During a recent interview, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas dismissed the notion that President Joe Biden's early immigration policies contributed to a surge in migrants at the US-Mexico border. Mayorkas, known for his disagreements with congressional Republicans, stated in an interview with The New York Times that the Biden administration's departure from President Donald Trump's stringent immigration policies did not result in a humanitarian crisis at the border.
Mayorkas told the Times, "I believe that individuals leave their houses because of the circumstances under which they endure. What do you think the message is when a politician gets up and says the border is open, when it isn't?" he said, continuing, "if one wants to talk about rhetoric and the message it conveys."
Mayorkas agreed when asked whether he was referring to Trump and a large number of the outgoing president's most fervent conservative supporters.
"True. And that is untrue as well as detrimental," he said. "Then, the smugglers who prey on the weak appropriate those phrases. They have a knack for connecting with the weak, and they use their words to persuade individuals to act in certain ways."
Since Biden took office, Mayorkas has emerged as the spokesperson for Republican annoyance with the president's immigration policy. Numerous Republican politicians have called for the closure of the US-Mexico border due to the country's struggles with an increase in unauthorized immigration.
According to the US Border Patrol, unlawful border crossings from Mexico led to a record monthly high of about 250,000 arrests in December 2023. Comparing the number to the approximately 222,000 arrests made in December 2022, there was a 13% rise.
As a result of the unlawful border crossings, Biden has become very vulnerable politically. He has endorsed a bipartisan border package that may pass the Senate but will likely encounter strong opposition from House Republicans. Trump, who has centered his 2024 campaign on immigration, has urged Republicans to undermine the bipartisan initiative.
This week, House Republicans took a major step forward in their effort to remove Mayorkas from office. The GOP-controlled Homeland Security Committee, which has long accused the secretary of being unwilling to enforce current immigration rules, agreed on Wednesday to transmit articles of impeachment to the House for a vote.
Mayorkas dismissed what he claimed to be a political motivation for the impeachment vote and denounced the attempt as "baseless." "I do not work in politics," he said to the Times. "I work for the Department of Homeland Security."
Mayorkas told the Times, "I believe that individuals leave their houses because of the circumstances under which they endure. What do you think the message is when a politician gets up and says the border is open, when it isn't?" he said, continuing, "if one wants to talk about rhetoric and the message it conveys."
Mayorkas agreed when asked whether he was referring to Trump and a large number of the outgoing president's most fervent conservative supporters.
"True. And that is untrue as well as detrimental," he said. "Then, the smugglers who prey on the weak appropriate those phrases. They have a knack for connecting with the weak, and they use their words to persuade individuals to act in certain ways."
Since Biden took office, Mayorkas has emerged as the spokesperson for Republican annoyance with the president's immigration policy. Numerous Republican politicians have called for the closure of the US-Mexico border due to the country's struggles with an increase in unauthorized immigration.
According to the US Border Patrol, unlawful border crossings from Mexico led to a record monthly high of about 250,000 arrests in December 2023. Comparing the number to the approximately 222,000 arrests made in December 2022, there was a 13% rise.
As a result of the unlawful border crossings, Biden has become very vulnerable politically. He has endorsed a bipartisan border package that may pass the Senate but will likely encounter strong opposition from House Republicans. Trump, who has centered his 2024 campaign on immigration, has urged Republicans to undermine the bipartisan initiative.
This week, House Republicans took a major step forward in their effort to remove Mayorkas from office. The GOP-controlled Homeland Security Committee, which has long accused the secretary of being unwilling to enforce current immigration rules, agreed on Wednesday to transmit articles of impeachment to the House for a vote.
Mayorkas dismissed what he claimed to be a political motivation for the impeachment vote and denounced the attempt as "baseless." "I do not work in politics," he said to the Times. "I work for the Department of Homeland Security."
