Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas had harsh criticism for Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas during a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Roy was questioning Mayorkas on his handling of border security and asked if his past testimony was false.
Roy recalled an instance on April 28th, 2022 when he asked if the United States had operational control of the border. Mayorkas responded with “Yes we do.” Roy then referenced the definition of operational control from the Secure Fence Act which he said Mayorkas agreed with having “plain as day”. However, at other times Mayorkas has denied the U.S. had operational control at the border, sharply contradicting his original response.
The issue of border security has become an immense dilemma as over 1.78 million illegal immigrants have been encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border during the current fiscal year, and another 600,000 allegedly evaded CBP in the year prior. Roy then asked if Mayorkas had lied when he said at a press conference “We know that those images came painfully conjured up the worst elements of our nation’s ongoing battle against systemic racism” in response to an alleged incident concerning border agents.
It wasn’t until weeks later that he corrected his statement, claiming the investigation revealed nothing had happened. Don Rosenberg made the shocking announcement during the same meeting that Mayorkas had lied. Lying to Congress can lead to up to five years in federal prison if convicted.
Roy’s conclusion that Mayorkas routinely and voluntarily lies to the public puts into question his suitability as DHS Secretary. This was highlighted by the fact that Mayorkas even ignored questions from Daily Caller News Foundation investigative reporter Jennie Taer when discussing whether the border is open or not.
His contradictory statements and unwillingness to take responsibility for them have created an uncertain environment and a dangerously ineffective DHS. Mayorkas’ false statements call into question his competence and capabilities and therefore the suitability of his leadership of the department.
There is already an astounding amount of illegal immigration and with this poor leadership, that number stands to increases. This is why Chip Roy and countless other politicians are pushing for Mayorkas to step down from his role as Secretary of Homeland Security.
But Mayorkas is still in office so it’s just more talk.