Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said some migrants crossing the southern border are “trying to exploit” the US asylum system, a tough statement as the border crisis remains a top political issue ahead of the November presidential election.
“The reality is that some people will try to game the system,” Mayorkas said. CBS News “This is not true for everyone we encounter, but it is there and we are addressing it accordingly.”
The comments mark a shift in rhetoric from the Homeland Security chief, who has defended the asylum system, stressing the need to process claims quickly. Republicans have focused on the ease with which migrants can cross the border and be released even if their claims are bogus.
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Two men scale a cyclone fence set up by the Texas National Guard as hundreds of migrants line up along the border wall separating Mexico from the United States, waiting to be processed by Border Patrol in hopes of being granted asylum, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, March 15, 2024. (Photo by David Peinado/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Mayorkas told the outlet that a recent bipartisan border security bill that failed to win support in the Senate “would have given us more tools to address individuals who are trying to abuse the system.”
Mayorkas’ comments came as southern border numbers remain high, despite recent declines compared to previous months: There were 179,725 encounters at the southern border in April, compared to 211,992 in April 2023 and 189,357 in March.
There was a record Encountering 2.4 million immigrants FY23 saw a record high and, despite recent declines, FY24 is likely to see a record high as well.
The latest figure is lower than the more than 200,000 in December but still higher than most months before Biden took office. The administration has said it is addressing hemispheric factors and a “dysfunctional” system.
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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is expected to face an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. (Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Mayorkas cited violence, insecurity, poverty, corruption, authoritarian regimes and “extreme weather” as reasons for migration around the world, but he said there were other reasons the US was a top destination.
“We overcame COVID-19 faster than any other country in our hemisphere, we have 11 million jobs to fill in a post-COVID-19 world and we are the country of choice for travel. In addition to these two forces, we must consider a fundamentally dysfunctional immigration system and the level of encounters we are facing,” he argued.
The administration has called for reforms from Congress, including a bipartisan Senate bill, and noted that 720,000 illegal immigrants have been deported or removed since May 2023, more than in every fiscal year since 2011.
However, Republicans have criticized the administration’s policies, including the reversal of Trump administration policies such as the construction of the wall, the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), and strengthening domestic law enforcement. The House of Representatives passed a bill that includes measures such as significantly restricting asylum applications and resuming border wall construction. The bill has not yet been debated in the Senate.
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Lawmakers impeached Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis, but articles of impeachment were rejected by the Senate. Republicans often accuse the administration of contributing to the crisis with its policies.
For more coverage on the border security crisis, click here
It’s an allegation that Mayorkas denied in an interview with CBS.
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“The reasons people leave their countries are well known: extreme poverty, violence, extreme weather, corruption, repression by authoritarian regimes – but there are more reasons than just these,” Mayorkas said.
Meanwhile, immigration is poised to become the top political issue in the upcoming presidential election, with a recent Fox News poll showing that border security is the top issue among self-described very conservative voters (28%), Republicans (25%), white men without a college degree (20%), voters over 65 (17%), and rural voters (17%).
A Fox News poll conducted in March found that 7 in 10 voters said the White House has “largely failed” to improve border security.
