[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 45 (Monday, November 15, 1999)]
[Pages 2275-2280]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Maria Elvira Salazar of Telemundo Noticiero in Hartford, 
Connecticut

November 4, 1999

Enforcement of Gun Control Laws

    Ms. Salazar. Before we talk about your visit here to Hartford, the 
head of the NRA, Charlton Heston, said that the White House and the 
Justice Department lack the spine to enforce the existing gun control 
laws. How do you respond to this?
    The President. Well, first of all, let me say what the substance of 
his claim is. They say that we are bringing fewer criminal prosecutions 
in the Federal courts for violations of the gun laws than were being 
brought a few years ago. The truth is that prosecutions for violations 
of the gun laws are increasing in America. But we have a partnership 
between the Federal prosecutors and the State prosecutors. And more of 
the minor cases are being brought at the State level now, and the major 
multistate cases are being brought at the Federal level. So it is simply 
not true that the gun laws are not being enforced.

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    But let me say, the more important thing is--why is Charlton Heston 
saying this? Because he doesn't want us to do background checks when 
people buy guns at gun shows or at urban flea markets. He didn't want us 
to do background checks when people bought handguns in gun stores, and 
they said it wouldn't do any good. But we know that 400,000 people, 
because of a criminal background, couldn't buy guns under the Brady 
bill. We know we've got the lowest crime rate and the lowest murder rate 
in 30 years. So he's just wrong about it.
    We also know that America is still a country that's too dangerous, 
because we're the only country in the world that still doesn't have 
enough sensible restraints on keeping guns out of the hands of criminals 
and children. So I disagree.

New Markets Initiative

    Ms. Salazar. Okay. Let's talk about, now, your visit to Hartford. 
Tell us why this new markets initiative is so important to you.
    The President. It's important to me because even though we have the 
longest peacetime economic expansion in history, over 19 million new 
jobs, highest homeownership ever, lowest unemployment rate in 29 years, 
the lowest welfare rolls in 30 years, the lowest poverty rates in 20 
years, the lowest Hispanic- and African-American unemployment rates we 
have ever recorded--in spite of all that, there are still all these 
people and places that have not felt this recovery, that need 
investments and businesses and jobs and hope. And I believe that we need 
to convince the American business community that these are markets to 
invest in. And I think we ought to give them the same incentives to 
invest in poor areas in America we give them to invest in poor areas in 
Latin America or Africa or Asia. That's the whole deal, and I think it 
will work.
    Ms. Salazar. And what incentives can you offer them that are not in 
place right now?
    The President. We can offer them tax credits, and we can offer them 
loan guarantees. And we can offer them modest expenditures of public 
funds to support these kinds of investments. They will make a big 
difference.
    For example, if--let's just take a poor neighborhood in Houston or 
San Antonio or even here in Hartford, where there's a very large 
Hispanic population. Let's suppose that we wanted to have a $150 million 
investment. Under this proposal, if my bills were to become law, they 
could put $50 million in equity, and they would get a 25 percent tax 
credit. They could borrow $100 million and have it under a Federal loan 
guarantee, which would dramatically lower the interest rate. So you 
would say, okay, you're taking a little bit of a risk investing in a 
poor area, but we will cut the risk way, way down.

Plight of Hispanic-Americans

    Ms. Salazar. Beautiful. There are 30 million Hispanics in the United 
States and counting. Yet a disproportionate number live in poverty, do 
not have health care, and can't get a job. Why has the American dream 
eluded them?
    The President. Well, let me start with the positives. We also have 
more successful Hispanics in America than ever before--more people like 
you and the people that work for Telemundo. We have the lowest 
unemployment rate we have ever recorded, and we started keeping separate 
Latino unemployment rates in the early seventies.
    Now, why is it still a problem? Number one, a lot of the Hispanic 
population of America are recent immigrants. Recent immigrants always 
have more problems with health insurance and with employment. They 
haven't very often mastered English; they often don't have the right 
contacts. So part of that's inevitable.
    But there are some other things that I'd like to point out. Because 
of the family traditions that have been so strong in Hispanic families, 
very often the children would leave school early to go to work. And that 
worked, for generation upon generation of Hispanic families, the people 
that had been here for 50, 60, 80 years. It doesn't work anymore because 
if you drop out of high school, your chances of getting a good job with 
a growing income are very, very small.
    And the biggest separate social problem we have with Hispanics in 
America today is the dropout rate from school is way too high.

