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ICE Releases Detainee Who Came To U.S. To Donate Kidney To Brother; U.S. Shrimp Industry Welcomes Trump's Tariffs; Johnson Suggests No Compromise With Rep. Luna On Remote Voting. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired April 04, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:31:03]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A temporary reprieve today for a Venezuelan man who was arrested by ICE after coming to the United States to donate a kidney for his brother.

Jose Gregorio Gonzalez, the man on the left there, was released from federal detainment this morning. He can now continue caring for his younger brother, who has been diagnosed with kidney failure.

With us now is Tovia Siegel from the immigration advocacy group, Resurrection Project, which was instrumental in winning Mr. Gonzalez's release.

Tovia, thanks for being with us.

What did he tell you after he was released?

TOVIA SIEGEL, THE RESURRECTION PROJECT: He was shocked. He actually didn't know until this morning whether he was going to be deported or able to be reunited with his brother.

I was there when the brothers got to see each other for the first time, got to hug. The other brother who hasn't been detained, Alfredo, told me it's been one month and one day. He has been counting every single day he's been separated from his brother.

KEILAR: Yes. This is a tough situation, I think just on a human level as we -- as we look at what they're going through here.

How long will Mr. Gonzalez be able to stay in the U.S.? Once he donates a kidney, either to his brother or in a paired donation, and recovers, then will he gladly leave? What's his plan?

SIEGEL: He was granted a one-year stay of removal, which essentially means that his deportation is delayed for a year, during which time he has an ankle monitor. He has regular check ins with ICE. And after which he will -- he will likely have to return to Venezuela.

KEILAR: And he plans to do that? SIEGEL: He has said that the primary reason he came to the U.S. was to

donate a kidney and save his brother's life. So that's what he's here to do. And that's his priority.

KEILAR: So he was originally detained under the Biden administration. We should be clear. He made two attempts to enter the U.S. under asylum claims. He was released on that order of supervision that you're talking about there, because Venezuela at the time was not accepting deportation flights. That was part of the reason there.

Do you think the Biden administration handled this correctly?

SIEGEL: You make a good point. I don't think that he should have been detained in the first place. He, like so many other people, was coming here seeking safety, seeking to be with -- in his case, he was seeking to quite literally save a life.

And he, like all other immigrants coming for the same reasons, should not have been detained in the first place.

I think what's also relevant is that once he was released during the Biden administration, the government knew exactly where he was. He was being monitored. He was complying with all of the conditions of his release. He had no contact with the police.

And it was the Trump administration who took it upon themselves, knowing exactly where he was, despite, again, no criminal history, they took it upon themselves to -- to throw him in jail and stop him from saving his brother's life.

KEILAR: He -- he obviously has some extraordinary circumstances with his brother.

But there are other people, obviously, who in a way have a stay of being deported. And as you're aware, there are many Americans who, they don't understand that.

They think, if this is someone who is deportable, whether it's to Venezuela, which is now accepting deportation flights, or to another country, that is, they think, why should they not be deported, sooner than later.

What do you say to them?

SIEGEL: Yes, the immigration legal system is incredibly complex and incredibly delayed. People are waiting many years now for immigration hearings. So I actually agree with them that the system is not working well. It's not working efficiently.

[14:35:04]

I think where I don't agree is the idea that people should be separated from their families. You know, we at the Resurrection Project and other immigrant advocacy organizations are working so that all people can live safe, full, healthy lives with their families.

KEILAR: Tovia Siegel, thank you so much. Really appreciate you being with us as we keep an eye on this case.

SIEGEL: Thank you so much.

KEILAR: The markets might be seeing red, but American shrimpers are seeing nothing but green. Next, we're going to talk to a fourth- generation shrimp boat captain who hopes that President Trump's tariffs could net him his most profitable catch in years.

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[14:40:16]

BORIS SANCHE, CNN HOST: Breaking news to CNN. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping more than 2,000 points, down more than 5 percent on the day over President Trump's sweeping tariffs.

But at least one industry is cheering these tariffs on, American shrimpers. They've struggled for years to compete against a flood of cheap imports.

In fact, according to the FDA, a whopping 94 percent of all seafood consumed in the United States is imported.

Joining us now to discuss a fourth-generation shrimper, the president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, Acy Cooper.

Acy, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

You've been arguing in favor of tariffs for a long time, accusing other countries of flooding the domestic market with imported shrimp. I do wonder, why is imported shrimp cheaper?

