Best of The Program | Guests: Mayor Bruno Lozano & Texas State Rep. Justin Holland | 3/24/21

Hey, great podcast today.

It's actually a lead up to the show that happens at 9 p.m.

on Blaze TV Control.

We're talking about gun control.

I mean, we start out with the podcast today with

a look at

the New York Times and the Daily and how the press seems to be covering this shooting in Colorado.

But then we get very serious.

We talk about, in fact, we talk to the guy who is introducing the legislation legislation here in Texas to become a sanctuary state on the Second Amendment.

This has already passed in four states, but it's gone through hundreds of counties as well,

all across the United States.

If you are not involved in it, if your county's not involved with it, your state's not involved with it, this is a must-listen to broadcast.

And tonight at 9 p.m., we continue that conversation.

I'm going to show you

something that I think is

genius, but

kind of shows you how

serious you should take this.

One state that is making everyone a militia member.

And it's not like, you know,

some

crazy far-off North Dakota where they've got three people.

It's a major state.

And we'll tell you about that effort tonight, 9 p.m.

on Blazetv.com.

Use the promo code CONTROL to become a member and watch it.

Don't miss it, 9 p.m.

live tonight on Blaze TV.

And here's the podcast.

You're listening to

the best of the Blenbeck program

from the New York Times, I'm Michael Babaro,

and this is

the Daily.

Today,

just two days after the horrific shooting, The Rampage, in Denver, Colorado, information is slowly coming out that the shooter, Ahmed Elisi, was a member of a white supremacy group called the Be Against Everything That's Not White, Even Eggshell Paint Militia.

How did he get roped in to this?

Today, our reporter has the full story: a man who works as the chief investigator at the Southern Poverty Law Center, Che Escobar.

Next on the daily, it's March 24th.

Actually, it's Chief Inquisitor.

I'm sorry.

You said Chief Investigator.

It's Chief Inquisitor.

Interesting.

So, Jay,

the information that is coming out,

it shows that

Ahmed had postings on his Facebook page about Islam, prayers, religious holidays.

He also shared another person's thought the day after the mosque massacres in Christchurch, New Zealand that killed 51 people.

He said Muslims at Christchurch Mosque were not victims of a single shooter, but instead they were victims of the entire Islamophobia industry that vilified them.

Well, Michael, we don't have confirmation that those Facebook posts are authentic at this time.

And it's important to note that if they were authentic, they would be authentically placed there by the Proud Boys.

This much we do know,

and investigators will

get to the bottom of that and release the details of it, or of course, they will no longer hold their jobs.

Fascinating.

So when he posted the Muslims at Christchurch Mosque were not the victims of a single shooter, and he went on to say,

if racist Islamophobic people would stop hacking my phone and let me have a normal life I probably could

that youth believe is coming from the Proud Boys.

Well Michael

Yes

Yes, that's what we believe.

Fascinating.

There's also stories coming out in the press that his mental health was also called into question.

The suspect's 34-year-old brother recently said his brother was very antisocial, paranoid, and adding that sometimes he would claim he was being chased.

Someone's behind him.

Someone's looking for him.

Well, Michael.

Yes?

Yes,

we agree with that analysis.

And of course, investigators are looking at the causes of this mental illness.

And we...

So there is a possibility that he was in the middle of speaking.

I don't know why you would interrupt me in the middle of speaking to restate the point I was currently making.

It's impossible to understand your patterns of speech.

When he was having lunch with his sister in a restaurant, his sister said that

he said that people were in the parking lot and they were looking for him.

We didn't know what was going on in his head.

That's according to his sister, who said this was not a political statement.

It's a mental illness.

Well, Michael.

Donald Trump.

Donald Trump was president at the time that this occurred, or recently before when it occurred.

And we know Donald Trump's Islamophobia caused this incident.

We know that.

We know it with certainty.

Donald Trump did this.

Donald Trump is guilty.