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Last year, for the first time ever, the graduation rates of non-Hispanic 
whites and African-Americans was almost identical. So the black--you 
know, the message is there. Hispanics are still dropping out at a very 
rapid rate.
    So we have started this Hispanic education initiative to try to 
overcome that. But a lot of it is culture. We must get the message out 
that this doesn't work anymore. It worked a long time; it won't work 
anymore. You can't do it. You've got to stay in school. And we have to 
try to get more Hispanic young people to go on to college.
    So I think that's very, very important. I think that is--there are a 
lot of other things, but that's--the single most significant thing that 
we can do something about is getting people to stay in high school. The 
fact that we have so many immigrants, they'll always have more problems 
in the beginning, and we just have to integrate them as quickly as we 
can.
    Ms. Salazar. I think you have answered my next question, but I want 
to ask you anyway, and it has to do with youth. In the barrio in New 
York City, or in any barrio in the United States, there is a 12-year-old 
boy whose name is Juan Gonzalez, let's say. His parents struggle to make 
a living and provide him with a decent education. What message do you 
have for him, a kid that was born in the United States?
    The President. My message to him is, if you stay in school and you 
learn your lessons, no matter how difficult your economic circumstances, 
you can now go on to college in America.
    We have changed the rules in the last 6 years. If your parents come 
up with some money, they can get a tax credit back for it. We have more 
generous scholarships. We have more other funds for you to go. You must 
stay in school. You can go to college if you stay in school. And if you 
do, you can make the life that you dream of.

Cuba

    Ms. Salazar. Let's talk a little bit about Cuba. The democratically 
elected leaders of 17 Spanish-speaking nations will gather in Havana in 
the next couple of weeks. Are you concerned that they are legitimizing 
Castro's government?
    The President. I'm a little concerned about it. I think the 
important thing is, when they go there, I hope that they will reaffirm 
their support for democracy and for human rights and for a transition to 
democracy and to an open economy in Cuba.
    As you know, most countries don't agree with our policy on Cuba. 
They think that it hurts the Cuban people, that it hurts the American 
business community, and that it doesn't speed the transition away from 
Castro because they think we give him an excuse for the failures of the 
Cuban society--that he can blame everything on us instead of having to 
take responsibility for himself. And, you know, this argument is now 
occurring more and more among Cuban-Americans of all age groups. And so 
it's a debate we ought to continue to have.
    The most important thing for me, though, is, I have--every time I 
have reached out to Cuba--and I have tried to increase contacts, to make 
it easier for people in America to send money home, to have direct 
telephone service, to have more trips to Cuba more accessible for 
people--and, you know, something happens. He puts journalists in jail, 
or shot the Brothers to the Rescue people out of the air. And they 
were--those people were murdered. It was illegal for them to be shot. I 
don't care--even if they had been inside the territorial waters of Cuba, 
which they weren't, there is a convention which binds the United States 
and Cuba which would not have permitted them to be shot down, because 
they did not present a threat. So all my efforts to change things have 
been met with a rebuff. And it makes me wonder whether he really wants 
this to change, because he can always use us as an excuse.
    But if the countries want to go there and meet, I understand that. 
If they differ with us on their policy, I respect their right to differ. 
But I hope when they're in Cuba, they will make it clear that they're 
for democracy and human rights.
    Ms. Salazar. Have you expressed this to any of the Presidents?
    The President. Absolutely. Yes, I have. I have said that to every 
one of them that I

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have seen since they made the decision to go down there.
    Ms. Salazar. And do you ever foresee normalized relations with 
Castro and the United States?
    The President. I think it would be difficult for relations to be 
completely normal. I think we could certainly do a lot more for food, 
for medicine, in other ways, if the circumstances were right. And I 
think that if there were a clear commitment to a transition to democracy 
and human rights, which were clear and verifiable, I think that you 
could see some really dramatic changes. I think--you know, if we could 
just have a commitment to have no more shootings, like the shootings of 
the airplanes, and to have no more clear oppressings of human rights, it 
would be easier.
    I think the American people would like to be reconciled with the 
Cuban people. And I think we are--it is painful. It's painful most of 
all, I think, for the Cuban-Americans.
    Mr. Salazar.  Definitely. I come from that group. They tell me two 
more questions. I need to do Colombia, and I need to do Vieques. I need 
to do two more.
    The President.  Yes, you do them. You do need to do those.

Colombia

    Ms. Salazar.  Okay. Yes, I do. Colombia--Washington is debating 
billions of dollars in aid to that country. Serious problem. Do you 
foresee, or could the United States be dragged into the civil war that 
they are living?
    The President.  Well, first of all, let me say we already give a lot 
of aid to Colombia. They are--after Israel and Egypt, Colombia is the 
third-biggest recipient of American aid.
    I am very concerned about the combination of the narcotraffickers 
and the people that have been engaged in the civil war down there 
totally destabilizing Colombia. They've already hurt the economy. 
They've divided the society. They've weakened the country and its 
government. And it is a big, big country, with enormous significance for 
all of Latin America. If you look at the Venezuelan border, the trouble 
we've seen there, if you look at all the problems that could be 
presented with Panama, with the canal going back there, and if you look 
at all the countries to the south, if you look at Bolivia, Peru, the 
problems they've had there, the future of Colombia is very, very 
important. And Colombia borders Amazonia, and all the problems that 
could be created there. So we should be working with them, and we should 
help them.
    But, you know, if you look at the whole--also the history of 
America's involvement in Latin America, if we were to become directly 
involved, I think it would ensure a disastrous result for the Colombian 
Government, and people would accuse us of being imperialists in some 
way. I have worked very hard to reach out to Latin America in a way that 
no other American President has, at least since President Kennedy, to be 
a friend, to be a partner, to be supportive, and not to be a dictator, 
not to be an imperialist, not to be abusive in our relationship.
    So I'm going to keep trying to help Colombia. But I don't think we 
should be drawn directly into their conflict, because I think it would 
boomerang. I don't think it would work, and I think it would actually 
hurt the cause of freedom and the integrity of governments in Latin 
America.

