Rep. Veronica Escobar (D) came to the defense of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as he has been heavily criticized for his role in making the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border worse during his tenure.
Escobar represents El Paso, Texas, which has become the latest hotspot for illegal crossings, causing severe strain on city resources and homelessness for illegal immigrants.
"Secretary Mayorkas has been doing absolutely everything he possibly can. He’s been really a key leader on this, on helping communities like El Paso. But, you know, again, legislation, it’s going to take a multifaceted approach," Escobar said.
"The Biden Administration, I think, needs to really also mobilize the State Department in the same way that the — the Department of Homeland Security has been mobilized. This is a Western hemispheric refugee crisis of historic proportions. There needs to be far more diplomacy and State Department involvement in addressing what is not going to get better anytime soon," she added.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) promised the Republican-majority House in the new Congress will investigate Mayorkas for his role in the border crisis. McCarthy said they will follow through on a vote to impeach Mayorkas based on the findings of their investigation.
Border Patrol has encountered over 150,000 illegal immigrants in the El Paso Sector this fiscal year, which started in October. There was a spike earlier this month ahead of when Title 42 was supposed to have been lifted, before the U.S. Supreme Court said it will stay in place for now.