But investigators are looking into confirm that at this time.

Let me ask something else that you know to be true.

I just want to throw in white hate groups.

Can I just say that quickly?

Of course.

He did post that

Trump is such a male body part.

And he also did go in and say

Donald Trump just inherited a growing economy and the unemployment rate was low and the economy was on an upward spiral and he won because of racism.

This goes back to January 6th.

There was an insurrection at our Capitol.

White people did white things at this white building.

This caused these shootings.

This was a militia.

These people, white people,

are guilty.

Are you...

Are you playing more than words?

Just one of our producers' favorite songs.

There is an affidavit obtaining.

Hold on, I don't understand why we pay more than words in the middle of this segment.

That does not

make any sense.

I mean, I

think you know what we're saying.

Did someone hit the wrong button?

What happened?

Can we move to Elon Omar, one of the greatest congressmen ever to be in Congress, or for that matter, even in Parliament?

But she came out and said she doesn't understand,

and I'd have to agree with her, why

this man's race, now knowing that he's from Syria, plays a role in any of this story.

Well, a lot of this comes down to if this person, this Ahmad,

is guilty of this crime.

And we don't know that yet.

It could easily be the Proud Boys.

This could be connected to January 6th directly.

Maybe people tried to re-invade the capital, but went to the wrong place.

They're looking into that.

How did he become involved in such a notorious and well-known militia group as the Be Against Everything

that's not white, even eggshell paint militia?

A lot of that had to do with his white privilege.

Coming directly from Syria, Michael.

He came to the United States with so much privilege, so much whiteness, so white.

The whiteness is what really stands out.

And that's why he was, of course, at the Capitol Building, we believe.

Without He was at the Capitol building on January 6th.

We believe he was one of the leaders

of the actual riot there.

And yet

a victim.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, he's a victim.

Andy led the riots.

But that's only because Donald Trump made him lead the riots.

And he was in a militia group,

an all-white militia group, even though he was Syrian.

Well, he had identified as white, Syrian, and

an Asian woman.

And as we know, there's a wave of Asian violence going on right now at the hands of Donald Trump.

But if he was identifying as an Asian woman, wouldn't he have been the victim of this horrible, horrific shooting?

Can you play more than words again?

More in a minute.

This is the best of the Bloodbeck program.

I need you to understand the

humanitarian problem

for not only those who are coming across the border, the trafficking that is happening, the drug lords and the cartels that are being empowered and are just going to destroy lives, but also the lives of American citizens, especially those who live right on the border, Del Rio, Texas.

I've seen video of Del Rio, and

what's happening there, the grocery stores look like they're from the Soviet Union.

There's nothing on the shelves.

How are regular Americans supposed to help if they can't help themselves?

I want to introduce you to the mayor, Bruno Ralphie Lozano.

I think

do you go by Ralph Ralphie?

Locally, I go by Ralphie.

That's my nickname, but people just call me Bruno these days.

They're just to call me Bruno.

Okay.

So, Bruno,

I want to talk to you

not just about politics.

I want you to describe to me what is happening in your city and what's happening to the people who are law-abiding citizens in your city.

Right.

So, you know, the images that you were describing earlier, that was taken during the winter storm, and that was immediately affecting our community because we didn't have resources for our own citizens.

And that week, I got noticed that we were going to have migrants being released into our community.

And it's just clearly, it's just extremely unfortunate that I even had to make a plea to the president to not release migrants into our community because of the winter storm

that took effect over our community.

You on May 5th, let's play this.

This was

your first plea.

And I think actually this is, was this from February when you originally said this?

Yeah, go ahead and play this.

Mr.

President, my name is Bruno Lozano, Mayor of the City of Del Rio, Texas, and I am pleading and requesting with you to please put a halt to any measures regarding the release of immigrants awaiting court dates into the city of Del Rio and surrounding areas.

We do not have the resources available to house and accommodate these migrants within our community.

