Washinton D.C. – In a tense session of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) confronted U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, seeking answers regarding the ongoing challenges at the southern border. The hearing, designed to review the Biden Administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 emergency supplemental funding request for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), took a contentious turn as Senator Britt questioned Secretary Mayorkas on the classification of the situation at the border.
Senator Britt opened her inquiry by directly asking if Secretary Mayorkas considered the current scenario a “crisis” or an “emergency.” Despite the hearing’s focus on emergency funding, Mayorkas avoided both terms, continuing a pattern of reluctance to characterize the situation as a crisis, even as the Administration broke records with eight million illegal border crossings since President Biden assumed office.
The discussion further delved into the Biden Administration’s policies, priorities, and its stance on a border wall. Senator Britt pressed Mayorkas on the necessity of a border wall, highlighting the contradiction between his current dismissal of its relevance and the recent waiver of 26 federal laws to allow for border wall construction in Texas.
Additionally, Senator Britt drew attention to the significant backlog in interior enforcement under the Biden Administration, pointing out a 75% increase in the non-detained docket. Despite the growing challenges, Mayorkas defended the Administration’s approach, emphasizing the need for additional resources and personnel.
The exchange included a critical moment when Senator Britt noted the contradiction between Mayorkas’s rejection of a border wall and a previous determination signed in October 2023 that acknowledged the effectiveness of physical barriers in preventing unlawful entries.
The hearing concluded with Senator Britt expressing concern about the lack of serious funding and resources allocated for Interior Enforcement Operations (ICE officers) to manage the increasing caseload. She emphasized the need for a more robust response to the pressing challenges at the border.
The video of the exchange reflects the ongoing debate surrounding the characterization of the situation at the southern border and the effectiveness of the Biden Administration’s border and immigration policies.