ACY COOPER, PRESIDENT, LOUISIANA SHRIMP ASSOCIATION: You know, they deal with slave labor, child labor, women, labor. We just can't compete in the market whenever they -- they not even paying workers to do the job.

And, you know, here in the states, we have a lot -- a lot of overhead. I'll -- our industry just can't take it as it is. Everything's too high.

SANCHEZ: And you're hoping that these tariffs will make it much harder for these folks to import shrimp into the United States, and thereby that will help folks like you.

COOPER: Well, you know, we've been hollering -- you talk about level playing field. It's not a level playing field. When you bring in two billion pounds a year and you only consume 1.5, you know, you got to access a 500 million pounds sitting in cold storage before we even go to work.

We don't even have a chance when we start. And, you know, besides that, you're talking about health risks with antibiotics and steroids. You know, 2 percent of it has mercury in it.

And if you go two billion pounds at 2 percent, you're looking at 40 million pounds of shrimp in this country with mercury. And, you know, it's just a health risk. And if people just don't realize what they're eating.

SANCHEZ: I appreciate your concerns about the health risks and obviously about, you know, allowing people that use slave labor to profit.

I do wonder, though, if you're supporting these tariffs, that means Americans are going to be paying more for seafood like shrimp. What would you say to folks who have -- already have a hard time putting food on the table?

COOPER: Well, you know, you're getting charged for it anyway. Just because they bind it at a cheaper price doesn't mean when you go to a restaurant and you sit down and eat that it's going to be -- you're going to get a deal.

You know, they still selling Po'boys for $19, no matter whether they're fresh or they're imports. You know, the profit margin is within the industry that's bringing them here.

And the ones selling them, just because I buy it cheap, they buy cheap. You're not getting -- consumers, not getting a deal. You're still paying for that shrimp.

SANCHEZ: Is there a -- is there a way in which you believe that these tariffs might impact your ability to do business elsewhere? Because it's not just your ability to sell the shrimp. You also have to use boats.

And that requires aluminum and steel and there's tariffs on that. And then there's nets and weights. Isn't having this blanket sort of tariff on all goods going to make it harder for you to do business in the long run?

COOPER: No. We've been suffering for over 20 years. A little bit more suffering is not going to hurt us. You know, bring it back. This country can't feed itself. This country can't sustain its own way of life.

If we get in a war with China, one of our big imports -- importers, and we're getting a war with China, how in this country is going to feed this country? How are we going to feed the people of this country?

You know, the farmers, they're taking a big lick. They're not farming. The fishermen, you're taking us out. Where's your food going to come from?

It has to come within this country. And that way, you're safe. You know, if somebody -- if you get in a war and the way the day is, you never know what's going to happen. So you need to sustain your own way of life here in this country.

SANCHEZ: So, Acy, I wonder, you raised the point about, you know, a Po'boy being $20. Experts are saying that the way these tariffs are going, they're going to be inflationary. So inflation is going to get worse and then it's going to stay there and get harder to break up.

You're not buying what those experts are saying about all of this being inflationary, making that Po'boy more expensive?

COOPER: Yes. Well, like I said, you know, it's going to be hurt before it gets better. You know, everything is outsourced. Everything is coming from everywhere else.

You talk about free trade. There's nothing free about this trade. When you overwhelm an industry, your community suffers. Your -- you know, we can't make a living anymore.

We had 20,000 licenses sold in 20,000. Right now, we got about 3,000. So if you want the domestic industry just to disappear, then keep on this road and it's going to happen.

[14:45:09]

Our average fisherman is around 58 years old. And this industry is a generational -- fourth-generation. We teach our younger guys how to do this. You can't just go buy a boat and think you're going to be a fisherman.

So do you really want to lose in this country? Which is the best? There's nothing in them. And we're willing to sacrifice for whatever it may be. We've been selling for 20 years. I'm ready to take whatever comes on.

SANCHEZ: Acy Cooper, it's so fascinating.

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SANCHEZ: Yes, it's so fascinating to hear your perspective, because, even earlier, I was speaking to a gentleman that represents a number of farmers in Kansas, and he was suggesting that the government might have to bail out those farmers because they won't be able to export their goods.

So it's interesting to see how the economy in different places is reacting to these tariffs. What would you say to those farmers?

COOPER: We know. We feel their pain. We feel their pain. You know. We're farmers, too. We're farmers are the sea. You know God -- God provides all our crops, not -- we don't plant them.

But we farmers also. So we feel the same thing. They feel, you know, if it goes up, so be it. We're losing our way of life anyway. It doesn't matter anymore.

