DHS Chief Mayorkas Attends Judiciary Hearing Lacking Crucial Border Security Data

Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, repeatedly grilled for key data on deportations and border issues, left members of the House Judiciary Committee unsatisfied with his inability to provide immediate answers.

Breitbart News reported on a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee brought forward multiple questions concerning the current state of Homeland Security in the United States. Members of the committee sought to address critical issues ranging from the number of deportations to encounters with individuals on the Terror Watch List at the southern border. The information they desired pertained also to Unaccompanied Alien Children, and those individuals who were released into the United States through the administration's parole pipeline.

Interestingly, Alejandro Mayorkas, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, seemed ill-prepared to provide accurate and immediate answers on any of these issues.

Mayorkas' Response to Inquiries About Terrorist Watch List Suspects

During the hearing, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) directed questions towards Mayorkas concerning the whereabouts of the 140 suspects on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “Terrorist Watch List”. These individuals have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border this year.

"… individuals who present a national security or public safety threat are detained,” said Mayorkas.

The Secretary of Homeland Security quoted DHS policy in his response to Issa's question but failed to provide specific information about the status of these suspects.

"Can you give us the whereabouts of those 140? Are they all incarcerated? Have they all been removed? Or is it a mixture of incarceration, removal, and release?" Issa asked.

When Mayorkas could not provide this data, he committed to submitting a written response to the committee at a later date.

Chairman's Reaction to Mayorkas' Lack of Concrete Information

Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) reacted with disappointment to Mayorkas's answer. He too, questioned the Secretary about the status of the aforementioned 140 individuals who are on the Terrorist Watch List.

"The 140 you’ve encountered who are on the Terrorist Watch List, again … what is the status of those 140 individuals?” Jordan asked.

Mayorkas reiterated his earlier response, promising to provide the required data at a future date.

DHS Inspector General (IG) Joseph Cuffari recently shed light on an alarming incident that further underscores the concerns raised by the members of the committee. According to him, DHS had released an illegal alien on the Terrorist Watch List into the U.S. interior. Moreover, this individual was allowed to board a domestic commercial flight from California to Florida. Astonishingly, it took two weeks for DHS officials to apprehend this person following his initial release.

Inquiry into Deportations of Border Crossers and Illegal Aliens

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) drew attention to another grave issue during the hearing. Since President Biden assumed office, approximately two million border crossers and illegal aliens have been released directly into American communities. Gaetz inquired how many of these individuals have since been deported.

Mayorkas admitted that he did not possess this data at the moment and promised to provide it at a later date. Jordan, not satisfied, followed up and asked Mayorkas for the deportation data once more.

"Mr. Chairman, what I’m sharing with you is that we will provide you with whatever data you request,” Mayorkas responded to which Jordan pressed again, “Can you guess? Can you give an estimate?”

Lack of Transparency Regarding Human Smugglers and Parole Pipeline

Unfortunately, Mayorkas's lack of transparency extended beyond the deportation numbers. He failed to provide details on the status of the 14,000 human smugglers arrested by DHS since Biden took office. It remains unclear whether they remain incarcerated or have been prosecuted.

Regarding the expansive catch and release network established by Mayorkas following President Biden's inauguration, the Secretary was again unable to provide specifics. This network operates akin to a European-style checkpoint where border crossers and illegal aliens are apprehended, briefly detained, and released. As part of this network, a parole pipeline was set up that has released anywhere between 500,000 to over a million border crossers and illegal aliens into the U.S. interior.

When Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) asked about the whereabouts of those released via this parole pipeline, Mayorkas could not provide a clear answer.

Additional Concerns over Unaccompanied Alien Children

Mayorkas's inability to provide basic data from DHS continued throughout the hearing. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) asked simply for the total number of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs) processed into the country under his watch.

Mayorkas responded with his usual commitment to provide the data at a later date.

However, this information is readily accessible from federal agencies and has been cited in numerous congressional hearings recently. Since Biden took office, nearly 300,000 UACs have been released into the U.S. interior.

Key Points Discussed at the Hearing:

- Inability of DHS Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, to provide immediate data on deportations and encounters with Terror Watch List individuals at the southern border.
- Lack of transparency regarding the whereabouts of 140 suspects on the FBI's Terror Watch List.
- Chairman Jim Jordan's disappointment with Mayorkas' lack of immediate information.
- Concerns over an incident where an illegal alien on the Terror Watch List was released into the U.S. and allowed to board a domestic flight.
- Inquiry into the number of border crossers and illegal aliens released into American communities since Biden took office, and how many have since been deported.
- Mayorkas's lack of clarity on the status of 14,000 human smugglers arrested by DHS since Biden took office.
- Questions about the whereabouts of individuals released via the administration's parole pipeline.
- Concerns over the number of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs) that have been processed into the country.

It remains to be seen if Mayorkas will deliver on his promise to provide the much-needed data to the House Judiciary Committee. Until then, the concerns of committee members and the public will continue to rise.