Alejandro Mayorcas defends border readiness as immigration surge begins

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorcas argued Sunday that the Biden administration is ready to deal with a surge in new immigrants, dismissing growing evidence that things are already going very wrong at the southern border. bottom.

The number of people rushing across the U.S.-Mexico border has already skyrocketed, with about 55,000 illegal immigrants arrested last week alone, according to Border Patrol. At least he knows more than 18,000 agents who stalked them.

Both numbers are up dramatically from just a month ago.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general issued a new report late last week, saying Homeland Security was already overstretched and morale was low. called it “unsustainable”.

The warning comes just days before the government loses power to deport illegal immigrants under Title 42, the pandemic-era power that helped prevent the border crisis from turning into a catastrophe. This power, along with most of the government’s remaining pandemic emergency powers, expires on Thursday.

Speaking on the CBS Sunday show “Face the Nation,” Mayorkas said he and his team are ready for what comes next.

“We have been preparing for this for quite some time,” he said.

He pointed to the 1,500 active-duty troops stationed at the borders in welcoming centers set up in Latin America to try to add personnel to the effort and reshape the flow of people heading north.

But those plans were overruled by important voices like Senator Kirsten Cinema, an independent from Arizona. Kirsten Cinema, speaking at the Democratic caucuses, said Mayorkas wasn’t ready.

“The Biden administration had been preparing for this for two years and they didn’t,” she told CBS.

Pointing out that the welcome center is not yet operational, Mallorcas acknowledged that the first welcome center in Colombia is still a few weeks away. .

She also complained that the Biden administration kept its operations secret even in border states.

“I want that information and I can’t get it,” said the Arizona senator.

“Either the administration has that information and chooses not to share it. – And that’s even more of a concern.

Majorcas toured the Texas border last week and said the situation was “very serious, very challenging, very difficult.”

He avoided using the word “crisis,” as he had always used it during his tenure under President Biden.

“The borders are not open, they are not open and they will not be open after May 11,” he said.

The statement disputed the flood of thousands of migrants, especially Venezuelans, across the border.

The Rio Grande Valley Sector of Border Patrol, where Mr Mayorcas was on Friday, reported catching 2,500 migrants that morning. Most of them were Venezuelans.

Venezuela was a success story just a few months ago after Mayorcas and Biden announced plans to use their “parole” powers to allow entry into Venezuela.

Under the plan, those who applied in advance were to be allowed entry if they had sponsorship and asylum potential, even if they did not have a legal visa.

While the number of border crossings has plummeted, the number of people making it through the preapproved parole program has risen sharply.

But in recent weeks, Venezuelans have started creeping in again.

Mayorcas said the upheaval was difficult to explain, but said his plan was working nonetheless.

He also said smugglers spread false border statements to try to lure people into paying to come.

Venezuelans worry that Mayorcas plans to end Title 42 around a similar approach to deter people sneaking across the border while urging applications for pre-approval This is because the

The goal is not to limit illegal immigration, but to siphon it through regular border crossings, while at the same time depriving the smuggling cartels of charging a fee for nearly all illegal immigrants who try to enter the country.

People who go beyond ideology have reason to be unhappy.

People on the right complain about the collapse of borders, saying the regime encourages the flow of people through lax policies.

Left-wing activists, meanwhile, have complained about the looming deployment of active-duty soldiers and Marines, as well as the draconian measures imposed by the regime, including the upcoming regulation that tightens the rules for applying for asylum.

The policy, which is expected to be finalized by Thursday, will impose a higher burden of proof on those who have crossed other countries to arrive in the United States and apply for asylum, Mayorcas said.

The Department of Homeland Security has concealed the extent of the problem at the southern border, according to an Inspector General’s audit released late last week.

The agent told investigators that when a high-ranking official visits to check on the situation, the border patrol will bolster its staff and send the migrants out, then bring the migrants back when the visit is over.

One agent told investigators that after each visit, they “make sure this place looks good and proper”. has reverted to a ‘shortage of staff and equipment’ state.

In reality, the agent was overwhelmed with chaos, overworked, and frustrated.

This was true of both Customs and Border Protection agents and officers, as well as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the primary agencies dealing with domestic enforcement and deportation.

ICE is so thin to deal with border chaos that it has been unable to arrest and deport many criminals from within the US, according to an audit.

ICE deportation forces arrested 92,108 convicted immigrants during the border surge under President Trump in fiscal year 2019. In contrast, ICE’s deportation forces have arrested 18,173 criminals in his first seven months of fiscal 2022.