I will have no choice but to use the extreme measure under the Emergency Declaration as the mayor of the city of Del Rio, Texas to refuse the entry of migrants awaiting court dates into the city of Del Rio.

If you do send these individuals into our community, we will be forced to make a decision to leave them without resources under these dire circumstances.

I am asking to please stop.

Please make another plan for this federal issue.

Okay, now you, so people know, you're not a a guy that's after

Biden or anything else.

You're a Democrat.

You were elected as a Democrat.

You're just trying to protect your American citizens, whether they're Republican or Democrat, that you were elected to

help and serve.

So this is not a political issue.

So they did release people.

How many people live in your town, and how many people now

have you grown to because of the illegal immigration problem?

Well, we have 36,000 residents here in the city of Del Rio and 50,000 in the county.

And we get an upwards of 150 a day.

I think the average with expectation was that there was going to be 35,000 total in about a four-week period.

Those numbers were given to us in February.

That's the expectations that we're going to have of transient population transiting the community in total.

So, so, so, wait, wait a minute.

50,000 people in the county,

30,000 in Del Rio and you're six thousand.

And you're expecting 35,000 immigrants to come in?

Correct.

So the migrants do come in.

They get dropped off at the Valvary Humanitarian Coalition, and that's where we process, you know, 150 a day or what have you.

The remaining persons get dropped off in Eagle Pass, Texas, or Cadizo Springs, Texas, and are processed throughout the entire area.

But this community alone, the Board of Patrol Chief Sector Chief Scurll, told me back in February that we're expecting to get 35,000 within three to four weeks.

That was given to me back in February, during that week that I made that video plea.

So we're pretty close.

I mean, they're detaining an average of 700 a day right now, the last seven-day average.

So, so

you have

an equal number of illegals to

the population.

How are you expected to deal with this?

What is that doing to your community?

That's exactly the biggest question that I have: where's the funding?

How am I supposed to fund an influx of the population of Del Rio with a budget of only what we have?

You know, our taxpaying citizens are only 35,000 individuals.

You know, it's 11,000, roughly, give or so households that we can tax prop.

You know, it's just mind-boggling, the statistics and what's happening, and yet the administration continues continues to just

ignore the problem and not acknowledge the fact that it's an actual, an absolute humanitarian crisis.

You know, I liked what you said just recently.

You said, you know, I don't want to demonize any group of individuals.

I don't want to,

you know, I'm not going to comment on the humanitarian crisis of the, you know, the migrants.

I don't want to get involved in that.

I'm just talking about the whole humanitarian crisis here that involves other people as well.

We can't help people if there's not an orderly influx.

If you don't go through the right doors and you overwhelm America and towns like yours, you can't survive to be a help.

Right.

Right.

That's exactly the problem is that we cannot sustain this at all.

And, you know, every migrant has their own unique story, their own situation, and their own reason for coming into the United States of America.

And I don't want to demonize them by any means, but how can you sit here and tell me that the Border Patrol is not treating them humanely when you have mothers

getting their children across a dangerous river in inclement weather and drowning?

How is that any more humane than what the Border Patrol is trying to provide?

The Border Patrol is just doing the directive and finding the directives that are given by the Department of Homeland Security.

And that direction is coming right now under Secretary

Mayokas.

And this is what's happening.

There is no plan of action, and it's extremely unfortunate that we're losing lives on both sides.

We're losing lives through the migrants crossing.

You know, we had a high-speed chase a couple weeks ago where we lost eight illegal immigrants, and it's just mind-boggling.

So, what is the White House or anybody saying nationally?

Well, the first response that I got from from one of the individuals that's up there with the White House, she told us, she told me, Mrs.

Ms.

Julie Rodriguez, that you know, they inherited a problem or dismantling of immigration from the Trump administration, which

some may argue that's true, that's not, but, you know, it's been a couple of months that they've been in office.

