What we're seeing at the US is is
is ebbs and flows. And how many migrants arrive at
the border.
It's something that happens every year.
It ebbs and flows. This is a tsunami that's happening
at the southern border.
This is very purposeful. The greatest
domestic threat to the national security and the safety of
the American people is Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
He has broken his oath to defend this country.
Lastly, the Republicans at the border yesterday were six days
away from a scheduled Republican LED impeachment hearing into Homeland
Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over allegations he has been derelict
in his duty of managing the US Mexico border.
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joins me live now.
Mr. Secretary, welcome back to Special Report.
Thank you very much for having me,
Brett.
I want to deal with some numbers off the top
very quickly and get to the substance of some of
these charges and what you're talking about on the border.
Obviously, President Biden has just completed his third year in
office.
How many illegal immigrants has DHS released into the country
from the border in that time?
Brad, let me
correct
a a misunderstanding. When we
when somebody enters the country,
we place them in immigration enforcement proceedings
pursuant to the immigration law.
And if their claim for relief,
their claim to remain in the United States succeeds,
then by law they are able to stay here and
if it doesn't succeed,
we remove them.
It should have a number.
I mean you don't know let's say big,
big pick. Let's just ballpark it is it more than
500,000, more than 1,000,000 two million
bread. It's it's more than it's well more than a
million
per year. And it is precisely why
we have said since day one of this administration that
the immigration system that is so fundamentally broken needs to
be fixed,
right? But let's say last month you had a new
record set,
300,000 encounters by CBP. How many of those were released
from detentions into the country?
Brett, we are limited in our detention capacity
by the funding that Congress provides to us.
We have returned and removed a a
historic number of individuals. The numbers that we experienced in
December is precisely why I traveled down to Mexico
to speak with the President of Mexico,
to encourage them that they enforce their southern border,
that they enforce their laws along the migratory path so
that we reduce the number of individuals whom we encounter
on our southern border.
This is a regional challenge that requires regional solutions.
It's precisely why I traveled down to Mexico last week.
Would it be surprise you to hear the CBP sources
say that currently they are releasing more than
70% of the migrants crossing every day,
and sometimes more than that number,
higher than 70%. Would that surprise you?
It would not. It would not surprise me at all.
I know the data and I will tell you that
when individuals are released,
they are released into immigration enforcement proceedings,
they are on alternatives to detention and we have returned
or removed a record number of individuals we are enforcing.
You say that, you say that,
but you know there's 2.5 million in fiscal year 23
who illegally crossed the border.
Of those,
142,000 individuals were removed 2.5 million in fiscal year
2023. And of the removals,
the deportations
142,000. How is that historic and how is that
a good number in your eyes?
Brett? Brett, since since the end of Title 42,
we have returned or removed more than
470,000 individuals
and in fact we are enforcing the laws that Congress
has passed.
The one issue about which there is unanimous agreement in
the area of immigration is that our system is broken
and in need of legislative reform.
That is the one thing.
You say that, but what's one thing agrees what you're
asking for?
What's one thing you're asking for that would increase your
ability to deport illegal immigrants?
Brett, we have the president has submitted A supplemental funding
request to Congress for more Border Patrol agents,
for more technology, for more immigration judges,
for more detention capacity. We are seeking to enforce the
laws that Congress has passed until they fix those broken
laws that haven't been reformed in more than 30 years,
right. But you don't think that what has happened at
the border is a direct result of Biden administration policy.
Here is President Biden, Candidate Biden then President Biden
about talking about this.
I would in fact make sure that there is we
immediately surge to the border.
All those people are seeking asylum.
If you want to flee and you're fleeing oppression,
you should come. The idea that Joe Biden said come
because I I heard the other day that they're they're
coming because they know I'm a nice guy and I
won't do this. Yeah, well,
here's the deal. They're not.
I love you, Joe Biden.
Thank you for everything, Joe Biden.
I'm a good person. I want to be good person
here in the United States.
I came here because I want quality life.
