Opinion by Terence P. Jeffrey
There seems to be at least one impenetrable barrier connected to this country’s southwest border. It is the one that stands between Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and an accurate assessment of what is actually happening there.
In September 2020, the last month of that fiscal year, the Border Patrol encountered 54,771 aliens trying to illegally enter the United States across the southwest border. That brought the fiscal year 2020 total to 400,651, according to the numbers published by the Border Patrol.
In September 2021, the Border Patrol encountered 185,515 aliens trying to illegally cross the southwest border — bringing the fiscal 2021 total to 1,659,206.
That was more than four times the total for fiscal 2020.
One of the major events of fiscal 2021 took place on Jan. 20, 2021 — when Joe Biden succeeded Donald Trump as president.
On Sept. 21, 2021, Mayorkas testified in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security. In that hearing, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin asked Mayorkas a yes-no question.
“You have repeatedly stated that our borders are not open, they are closed,” Johnson said. “Do you honestly believe that our borders are closed?”
“Senator, I do, and let me speak to that,” said Mayorkas.
Rather than let Mayorkas keep speaking, Johnson took a moment to contrast the situation at the border under Trump to the situation under Biden.
“We were serious about border security until your administration took office,” Johnson said. “You stood before this committee and said that you would enforce the laws. You have not done that.”
So, what happened to the flow of illegal immigrants that the Border Patrol encountered trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in the months after Mayorkas testified in September 2021 that the border was closed?
In fiscal year 2022, the number of illegal immigrants encountered by the Border Patrol at the southwest border climbed to 2,206,436 — more than five times the 400,651 encountered in 2020.
On Nov.5, 2022, six weeks after fiscal 2022 ended, Mayorkas testified in the House Committee on Homeland Security. Republican Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina asked him: “Secretary Mayorkas, do you continue to maintain that the border is secure?”
“Yes,” said Mayorkas. “We are working day in and day out to enhance its security, Congressman.”
This apparently meant that “yes,” the border was already secure, but the Biden administration was working to make it even more secure.
What happened at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal 2023? The Border Patrol encountered another 2,045,838 trying to illegally cross it. That, again, was more than five times the 400,651 encountered in fiscal 2020 — before Biden took office.
In the first four months of this fiscal year — October through January — the Border Patrol has encountered 753,824 aliens trying to illegally cross the southwest border. If that rate persists, the Border Patrol will once again encounter more than 2 million illegal border crossers in fiscal 2024.
On July 26, 2023, Mayorkas testified in the House Judiciary Committee. “I am immensely proud to be here to discuss the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security,” he told the committee in his written statement. Then, under questioning from Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Mayorkas declared: “Congressman, we are very proud of our efforts to secure the border.”
While Mayorkas claims to be proud of the efforts his department has made to secure the southern border, those efforts — according to the data published by his own department — have inspired a five-fold increase in the number of people the Border Patrol encounters trying to illegally cross that border.
On Feb. 13, the House of Representatives moved by a one-vote margin (214-213) to approve two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.
The second article said in part: “Alejandro N. Mayorkas knowingly made false statements to Congress that the border is ‘secure,’ that the border is ‘no less secure than it was previously,’ that the border is ‘closed,’ and that DHS has ‘operational control’ of the border (as that term is defined in the Secure Fence Act of 2006).”
President Biden himself, it turns out, did not agree with his Homeland Security secretary’s assessment that the border was secure.
On Jan. 19, Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich asked Biden: “What do you say to House Republicans who are trying to impeach Mayorkas, sir?”
“I don’t get it,” said Biden.
Heinrich then asked: “Do you think it is unconstitutional? … And do you not think that the border is secure, sir?”
“No, it is not,” Biden responded. “I haven’t believed it for the last ten years. And I’ve said it for the last ten years. Give me the money.”
Perhaps Biden should have hired a Homeland Security secretary who agreed with his assessment that the border is not secure.
Terence P. Jeffrey is the investigative editor of the Daily Caller News Foundation. To find out more about Terence P. Jeffrey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
And of course, by foolish trolls who try unsuccessfully to reinvent reality with fantasies like this.
I saw today on Twitchy.com that Elon Musk claims 320,000 illegals have been quietly flown to US cities around the country. I suspect this is true as Elon is not usually subject to hyperbole. If true, this is part of the reconquista or re-conquering of the formerly Spanish territories by today’s Latin Americans. And our current pResident is complicit. We are being invaded and our government is facilitating the invasion. I’m old and I probably won’t be around for the final fall of our once great nation. But my grandkids are in for an exceedingly tough time, and that causes… Read more »
And the MORON n’ Chief is flying in 30,000+ illegals to bypass the border. Can you say LAWLESS!
Biden campaigned on not deporting any but felons. He stopped deportations on 1.5 million illegals with final deportation orders, who had lost their asylum cases, lost appeals and were ordered to self deport or surrender to be deported. He had Dhs release all 10 million illegals they encountered. He imported 360,000 illegals using tax dollars, showered all the illegals with benefits, and gave them 2year work permits, in violation of the law which requires all illegals caught by Dhs to be deported and denies work permits for asylum seekers until they are approved! He committed numerous crimes that cannot be… Read more »
Actually you are one of the buffoons for propagating this line of crap. Here is but one tidbit that should have sparked a red flag from the start. It allowed a halt to all entries if there were over 5,000 apprehensions of illegal aliens from contiguous countries. So effectively it legalized 5,000 entries per day but the real kicker is the word contiguous as I can guarantee you there are not 5,000 Mexicans and Canadians jumping the fence daily, so yes the bill was a piece of shit and since you bought into the bullshit you are the buffoon.
0musIim pIanned aII of this.
Get out!
Texas Dept of Conservation just needs to implement a Non-indigenous Species hunting season, raising money via license fees and property hunting leases……