Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas claimed “the border is secure” in remarks delivered Wednesday.
Mayorkas made the comments at the Aspen Security Forum. The event attracted diplomats from the U.S. and other nations, business luminaries and military officials to discuss foreign policy and security challenges, according to its website.
After Mayorkas discussed myriad national security issues with the host, the interview pivoted to the situation at the southern border. “The border is secure,” Mayorkas said. “We are making the border more secure. That has been a historic challenge,” he continued.
Mayorkas also took a swipe at Republican lawmakers who have insisted the Biden administration take steps to mitigate the border crisis before they agree to any related legislation. “I take issue with the math of holding the solution hostage until the problem is resolved,” Mayorkas said, apparently referencing GOP lawmakers who refuse to advance any legislation with amnesty provisions for illegal immigrants already in the U.S. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: There Are So Many Illegals Pouring Over The Border The Biden Admin Is Begging Journalists To Help Process Them)
BORDER REPORT: The first group of migrants I encountered last week in Yuma, AZ were from China, Peru, Georgia, Venezuela, Cuba, and India
Only a few dozen migrants out of the ~1,500 crossing each day into the Yuma border sector are being returned under Title 42 pic.twitter.com/iqdwAX0QKH
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) May 31, 2022
As of April 2022, the Biden administration released 1.5 million immigrants into the U.S., according to the Washington Examiner.
There have been more than 900,000 recorded crossings over the last four months, according to official Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data. That figure is potentially just a fraction of the total number of crossings, many of which go undetected or uncontested by CBP personnel, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. April and May of 2022 shattered DHS migrant encounter records. (RELATED: Alleged Cartel Drug Smugglers Set Free Thanks To New York’s Lax Bail Laws)
Dozens of suspected terrorists have been flagged attempting to enter the country via Mexico since October 2021, according to the Washington Times. Drugs like fentanyl are crossing the border with ease, the New York Post reported. Additionally, the cartels running human trafficking operations on the other side of the border have reportedly committed sexual violence against helpless female immigrants, according to the New York Times.
At least 650 immigrants died while making the trek to the U.S. in 2021, according to a CNN report. In June, 53 illegal immigrants died in sweltering San Antonio heat in the back of a truck trailer.