Mayorkas Shifts Blame Off Biden Border Policies, Says ‘Only The Criminal’ Is Responsible For 12-Year-Old Texan’s Death

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
Thursday, June 27, 2024 12:04 PM

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday rejected attempts to link the many tragic American deaths at the hands of illegal immigrants to President Biden’s border policies, insisting that “individuals and no one else are responsible for heinous criminal acts.”

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His comments came in response to a question about 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was raped and murdered in Houston by two Venezuelan migrants who were released into the United States earlier this year.

He held a news conference at a Border Patrol aircraft hangar in Tucson, Arizona, about 70 miles from the nearest border.

“We will screen and vet anyone we encounter,” Mayorkas added.

Mayorkas has consistently maintained that the Department of Homeland Security properly vets those entering the US, but the Border Patrol quickly denied that, claiming his comments on Wednesday showed he was living in a “fairy tale world.”

“We don’t know what Mayorkas is smoking, because it needs to be legalized,” the Border Patrol source said. post. “If by background check he means fingerprinting and a half-assed background check that is largely inaccessible outside the U.S., then surely that’s a great process,” the agent added sarcastically.

He also supported the border inspection process but downplayed the fact that at least eight suspected terrorists with ties to ISIS had recently escaped U.S. custody and entered the country.

“Concerns were then raised and we engaged law enforcement to arrest and detain them, and they are now in the process of being deported,” Mayorkas continued.

Mayorkas’ statement: NBC News The Department of Homeland Security said it has identified more than 400 migrants who were brought to the United States from Central Asia through an ISIS-linked human trafficking network, of which more than 50 remain missing.

Sources say background checks are limited not only because many countries refuse to share information about their citizens, but also because immigration officials have little time – typically three days – to thoroughly screen applicants before releasing them.

“We are doing checks, but unless we actually go into the database or interact with U.S. law enforcement, we don’t really know,” a second Border Patrol official said.

Moreover, these concerns have been confirmed by ICE sources, who say background checks often produce inaccurate results or no results at all.

“Because there can be timing lapses before a subject is released, they don’t come back with all checks completed or verified, which could allow a potential criminal into the country before a full background check has been completed,” the second source continued. “Obviously, he knows the background checks aren’t working and the American public knows that’s a false statement and that he’s simply toeing the political line.”