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‘Cannot Control The Movement Of People’: Mayorkas Refuses To Say Whether Border Crisis Could Have Been Avoided

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Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas refused to say Friday whether the crisis on the border could have been prevented.

“We cannot control the movement of people before they reach our border,” Mayorkas told “Good Morning America” host George Stephanopoulos. “Our responsibility attaches once they are in our custody.” (RELATED: CNN Analyst Claims Massive Surge Of Illegal Immigration Under Biden Has Nothing To Do With Him)

Mayorkas predicted during testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee at an April 18 hearing that there would be a surge of migrants after Title 42 expired. The Trump-era border policy expired Thursday at 11:59 p.m.

Mayorkas has claimed that the border is not open on multiple occasions, including during a Wednesday press conference where he ignored questions from Daily Caller News Foundation investigative reporter Jennie Taer.

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Over 1.2 million illegal immigrants have been encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border during fiscal year 2023, according to data released by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), following 2,378,944 encounters in fiscal year 2022 and 1,734,686 in fiscal year 2021, while Fox News reported that 600,000 migrants evaded CBP in fiscal year 2022.

The Daily Caller News Foundation obtained documents detailing the Biden administration’s plans to allow illegal immigrants to be released on “parole with conditions” without any means to track them or giving them court dates. U.S. District Judge Kent Wetherell halted the Biden administration’s proposed “quick release” program Thursday, following a lawsuit by Republican officials in Florida.

Taer said during a Thursday appearance on Newsmax that word of mouth from migrants entering the United States was encouraging other illegal immigrants to come, despite Mayorkas’ statements to the public.

“Migrants are coming across, they’re getting released and they’re telling their families that are south of the border that that’s happening and that’s really the message, I think, that’s resonating with migrants,” Taer said.

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