Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who narrowly escaped impeachment last week, said Sunday that the Biden administration is “not taking responsibility for a broken system” and has not done anything to alleviate what has become an illegal immigration crisis in this election year. He asked Congress to enact the bill.
In an interview with Mayorkas on “Meet the Press,” NBC host Kristen Welker said, “There’s no doubt Congress is gridlocked, but the president himself is responsible for what’s happening at the border.” “Is there? It’s called a crisis.”
“This is certainly a crisis. And we’re not taking responsibility for a broken system. And we’re doing an enormous amount within that broken system. But fundamentally… Only Congress can fix it,” Mayorkas said.
“There is no question that our system is broken,” he added. “There’s no question that we face a challenge, a border crisis. And there’s no question that Congress needs to fix it. And we’re going to address the problem. We’re doing the best we can within that broken system, with the exception of legislation for the United States.”This is not just a challenge for the United States, it’s a challenge for our entire region. ”
House fails to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, dealing big blow to Republicans
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas will be sworn in during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on November 15, 2023, at the Capitol. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Welker said that since Mayorkas took over as head of the Department of Homeland Security three years ago, the backlog of asylum applications has more than tripled since 2019 and is expected to reach an all-time high in 2023. of immigrants are crossing the border illegally. She noted that Mayorkas himself has said that more than 85% of immigrants who cross the border illegally are released into the United States pending a court date.
“Let’s put impeachment aside for a second. Secretary, why are you qualified to keep your job?” she asked.
“The data you cited is a powerful example of why we need legislation to fix what everyone agrees is a broken immigration system,” Mayorkas said. “The backlog of approximately 3 million cases over the past three years has continued to grow year over year. The time between encountering an individual at the border and final adjudication of an asylum case is lengthening. Years, five to seven years, years.”
“I remember when I joined the Department of Homeland Security in 2009, we were working on the exact same problem. This system hadn’t been fixed in 30 years. A bipartisan group of senators now , gave us the tools and resources we needed. And yet Congress killed it before it even read it,” he said.
Mayorkas was referring to how the U.S. Senate on Wednesday failed to pass an $118 billion spending deal that included aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as ambitious border security and immigration policies. It was released just a few days ago. The vote Wednesday was 50-49. It required 60 votes to pass. The vote was mostly along party lines, with five Democrats voting no and four Republicans voting yes.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (John Moore/Getty Images)
Mr. Welker pressed Mr. Mayorkas on why President Biden has not immediately closed the border, as Republicans are calling for, and that he is “just going to try to get the courts to stop it.”
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“We have already taken enforcement actions. We are continually considering what options are available to us, but they are always being challenged in court and whether they see the light of day or in practice. Whether or not it is viable is an open question,” Mayorkas said. “That’s why a bipartisan group of senators actually authored and introduced a bill that would build on the law and provide the ability to close the border for a period of time, extreme measures, and immunity from the courts. “This is based on law, so I object to it.” ”
“If it was done legislatively, we definitely wouldn’t be facing these legal issues, but aren’t we trying to do something better than nothing? Why President Biden? Isn’t he going to close the border? Are you encouraging him? “Is he going to do that? ” Welker argued.
On February 8, 2024, the Texas National Guard transports migrants who crossed into El Paso, Texas from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico back to the Rio Grande River. (Justin Hummel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Well, we have already taken significant steps. We are certainly not doing nothing. Let me tell you, we have issued regulations that circumvent legal routes and we have has increased, in effect creating a rebuttable presumption that the asylum seeker is ineligible if he or she fails to do so.”
Asked on Sunday whether he was considering reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy, Mayorkas told Welker: “First of all, it depends on what Mexico agrees to. We have publicly announced that we will not allow it to be carried out again.” The second is being challenged in court. Third, remember that his Remain in Mexico policy went into effect in January 2019. In 2019, the number of encounters at the southwest border increased by almost 100% compared to his 2018. . ”
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The Republican-led House of Representatives voted Tuesday to impeach Mayorkas over his handling of the crisis at the southern border. This was seen as a crushing defeat for the Republican majority, which held hearings throughout 2023 on Mr. Mayorkas’ apparent “dereliction of duty” and additional hearings this year on the articles of impeachment itself.
Lawmakers accused Mayorkas of ignoring federal law with an “open borders” policy and exacerbating the ongoing crisis at the southern border. They point to a rollback of Trump-era policies such as building a border wall and remaining in Mexico, as well as a reduction in domestic enforcement and an expansion of “catch-and-release.” This has led to a record number of infections at the southern border, topping the 300,000 mark in December.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
