It is an annual tradition on our Ringside Politics TV and radio programs to award a “Turkey of the Year” during Thanksgiving week. This designation is bestowed on an especially worthy politician, bureaucrat, or celebrity who deserves such dishonorable recognition.
Our previous winners have included Republicans, such as former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and Democrats, such as former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Like those two winners, most of the “Turkeys” are so insufferable that they no longer serve in elected office, having worn out their welcome with their constituents.
This year, as usual, we asked our audience members to submit their nominations for the 2023 “Turkey of the Year” consideration. To say we were bombarded with worthy candidates is an understatement. Undoubtedly, 2023 was a particularly good year for “Turkeys.”
The list of qualified nominees was extensive. The most popular nominee, the candidate with the most outstanding credentials, was 2021 “Turkey” President Joe Biden, who embodies this award in every sense. However, no repeat winners are allowed. Thus, he was excluded from consideration.
Like Biden and our previous winners, our 2023 award recipient is a real “Turkey” in every respect. He is possibly the worst cabinet secretary in our nation’s history. Of course, the 2023 winner of the Ringside Politics “Turkey of the Year” Award is Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
In his role, Mayorkas is responsible for border security. In January 2021, the Biden administration inherited a secure border from President Donald Trump. The border wall was almost finished, the “Catch and Release” program had ended, and a “Remain in Mexico” policy worked well.
Unfortunately, at the start of the Biden administration, all the successful Trump administration policies were terminated, along with the construction of the border wall. After that, Biden rolled out the welcome mat for illegal aliens worldwide to enter the United States.
According to U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), “More than 6.2 million migrants have illegally crossed the southern border since President Biden took office.” There have also been more than 1.5 million migrants who have evaded apprehension. U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylore Greene (R-GA) believes the true number of “illegal border” crossings is even greater, approximately 10 million.
Cornyn notes that the detention facilities and immigration courts are overwhelmed with migrants. Despite such an influx of illegal aliens into the country, Cornyn claims that “deportations are at their lowest level in decades.”
This chaos is caused by the neglect of Mayorkas and his Biden administration colleagues. Instead of acknowledging the crisis and taking corrective action, Mayorkas regularly appears before Congress and claims that the southern border is “secure.”
These lies inspired Greene to introduce a U.S. House resolution to impeach Mayorkas. Greene declared that Mayorkas violated the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and was engaged in the “willful admittance” of illegal migrants. Unfortunately, her resolution failed, and the impeachment resolution was referred to the Homeland Security Committee, which oversees the actions of Mayorkas and his department.
Not surprisingly, the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Mark Green (R-TN), has also been appalled by Mayorkas' inaction in dealing with the border crisis. Green, who blasted Mayorkas for “dereliction of duty,” is completing a “multipart plan” overseeing his work. He will forward his findings to the House Judiciary Committee, which manages the impeachment process.
In these investigations, it has been difficult for Congress to gather accurate information about border crossings from the Department of Homeland Security. One example is the new app that was created for migrants seeking asylum.
It has allowed 1,400 individuals per day to schedule an appointment before appearing at a U.S. port of entry. In total, Cornyn states that 266,000 migrants from “around the world” have been released into our country through this app. However, whether these individuals are included in the total number of border crossings is unknown.
The Biden administration has also expanded programs allowing two-year work authorization for migrants from a select number of countries and for family members of “vulnerable children” to “enter or remain in the United States.” The exact number of individuals utilizing these programs, which Congress did not authorize, is also unknown.
Cornyn believes that the Biden administration is engaged in activities to “cook the books” and conceal the true extent of illegal immigration in our nation. Mayorkas is the individual most responsible for deceiving Americans about this crisis.
One result of the “open border” is the massive influx of fentanyl into our country. This has led to the deaths of “thousands of Americans each year.” In the view of Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO), these deaths are the “direct result” of the “dereliction” of Secretary Mayorkas. Buck said it is his “fault” when Americans “die of fentanyl poisoning.”
In response, Mayorkas asserts that his approach is “working” and 280 people were arrested for trying to smuggle fentanyl into the country last year.
Sadly, these arrests represent a fraction of the overall problem. Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) labeled Mayorkas's actions as “criminal.” At a congressional hearing, he declared that Mayorkas “must resign.” After Mayorkas refused, Van Drew demanded that he be “impeached.”
If ever a cabinet secretary deserved to be impeached it is Mayorkas. His “dereliction of duty” is leading to needless deaths in our country.
Another factor that makes this issue so critical is the enhanced threat from Hamas and other Islamic terror groups after the horrific attack in Israel. Our border must be completely secure. Otherwise, the lives of Americans are at risk.
Instead, Mayorkas continues to implement dangerous programs, refuses to secure the border, and shamelessly lies about its condition. Due to his appalling record, Mayorkas is our “Turkey of the Year” winner, surpassing other incompetent and dangerous radicals serving in this administration.
Despite his designation as the 2023 Ringside Politics “Turkey of the Year,” Mayorkas still enjoys Biden’s complete confidence. As always, Ringside Politics' “Turkeys” of a feather flock together.
Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian, and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America's Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com