Vieques Island

    Ms. Salazar. Vieques, sir. The U.S.S. Eisenhower is scheduled to 
begin exercises December 1st off the coast of Puerto Rico in Vieques. 
Will you approve the use of live fire?
    The President. Before that happens, I hope and believe there's a 
chance that we will reach an accommodation between the Navy and the 
Government and the representatives of Puerto Rico.
    Let me say, as I've said before, I think the fact that there was an 
agreement made back in 1983, that then the Navy and the Defense 
Department regularly and flagrantly ignored, treating Puerto Rico as if 
it were still a colony, is really at the root of all this.
    I think that, as you know, that the Pentagon has a point, in the 
sense that if you look at what we had to do in Kosovo, for example, or 
what we had to do earlier in Bosnia, they need to be able to train. They 
have to be able to do live-fire training somewhere. They need to be able 
to fly over water. We also have to do landings. You know, when

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we restored the democratically elected government of Haiti, thank God 
there was no violence, but there could have been. And we have to 
practice, you know, how do we approach on the shore?
    On the other hand, we don't want to be in a position of jamming down 
the throat of Puerto Rico, and the people and the elected officials of 
Puerto Rico, one bad memory after another of a longstanding relationship 
where we didn't honor our commitments.
    So what Secretary Cohen has tried to do is take the security report 
he got saying, you know, we need to use Vieques for 5 more years--and 
the reality of the feelings of the people of Puerto Rico and the 
positions of the leaders--and we're trying hard to work through both of 
those in a way that there can be an agreement.
    I think the most important thing is we get out of this treating 
Puerto Rico as if it were literally, for these purposes, a colony of the 
United States. It is not a colony. And if--you know, I think the 
Congress should give them an authoritative vote on whether they want to 
be a State or continue commonwealth status. I mean, the last vote they 
had was very close, narrowly for commonwealth, but it wasn't a 
sanctioned vote by the Congress.
    So I have done as much as I could to try to restore the integrity of 
the relationship between the people and the Government of Puerto Rico 
and the United States. And so for me, because I'm the Commander in 
Chief, and I also have heavy responsibilities to ensure the preparedness 
and the integrity of our Armed Forces--there's a reason we lost no 
pilots on Kosovo. It's because they train hard, and they're careful. And 
we try to save lives.
    So this is a very difficult decision. But I believe there is an 
agreement which can be made here, which respects the legitimate 
interests both of the people of Puerto Rico, particularly those that 
live on Vieques, and the national security interests of the Navy. And so 
they're trying to get there. And before I answer the specific questions, 
I'm going to give them a chance to get there. We've got about a month, 
and we're going to work hard at it.

Immigration Policy

    Ms. Salazar. Two weeks, sir. One more, on immigration. Immigration 
laws have disrupted the lives, or many people think that they have 
disrupted the lives of thousands of Hispanic families, or they consider 
that's the way. Will the issue be resolved before you leave office?
    The President. Well, many of the difficulties have been resolved. We 
have repealed almost 100 percent of the cuts that were imposed in the 
welfare reform law. And we have tried to alleviate some of the very 
harsh impacts of the law which would require the return of people who 
have been here for a long time.
    Ms. Salazar. Who have children who were born here.
    The President. That's right. And I am now trying--and also, by 
Executive order--everything I could do without an act of Congress, I 
believe I have done. So the specific answer to your question is, we've 
done a lot. There are still some important things to do. And I will do 
my best. I can't say whether it will be done or not, because some of the 
things that have to be done require an act of Congress. And the Congress 
has actually been pretty helpful to me in this since '96, in putting the 
pieces back together. And I'm doing my best to stop any more family 
disruption.
    Ms. Salazar. And you are aware of the disruptions and the problems?
    The President. Oh, absolutely. It's been terrible problems. And I 
have tried to minimize them, and I will continue to work on it.

New York Senate Race

    Ms. Salazar. Well, I was going to ask you about who you were going 
to vote for in Senate, State Senate of New York, but they won't let me.
    The President. I think you know. I will authorize you----
    Ms. Salazar. You live in New York now, sir, right?
    The President. I will authorize you to tell the people who I'll vote 
for for Senator in New York.

[[Page 2280]]

Note: The interview was taped at 7:20 p.m. on November 4 in the 
Performance Studio at the Artists Collective for later broadcast. The 
transcript was embargoed for release by the Office of the Press 
Secretary until 6 p.m. on November 5. In his remarks, the President 
referred to actor Charlton Heston, president, National Rifle 
Association; and President Fidel Castro of Cuba. This item was not 
received in time for publication in the appropriate issue.