks in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the rescue highlights the need for the Israel military to continue to press their operations against Hamas, despite mounting international concern for the civilian population in Rafah. Netanyahu said, quote, I salute our brave fighters for the daring action. Only continued military pressure until total victory will bring about the release of all our hostages, end quote. A spokesman for the IDF said the hostages were being held on the second floor of a building in the city, which they breached

with explosives amid heavy enemy gunfire. Officials said the airstrikes served to give their forces cover for the operation and their subsequent extraction. Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Richard Het, told Reuters, quote, we've been working a long time on this operation, and we were waiting for the right conditions, end quote. Officials for the Argentine government expressed their gratitude to Israel for the rescue of the two hostages who were dual nationals. In the aftermath of the operation, however, they're drawing sharp criticism. Officials with the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas and whose numbers cannot be independently verified, said 67 Palestinians had been killed in the airstrikes, although some estimates put the death stall at more than 100. It's unclear how many of

the dead were Hamas fighters. The Hamas-run health ministry doesn't delineate in their reporting of casualties between civilians and Hamas terrorists. Reporters on the ground described chaotic scenes and reported that a number of Palestinian children were killed in the bombardment. Officials in Saudi Arabia called for an immediate ceasefire and condemned Israel's, quote, storming and targeting of the city. David Cameron, the U.K. Foreign Secretary, said he was, quote, deeply concerned in the wake of the operation and called for an immediate pause in the fighting. As we discussed earlier on the BDB, Israel's plans for Rafa have faced intense pushback.

Egypt has warned of suspending the Camp David Accords, a pivotal peace agreement with Israel, if Israel carries out their operation. And meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, Sunday that an offensive in Rafah would be a, quote, disaster and that the U.S. government would not support it. The White House has asked Israel to provide a clear plan for preventing civilian casualties before any operation proceeds. It's worth mentioning amid the concerns around Rafa that Israeli officials said Sunday they discovered a sprawling tunnel network used by Hamas directly underneath the United Nations Relief and Works agencies Gaza headquarters. The discovery

comes in the wake of reports that found numerous UN staffers from UNRWA had actively participated in the 7 October attacks on Israel by Hamas. The tunnels are reportedly hundreds of meters long and appear to confirm Israeli suspicions regarding Hamas's infiltration and exploitation of the troubled UN agency. Officials toured reporters through the tunnels, which they described as, quote, one of the central commands of their intelligence. An unnamed official said, quote, this place is one of the Hamas intelligence units where they commanded most of the combat. In a statement, officials with UNRah denied knowledge of the tunnels or any involvement with Hamas. We had no idea. Okay, look, you have to be willing to suspend belief to think that members of

UNRWA were completely unaware of the massive Hamas complex that was dug, built, and operated underneath their feet. Look, with 12,000 employees of UNR, estimate, are that perhaps 1,200 of them have links to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic jihad, and perhaps 6,000 of those employees have close relatives, family, who belong to the militant groups. And Hamas has controlled almost every aspect of life in Gaza for going on 20 years. It isn't surprising that much of UNRWA should be considered sympathetic to Hamas at its objectives, the primary one, of course, being the destruction of Israel. No doubt that others, while not being sympathetic or overtly supportive of Hamas,

had no choice but to look the other way as Hamas used UNRWA as top cover. All right, coming up after the break, we'll discuss the record illegal crossings currently being seen in northern states as migrants take advantage of the poorest US border with Canada. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Let's shift our focus to the border, but not the one that you might think. We're actually looking northward. Newly released statistics from Customs and Border Protection, the CBP, reveal a significant surge in border crossings from Canada into several northern U.S. states over the past year. More than 12,200 migrants were caught

illegally crossing from Canada just last year, and that marks a staggering 241% increase from the previous year, which saw only 3,578 arrests. Around 70% of these incidents are taking place in what's known as the Swanton sector. This sector covers, say, 295-mile stretch of the northern border, encompassing upstate New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Since October, 3,100 individuals from 55 different countries, have been detained in this sector alone. That's just since October. This figure surpasses the total for the previous four fiscal years combined, as reported by Robert Garcia, the sector's chief patrol agent, just last Friday. Garcia reported the arrest of 10 Bangladeshi nationals in Champlain, New York, as an example, as they attempted to enter the U.S. illegally. Many migrants opt to traverse from Canada due to its more relaxed border controls.

Mexican travelers, for instance, don't need a visa to enter Canada, so if they can secure a flight to get to Canada, so if they can secure a flight to Canada, they can subsequently head south toward the U.S. Furthermore, the northern border is grappling with a severe shortfall in law enforcement personnel. Present estimates indicate that roughly 2,200 Border Patrol agents are tasked with overseeing the U.S.-Canada boundary, which spans 5,525 miles, and holds the title of the world's longest international border. 2,200 border patrol agents to cover 5,525 miles. A New York Times report highlights that these northern illegal crossings have spurred the emergence of new human smuggling rings. There's a surprise.

Operating off and outside New York, these networks openly promote their services on social media platforms and charge migrants' massive fees, sometimes in the thousands of dollars, to facilitate their illegal entry into the U.S. from Canada. The poorest border, both north and south, of course, over the past three years, has been a financial windfall for cartels and criminal elements involved in human and narcotics trafficking, not to mention the national security concerns over possible hostile actors entering the country, whether with terrorist connections or intelligence operatives working for China, Russia, Iran, or other nations with bad intent.

It's pretty simple. If you can't secure your borders, you cannot guarantee the security of your citizens. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 12 February. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here from MintMobil, the message for everyone paying big wireless way,

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