Well, where's the plan?

Where's the recovery?

Where's the long-term solution?

Where's a short-term solution?

Well, wait a minute, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

I just have to correct that if you inherited a problem, you didn't inherit this problem.

You inherited what you thought was a problem of being inhumane, and so you you dismantled it.

So you caused the problem because you didn't have another plan other than

open it up.

Exactly.

And that's exactly the frustration: is that you have on one hand, you know, the extension of COVID-19 restrictions.

You can't enter lawfully.

Visa-holding

Mexican nationals cannot visit their family, cannot shop in our communities because of COVID-19 restrictions, and they've extended that to through April 21st.

Yet on that same hand, you know, you have unlawful entry happening.

How can you sit here and tell me that that's the previous administration's

problem?

If this is their problem, they were elected to do a job and they need to stand up and start doing it.

We need action now.

We need to get these borders secure and we need to open up business and commerce to the border town community so that we can get our economies back in order.

So how can we help you?

First, before I ask you that, has the state reached out?

Anybody from the governor's office?

Is the state of Texas doing anything to help you?

I appreciate the state's effort.

I know that they were trying to help

with testing at one point, which I appreciate, but I sit there with Governor Abbott.

This is not a state or local issue.

This is a federal issue.

And I firmly believe that the federal government needs to take more action and come in and be actually present along the border.

We're getting FEMA response finally.

We're getting

some testing is finally being done under the Department of Homeland Security's directive.

But at the same time, it's like you need to come down and actually send your people to mitigate all of this.

This is not the city of Dorios issue.

This is a

legislation process issue.

It's a federal issue, absolutely.

So is there anything that we can do to help you?

I think just ensuring that the story gets out and that

there is transparency happening.

I think that's one of the biggest

ways that we can resolve and find solutions to this problem.

This has been an ongoing issue for decades, and it's going to continue until we face it head on.

But we need to be transparent while we're doing that.

You can't can't not call it a crisis for one thing.

It is a crisis.

So it's a humanitarian crisis.

Can you tell me, because I don't have a clear picture on is life normal for the

average Del Rian

that

is conducting their life?

Do they have access to the things they need?

I mean, I'm hearing about huge lines

for food, but that might be the relief food.

What is the average life like?

Initially,

there was a huge,

during the winter storm that you couldn't get food during the winter storm.

And since that winter storm has passed, life has gone back to normal a little bit.

But the main concern now is just the security of the border community.

I mean, we're a safe, small, sleepy town.

We know each other.

We know each other.

We say hi to each other at the grocery stores, things like that.

And now I have concerns.

I have small business owners like a photographer.

She's trying to conduct business at the creek at our city park, and she's fearful that she's going to be robbed because she has migrants coming up to her and asking her for money and for food.

And how secure is that?

You know, I have a duty to protect my community, and I have the transient population coming to our municipal areas and parks.

It's not safe.

Bruno, I have to tell you,

I admire you.

I admire the take that you have and

the brave stand that you're making.

Especially,

I know what the world is like today.

You're either part of the team or you're not part of the team.

And that is killing us.

And yeah, and so I admire that.

Please keep my phone number.

If there is anything that we can do for you, you have a large charity arm.

Anything that we can do to help the citizens of Del Rio weather this, you please let us know.

I will.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

I appreciate appreciate you having me on and sharing the story of what's happening along the border.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate that.

You bet.

Bruno

Lozano

from Del Rio, Texas.

He's the mayor.

This is the best of the Glenn Beck program, and we really want to thank you for listening.

There is a direct push to come after your firearms, to to start changing the laws to make it more difficult, to take

quote-unquote assault rifles off.

These are modern sporting rifles.

That's what they were called by the company that made them beginning in the 1950s.

They're painted black, so they're scary.

And there is a movement that I highly recommend that you get involved in.

It's the Second Amendment Sanctuary Cities Movement.