So we continue on the road and keep losing fishermen. we're not going to have any industry anyway. So, you know, you got -- you have to try something. And this is our best alternative.

SANCHEZ: Acy Cooper, I really appreciate you coming on. Please, we'd love to have you on again as these tariffs are implemented and figuring out how this might affect your industry down the road. COOPER: Anytime. You just call me up, I'm ready.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much, Acy.

COOPER: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Brianna?

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour.

Large parts of the Nashville area are under water. Heavy rains and flash flooding severely impacting the area. More than a dozen water rescues, like this one, taking place in the city as relentless rain battered Nashville on Thursday.

This comes after deadly tornadoes in the Midwest that killed at least seven people. That same powerful storm system now has millions of people across Texas and Arkansas bracing for extreme weather and possible tornadoes again today.

The National Weather Service is warning that historic rainfall from the dangerous system could trigger generational flooding in multiple states.

U.K. police have charged British actor and social commentator, Russell Brand, with rape and other sexual offenses against four different women. The offenses allegedly took place between 1999 and 2005.

Brand has previously denied the allegations. Police say Brand is set to appear in a London court next month.

And a 24-year-old American tourist has been arrested after allegedly traveling to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal and attempting to contact one of the world's most isolated tribes.

Visiting North Sentinel Island is outlawed to maintain the tribes way of life and protect them from modern diseases.

Previous encounters with the tribe have proved fatal. In 2018, an American missionary was reportedly killed by tribespeople after he arrived on the island, hoping to convert the local people to Christianity.

And next, House Speaker Mike Johnson suggesting President Trump changed his mind on proxy voting overnight. It's the latest twist in the standoff over allowing new moms in Congress to vote remotely in the weeks after giving birth.

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[14:52:59]

KEILAR: A new twist in the ongoing feud between House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna. The two lawmakers are in a standoff over allowing new parents in Congress to vote remotely by proxy after giving birth.

In a post on X this morning, Johnson thanked President Donald Trump for backing him, even though, just last night, Trump told reporters he is in favor of proxy voting.

SANCHEZ: And Congresswoman Luna indicated she may have struck a deal with Speaker Johnson over the issue, saying Johnson called her to discuss a possible compromise by, quote, "limiting the vote to just new moms who cannot travel because of health concerns."

CNN's Lauren Fox joins us now.

Lauren, why exactly is speaker Johnson against this?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's really confusing where things stand right now, given sort of these two separate tweets. The first that we saw last night from Representative Luna that really alluded to the idea that some deal had been struck.

And then that tweet from this morning from the speaker that made clear that he believes Donald Trump is on his side, despite the fact that last night, Donald Trump told reporters that he didn't see a problem with new moms using proxy voting, but that he ultimately thought it was a decision for the speaker to make.

So clearly, both sides of this debate right now think that the president is believing in them, supporting them. It's not clear where this goes.

Just as a refresh, earlier this week, there was an effort to try to, in a rules package, essentially kill this effort by Representative Luna. That was not successful for Republican leadership.

In fact, they ended up sending the entire House of Representatives home because they argued that they did not want to deal with this issue this week, and therefore they couldn't get on to the rest of the business of the House of Representatives.

It's going to be really interesting to see what happens next week in the House, especially because the Senate is trying to move forward with their own budget resolution.

The House is likely to need to take that up to stay on track for their own deadlines before the Easter recess. So this is really a stalemate right now.

[14:55:05]

And we should just note that there we're a number of Republicans that joined Luna, along with Democrats, to protest leaderships try to move to nullify this effort.

And I think that does speak to the fact that there is some sympathy for the idea that not just new moms, but Luna's resolution also would benefit new dads who want to be at home with their spouses in those really precious days after a baby is born into the family. There's a lot of work that goes into that effort to care for the newest member of the family after someone gives birth. And it's not always just the woman who has to be at home in order to help take care of the baby and the new mom.

So that is all part of this effort that's transpiring right now on Capitol Hill. But it's really an incredible moment for the speaker of the House, obviously, to try to be blocking proxy voting for new moms.

But he said repeatedly he's just opposed to proxy voting. He doesn't think it's constitutional.

SANCHEZ: So fascinating that they both say that they have the president's support when they clearly oppose each other.

Lauren Fox, thank you so much, from Capitol Hill.

So we're coming up on the final hour of trading on Wall Street. The sell off is accelerating. Much more on that just ahead.

And we're following breaking news in the case of the Maryland father mistakenly deported to El Salvador. A judge just now ruling that he must be returned to the United States. CNN was inside the courtroom. We have details for you in just a few minutes.

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