Mayorkas Faces Scrutiny Over The Border Crisis

Written by David Zimmermann

What’s happening: Republicans have called for an investigation into Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and for his impeachment amid the ongoing border crisis. Since assuming office in February 2021, Mayorkas has overseen the Biden administration’s disastrous handling of the southern border and its failed immigration policies.

Federal report: The House Committee on Homeland Security last week released a report alleging Mayorkas intentionally failed to secure the border. The 112-page report says he refused to enforce the nation’s border laws, failed to carry out his duties, implemented measures that “actively encouraged and facilitated mass illegal immigration,” and repeated false claims about the border. The committee considered Mayorkas guilty of “dereliction of duty.”

By the numbers: Since Joe Biden took office, there have been approximately 5.7 million encounters at the southern border and 1.5 million “gotaways” — illegal immigrants who entered but have not been detained. Following the repeal of Title 42, the Biden administration used misleading numbers to paint a rosy picture of the border, but illegal immigration remained near record-level numbers with more than 485,000 illegal immigrants entering the U.S. since May.

On Capitol Hill: The report comes as Mayorkas is set to testify Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, where he will answer for his offenses. The hearing will examine the DHS’s operational failures, the prolonged border crisis, and the lack of immigration enforcement under Mayorkas.