Top former immigration officials released a statement calling for U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to be fired for "failing to live up" to the oath he took to keep the country safe amid a historic illegal immigration surge at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mark Morgan, former Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Tom Homan, and former Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Ken Cuccinelli released the statement condemning Mayorkas' job performance.
"Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took an oath to defend and secure our country, but in less than four months on the job he has abjectly failed to live up to that commitment. Instead, he has presided over a reckless abandonment of enforcing America’s immigration laws and securing our borders. If President Biden has the best interests of the American people in mind, the path forward is clear: Return to the Rule of Law," the trio's statement said.
"Mayorkas has shown that he is the wrong person to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Rather than providing the support and tools his agencies need to execute their fundamental missions, he has created an unmitigated crisis where both immigration enforcement and border security are almost non-existent. Border apprehension numbers are at a historic high, while deportations are at an all-time low. In defiance of existing federal law, ICE agents have been ordered not to arrest known public safety threats, as well as ignore a federal judge's order to deport criminals, after receiving due process at great taxpayer expense. The number of migrant children in federal custody is through the roof. Criminal cartels and human traffickers are proliferating and profiting at unimaginable levels. Not only is this not securing the homeland, it’s a complete abandonment of the brave men and women we once had the privilege to lead.
"Enough is enough. The nation needs a Secretary of Homeland Security who will actually secure the homeland and fix – not facilitate – the border crisis. Someone who will enforce the law, not reward or ignore lawbreakers. We’re running out of time, Mr. President. The American people are watching."
Family units used a gap in the border wall system to find Border Patrol to turn themselves in. A gap on the other side of this section is about a ten minute walk from here.
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 18, 2021
I counted around 150 people who were apprehended over the course of the night in this one spot. pic.twitter.com/8WQPyJQLxY
When recently pressed about the immigration crisis during a White House press briefing, Mayorkas insisted the southwest border remains closed.
"We decided as an administration...to administer our immigration laws of this country in an orderly and safe and humane way that we will not expel unaccompanied children," he added.
DHS Sec. Mayorkas is asked about recent videos showing large groups of illegal immigrants continuing to cross into the U.S. despite saying the border is "closed": "The border is closed. We are expelling single adults and families under the Title 42 authority..." https://t.co/E9ZpSNtkWw pic.twitter.com/SIzn8LEuza
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 11, 2021
In April, CBP had 178,622 encounters with immigrants attempting to illegally cross into the United States from Mexico, up from 173,348 apprehensions in March. Under the Centers for Disease Control's Title 42 authority, 111,714 expulsions were made during the same time period.