Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, the House Committee on Homeland Security, led by Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN), heard firsthand testimony from former United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials on Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ dereliction of duty at the Southwest border.
The hearing followed the release of the Committee’s preliminary report highlighting why a Congressional investigation is necessary to conduct crucial oversight.
From the witness testimony provided by the former Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, the former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, and the former Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Joe Edlow, it is clear that Secretary Mayorkas created our nation’s historic border crisis by implementing intentionally reckless policies, violating the laws passed by Congress, and ignoring the advice, recommendations, and warnings of experienced law enforcement.
These decisions include the unlawful use of mass parole to release illegal aliens into the country, particularly through the CBP One app, rescinding the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, opposing new border wall construction, using taxpayer money to help facilitate illegal immigration, and endangering migrants and Americans alike by empowering the drug cartels that now control our Southwest border.
Read and watch the highlights of the hearing below.
In his opening line of questioning, Chairman Green received confirmation from witnesses that Secretary Mayorkas is using the CBP One app to mislead the American people concerning the crisis at the border:
“I don’t know any of the witnesses that can confirm this, but we’re not counting the CBP One app appointments as I understand it, is that correct?”
Mr. Wolf answered:
“That is correct. So the numbers that are being cited by the Department are Border Patrol numbers, those are encounters between ports of entry. So they talk about, I believe a 70% decrease—what they’re not telling you [is] that they’re actually capturing the number but what they’re not including in their press release is the number from OFO, which is the Office of Field Operations there at a port of entry.”
Chairman Green continued:
“It’s a shell game, basically, they’re taking the numbers out of these and not reporting them over here. […] Mr. Edlow, is that in congruence with the law? Is that a lawful entry just because you fill out an app online?”
Mr. Edlow answered:
“No, no, it’s not. […] If somebody comes to the port of entry [and] has no documentation to get in, there is a lawful mechanism for them to claim credible fear and to move through that process. But to just allow them to come in, to parole them, not on a case by case basis but as a group, is not within the confines of the law.”
Chairman Green continued:
“The interim final rule that came out, Mr. Edlow, can you discuss a little bit about how this basically upends the entire intent of the laws of Congress from the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)?
Mr. Edlow concluded:
“When the Homeland Security Act was signed and enacted in 2002, 2003, most powers that had been exercised by the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) were moved over to the new DHS, specifically with asylum to USCIS, where asylum officers were conducting interviews. However, after a credible fear interview, the way it always had worked was that the alien would then go before the immigration judge. Those powers were never transferred as part of the Homeland Security Act. This rule does transfer, does shift that authority from the DOJ to DHS having a second bite at the apple. […] The fact that they do not require a new asylum application really does limit the ability for anyone to assess whether there’s a valid claim or not.”