So when you see migrants coming across the border on
Monday
and then there are images of them in Chicago,
LA, New York on Thursday,
you don't think that that transportation and release into the
country is a magnet.
That the catch and release
policy is a magnet.
Oh, I will tell you
what I think is a magnet,
Brett, and it's a function of our broken system.
And this I have experienced
in my government service well before
2009 when I first joined the Department of Homeland Security.
What is a magnet is the fact that the time
in between an encounter of an individual at the border
and their final ruling in their immigration case can sometimes
take six or more years.
That is a magnet. Which is why,
precisely I am working with Republicans and Democrats in the
United States Senate to deliver a solution for the American
people,
to deliver a fix to a immigration system that everyone
agrees is broken and that is long overdue.
It is really desperately needed.
But you have court dates now,
Mr. Secretary going as far out as
2031. You're talking about that.
But when you say that Republicans won't accept the extra
funding,
they have a problem with the funds being used to
release and transport illegal immigrants around the country.
So Congress is listening right now.
Would you accept the extra funding on the condition that
the funds could only be used for detention and renew
removal,
but not release into the country?
Brett The funds are needed
to provide the Department of Homeland Security with more Border
Patrol agents.
The funds are needed to provide the Department of Homeland
Security with more technology.
The funds are needed to provide our department with more
detention space to provide the Department of Justice with more
immigration judges so justice can be administered more swiftly.
So we don't have a six year lapse between the
time of encounter and a final ruling.
Brett. In my more than 20 years of government service,
I grew up in the criminal justice system as a
federal prosecutor.
We had a provisions that provided for a speedy trial,
a trial within 70 days unless a defendant didn't want
it.
And then the prosecutor could push for a very quick
trial thereafter because justice delayed is justice denied.
And that speaks to the prosecutor as well as the
defendant.
You don't take as an administration
or I don't mean to interrupt,
I apologize. But you don't take as an administration or
as the head of this department
any blame for what we're seeing on the border currently.
You don't think those numbers are extraordinary and that it's
like the White House says,
just the ebb and flow.
These numbers are historic. There's 8
Rose Bowls full of illegal immigrants that came across the
border just since October 1st.
Mr. Secretary
Brett The numbers are historic.
The numbers are extraordinarily large.
This is something that is not specific to the United
States's southern border. This is something that we are seeing
throughout the hemisphere and throughout the world.
We have an increase in authoritarian regimes.
We have more extreme weather events that are driving people
from their homes.
We have poverty and America is proving to be prosperous
with more than 8 million jobs that need to be
filled.
We recovered from the COVID pandemic more rapidly than any
other country.
This is something that is not specific to the southern
border.
Yes, Brett, if you were impeached,
would you step down? You'd be the first cabinet member
to be impeached by the House in
148 years.
Brett, I lead 260 incredibly dedicated and talented men and
women of the Department of Homeland Security.
I will continue to lead them in advancing the mission
of protecting the American people.
That's what we do in the area of immigration,
in the area of cybersecurity,
in our fight against human trafficking,
in saving communities devastated by extreme weather events.
We do so much for the American people,
and I'm incredibly proud to do it.
Last thing. Shortly after taking office,
President Biden tapped Vice President Harris to address the root
causes of migration.
How specifically has the Vice President helped in your efforts
to keep the border safe?
The Vice President has raised more than $3 billion of
investments
in some of the countries of origin,
specifically those in Central America.
That is a long term solution that we remain dedicated
to,
but in the meantime, we are enforcing vigorously our country's
immigration laws and working to fix them in a fundamentally
broken system.
But you do think it's a crisis now,
Brett. It is a challenge
that we have been addressing vigorously with all of the
tools and resources that we have been provided.
We are asking for more tools and resources,
and we are asking Congress to fix a fundamentally broken
system.
Our our dedication to this effort is tireless and unrelenting.
Mr. Secretary, we appreciate your time.
Thank you, Sir.
Thank you for having me.