GOP Reps Slam ‘Charade and Circus’ by Mayorkas

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 26: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas listens t
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Neil Munro

Multiple GOP representatives slammed the determined stonewalling and evasion by President Joe Biden’s border chief during a July 26 hearing.

Judiciary chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) repeatedly pressed Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s pro-migration border chief, to say how many recent migrant arrivals he has deported back to their home countries.

Mayorkas dodged and ducked, but Jordan persisted:

Jordan: Mr. Secretary, is the number greater than zero? Can you tell us that? The number of people who have been encountered on the border — over the two million number… — put in removal proceedings, adjudicated, and then removed [to their homeland countries]. Is that number greater than zero?

Mayorkas: Yes.

Jordan: Is it greater than 100?

Mayorkas: Yes.

Jordan: Greater than 1,000?

Mayorkas: Congressman, Mr. Chairman, forgive me. Mr. Chairman. As I have stated before, the data you wish to have we will provide to you as promptly as possible. What I don’t want to do is misspeak when it comes to data.

Jordan: I can appreciate that. But we have a history where we’ve asked questions before in a hearing. You told us the same [promises but] you don’t get it back to us. So we’re trying to get as much as we can on the record in a public hearing. And you’ve now told me it’s greater than 100, but you don’t know if it’s greater than 1000, out of the  two million [plus] who’ve come to the country, been encountered, and put in removal proceedings …

Mayorkas: Of course, it is more than a thousand.

We have a video request of this Spartz exchange, filed at 12.48

The most vehement response came from Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), who was a legal immigrant from Ukraine:

Spartz: How would you rate your job as the head of your agency?

Mayorkas: It is the honor of my life …

Spartz: From zero to 10? So you cannot grade it? How would you grade your preparedness for this committee meeting on a scale from zero to 10? We ask for information, you [make] all these promises [to deliver it]. I’m wasting my time. I’m sorry, I don’t want to use a bad word … because we keep giving money and you tell us BS back. So how would you rate yourself, your preparedness for this committee?

Mayorkas: It is the honor of a lifetime to work with …

Spartz: … scale zero to 10. How would you say how prepared you came to this hearing?
Mayorkas: I will repeat what I said …
Spartz: You’re not answering any questions. You are not answering any Republican questions. Is that your intent, to not respond to any questions from Republicans? Did you come with that intent?
Mayorkas: That is incorrect, congresswoman.
Spartz:  You’re not answering any questions! Every time, I hear you say, “We will, we will, we shall [send data], yeah, I don’t know” You don’t know any numbers? You don’t even know how many people you actually… prosecuted, how many people you deport? … How can you say you know?
Mayorkas: Congresswoman, let me share with you why …
Spartz: You haven’t shared anything useful.

Mayorkas: Let me share with you…

Spartz: I’m sorry. I tell you I’ll yield to Chairman Jordan because I’m not going to be wasting our time with this charade and circus. You do not have an intent to [provide information]. And it is a serious national security issue this border — and the cartels are stronger. A lot of money… the problem is a lot of corruption over there. And we have a national security crisis, and you sit in here and saying, you know, looking at us was a very smiley face.  It’s unacceptable, but I yield [my question time] to Chairman Jordan.

In contrast, Democrats blocked and tackled the GOP legislators as they tried to extract information from Mayorkas.

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