FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rep. Green Lambasts Sec. Mayorkas’ DHS Budget for Undermining National Security
WASHINGTON—House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) delivered the following closing statement in a hearing with now-impeached Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Watch Chairman Green’s Closing Statement
Chairman Green’s Statement as prepared for delivery:
Secretary Mayorkas, thank you for coming before the Committee today. That being said, I have to be candid; your Fiscal Year 2025 budget request severely undermines our country’s ability to handle the national security threats our nation faces and limits the Department’s ability to fulfill its mission. This failure is a reflection of your willful dereliction of duty to uphold the oath you took to protect this nation.
Since your testimony failed to address the implications your budget request would have on the Department and its employees, let me spell it out for you. Underfunding Customs and Border Protection facilitates an increase in the flow of illegal migrants across our border. Yet we know that many of the dollars you do ask for will not be used to actually secure the border and end the crisis, but will be used to process and release illegal aliens in the country more rapidly. This will mean just more of the same.
During your tenure as Secretary, a record number of illegal aliens have crossed into the country, too many of whom have connections to transnational criminal organizations. The resulting increase in crime and drugs have wreaked havoc on our communities. Yet I’ve never once heard you take responsibility for the pain and suffering you’ve caused. Most recently, an illegal alien murdered a college student named Laken Riley. He was paroled by your department into the country, and left a trail of crime in his path. She is just one of the thousands of Americans that have been murdered or otherwise victimized by illegal migrants. The most gut-wrenching part of her murder is that it could have been prevented if you and your administration had chosen to enforce laws passed by Congress. But you did not, and now her blood is on your hands.
Mr. Secretary, the number of known gotaways that we are apprehending is at an all-time high. Since you’ve taken office, CBP has recorded at least 1.8 million known gotaways. I don’t even want to imagine how many more have entered undetected. In February of this year, CBP recorded over 256,000 encounters nationwide. Of that, almost 190,000 were at the Southwest border. It doesn’t stop there. Office of Field Operations (OFO) stated that their nationwide encounters had increased 542% in February compared to February of FY21. This is absolutely astounding and a testament to your willful negligence.
You claim that your budget will address the issues we face at our border. But, if we look at the numbers, the math doesn’t add up. For FY 25, DHS seeks to hire only 350 new Border Patrol agents. This number is not nearly enough. When you testified in the Senate and Senator Capito asked you how you will reach your hiring goals, you could not give a sizeable answer. The truth is, Mr. Secretary, morale at DHS is at an all-time low because of the working conditions, all a result of your policies.
Mr. Secretary, we have been committed to providing strong oversight for the Department, and most importantly, over your actions. We have investigated your policies and their failures and will continue to ensure that we do everything in our power to hold you accountable. Looking forward, we hope that we can work together on key issues, such as cyber security at our ports and the vulnerabilities present in our supply chain. The Committee is focused on strengthening our cyber workforce as it is essential to the protection of our homeland.
###