There are three states now:

Idaho,

Wyoming, and I can't remember what the other one is, but three states that have passed this.

But there are a ton,

a ton of counties all across the country.

It's actually four states.

Alaska is one of them.

It started in Alaska.

It's happening now in Texas as well.

And

it needs to go through.

But I want to understand it and help you understand it a little bit.

Justin Holland, he is a Texas state representative.

He's the guy who introduced Texas House Bill 2622.

And so we thought we'd get him on.

And if you don't have this happening in your House of Representatives,

in your state, you need to get involved in this and get it moving now.

Justin, how are you, sir?

I'm doing great, Glenn.

Good morning.

Is it Kansas the other state?

There's four states.

Do you know?

I believe Utah.

Utah.

Utah is one of the other states, but it is something that's gaining much momentum in our state right now, and we're hoping to get it pushed through this legislative session with just 70 days left.

So this is something I was talking about before Biden was even inaugurated.

We need to have sanctuary states

that will operate the same way the sanctuary cities did for illegal aliens.

And I think that's what your bill is doing.

It is

putting together

a movement that says no state agency will help with anything that is against the Second Amendment.

Is that right?

Yeah, basically that is right.

Anything more prohibitory or restrictive, a regulation, a restriction, something like that, that would come down from a Biden administration or any subsequent administration.

We are not going to allow our state and local law enforcement resources to enter into agreements with federal agents that would be against what we have right now in the books.

We want to keep our Second Amendment laws and our constitutional rights as strong as possible.

And we feel like that infringement is coming and is closing in on us.

So that's what the over the

30,000-foot view is very similar to what you said.

So

in the bill, it actually says magazine capacity or size limitations, registration requirements, background checks.

So that's anything that they are talking about now.

That's right.

Anything that has to do with a firearm, a firearm accessory, or firearm ammunition and your means of obtaining them.

We want to maintain our Second Amendment rights and constitutional rights in Texas without the out-of-touch policies of the Biden administration coming to Texas and

hampering us.

So now let me ask you, this is a really selfish question, but the federal government would love to make examples of

people that are outspoken, who have firearms.

I live in Texas.

If the federal government decided to come and confiscate my stuff or the FBI was at my door and they, you know, they were like,

we need to see your clips, the,

or not your clips, your magazines, Would the state protect me or just not get involved with that?

So the state is the federal government still has their own ability to enforce their laws.

We cannot stop the feds from enforcing federal law.

We're just not going to allow local entities

to enter into agreements with federal agencies that would ask them to do that on their behalf.

They would actually lose state funding if they complied with federal, more restrictive agreements after the inauguration of Joe Biden.

So is this kind of like the

idea here is because if Texas did it or Utah did it by itself, it wouldn't really be that effective because they'd have the resources.

Is this kind of the Christy Noam idea that I need a coalition?

And the power is the real strength of this comes from the number of states involved?

Right.

And I think that's the biggest thing that we need to stress nationwide: our 10th Amendment rights as states.

If all the states that are Second Amendment-loving, constitutional-loving states will come together and push back because our constitutional rights, as you know, are eroding day by day.

And as we have this new administration, we're all a little bit scared.

You can try to give them as much,

you know, we can watch them very closely, but you cannot let the Biden administration, the Democrats in Washington control the way that we live, the way that our way of life is, and our values in Texas.

And so, yes, I think it'd be wonderful if we could push a nationwide campaign for sanctuary Second Amendment state.

I have to tell you,

you know, I've been saying this for a while.

I think the states that get it need to be a constitution sanctuary state.

That anything in our Bill of Rights, if it's a violation of our Bill of Rights, we're not doing it.

I'm just as concerned about the First Amendment.

I mean, we lose the Second Amendment.

The First Amendment is definitely gone.

But the First Amendment is going away quickly because they found a way around

the Constitution by using private industry to be their strong arm.

That's right.

