Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met behind closed doors with Republican members of the House Border Security Caucus Tuesday, a source familiar with the discussion, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The source told the DCNF that Mayorkas was hiding behind Title 42 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authority as he told the lawmakers that he didn’t have the authority to reimpose the order.
Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs revealed Monday that the meeting would take place during a briefing led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, where Border Patrol union representatives explained to members of the House Republican Conference what to expect after Title 42 ends on May 23.
Title 42, a Trump-era order, was put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and has resulted in the expulsion of over 1.7 million migrants, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics.
Biggs asked National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd what questions the caucus should ask Mayorkas.
The union leader responded that it’s crucial that Mayorkas explain how many migrants are being released under the expulsion order that will remain in place, which is known as Title 8. (RELATED: As Migrant Flood Approaches, White House’s Border Security Promises Ring Hollow)
“The main thing that you must … get an answer to is how many people are being released after they’re processed for Title 8,” Judd said. “That’s the thing that is going to open the eyes of the American public more than anything. It’s one thing for me to tell you that it’s happening, it’s another thing for the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to actually be honest with the American public and tell them exactly how many people were in the United States. You must get an answer to that.”
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Biggs’ office declined to comment and DHS didn’t respond to the DCNF’s request.
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