Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested on Thursday that Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, resign from office if he is unable to make “immediate and drastic” change to immigration policies to stop a historic surge of immigrants at the southern border.
“It is time for DHS Secretary Mayorkas to change course or change jobs,” Graham, a Republican, said in a statement.
“It is clear to me the Biden Administration has lost control of the border. Under its current leadership, it doesn’t have either the will or capability to fix the problem,” said Graham.
“The solutions are obvious but will require an understanding that the Biden Administration’s early policy choices — to abandon Trump’s successful border policies — was a mistake,” Graham said.
Mayorkas refused during congressional testimony Wednesday to refer to the border surge as a “crisis.” Mayorkas also denied that the Biden administration’s policies have caused the sudden spike in border apprehensions. (RELATED: ‘Oh It’s A Crisis’: Joe Manchin Calls On Biden Administration To Address Border Surge)
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House on March 1, 2021 in Washington, DC. Mayorkas discussed the Biden administration’s plans for overhauling immigration policy. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Mayorkas defended the administration’s policies even as he acknowledged earlier this week that apprehensions are on track to reach 20-year highs.
On Tuesday, Mayorkas said that the Biden administration is “on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years.”
President Joe Biden has rolled back some of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, while pausing construction of a wall on the southern border. Biden also issued an order pausing deportations of illegal immigrants for 100 days.
Graham predicted that the border problem is “only going to get worse.”
“Unless there is immediate and drastic change, the worst is yet to come — by far.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Graham’s remarks.
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