And I can't disagree with you, Glenn,

but

the spirit of House Bill 2622 is focused solely on gun legislation.

I know, I know.

The odds that this is going to pass, I'm surprised that Texas hasn't led the way in this.

I tell you, the odds that it's going to pass seem very, very likely to me.

The governor is behind this.

This is the governor's priority Second Amendment sanctuary piece of legislation.

He has been active and vocal on social media about this bill, about our legislation.

We work closely with his office.

We work closely with Texas State Rifle Association in meetings and discussions with the NRA.

People are, there's momentum gaining behind this.

I think we're going to pass this bill this session.

Oh, that is fantastic news.

When will we know?

How long is this going to take?

Well, right now we've just started in earnest meetings and laying out bills.

This bill has been referred to the State Affairs Committee in the Texas House, and it will,

we've requested a hearing for that.

Once I lay the bill out in the committee, it should get kicked out within a week or so from there.

We're up against the timeline.

It needs to happen in April for sure because towards the end of our legislative session, it becomes more and more difficult to pass bills if you don't get them moving.

We feel like in the next couple of weeks, we're going to get this bill moving down the line and over to the Senate so that

we can get to the governor's tenant.

A lot of people around the country don't understand the reason why Texas is still as free as it is.

And no offense to you, is that the state house, they adjourn, and they're only in, what is it, every other year.

Every other year for 140 days,

we make laws for 140 days, and we go back to our communities and businesses and live under them with the people that voted us in there.

And the more that we're in session, the greater your liberties are in trouble.

And it is the reason why Texas has been this strong.

And

more state, that's the way our founders set things up.

And Texas is really the only one left, I think, in the country that's living that way.

Well, that's why so many people, Glenn, are moving here in droves because it's the freedom capital of America, as our governor likes to say.

And we want to keep it that way for our guns as well.

I have some friends that are living up north, and they are visiting this week, and they couldn't believe the growth in Texas.

They're like, how is the state keeping up with it?

And I'm like, well, the state is really smart.

And, you know, they built the infrastructure ahead of time, but it is phenomenal how fast this state is growing um it's growing very fast um could i ask is if somebody is interested in this in their state is did you use

another uh bill from somebody else is there a is there like a mad lib version of this bill that states can start to go off of

Well, I tell you what, we have a couple of different versions of it that we'd be happy to provide to any other legislators or people that would like to send it to theirs.

The Texas Legislature Online has a great resource where you can search the bill 2622, House Bill 2622, and get the language to share with their legislators.

And our office would be happy to provide that as well.

Great.

Where would they find that online?

It would be Texas Legislature Online, T-L-O.

T-L-O?

Yes, T-L-O.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you so much.

Please stay in touch with us.

Let us know.

Do people, should we be calling our our state representative here in Texas to?

The best way that you could do is call your state representative and tell them to co-author this legislation.

That essentially means that they will walk down to the House Clerk's office, sign their name on as a co-author, and support.

The more co-authors we have, the stronger chance that this has to start moving and move quickly.

And that's what they would do.

Support this bill by co-authoring it and tell their state rep to do that.

Great.

Thank you so much.

I will tell you, there's going to be a ton of, if this gains real traction here in Texas, there will be a ton of Soros-type money coming in to stop it.

You know, as Texas goes, it's a little like California and New York.

As Texas goes, so goes the country.

And I urge you, if you're listening to us in Texas, to call your state rep.

It's House Bill 2622.

If you're listening to us anywhere else in the country, call your state representative.

Call

your local people and say, we need to have this as a sanctuary city and a sanctuary state.

Again, there are only three or four states now that are doing this or have already passed it.

There are more coming, but there are counties all over the country.

I don't know how many, 400 and some counties.

It is a, the map is awash with counties that have already done this.

So if your state won't do it, get it to your local level, your county level, or even your city level, if that's what it takes.

But get involved in this movement.

And

time is of the essence now.