NEWS FROM THE FRONT: Border Arrests in 2021 Greater Than 10 states' Populations, But Mayorkas Says it is 'secure'; Says It's ‘no less secure’ Than It Was Under Trump

Joel Angel Juarez for NY Post

After 1.5 million arrests, Mayorkas says border is ‘secure’:

Border officials have apprehended more than 1.5 million illegal immigrants at the southern border through the 2021 fiscal year — more than the population of at least 10 states, a congressman noted Wednesday in a hearing over the spiraling crisis.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas continued to defend the administration’s handling of the influx of migrants on Wednesday during a virtual hearing with the Homeland Security Committee focused on “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland: 20 Years After 9/11,” despite the number of apprehensions steadily growing almost every month since October 2020.

During the hearing, Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) pointed to apprehension data from US Customs and Border Protection that showed the steady increase and compared the numbers to several states’ total populations.

“That number is greater than the population of Montana, greater than the population of Rhode Island, greater than population of Delaware, population in both North and South Dakota, greater than the population of Alaska, though not a state population, the District of Columbia is better than the population of Vermont, it is greater than the population of Wyoming,” he said. --->READ MORE HERE

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Alejandro Mayorkas: Border ‘no less secure’ than it was under Trump:

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted Wednesday that the border has not deteriorated under President Biden, and shot down claims by the former Border Patrol chief who said things are worse than he’s seen in nearly 30 years of service.

“It is no less secure than it was previously,” Mr. Mayorkas told the House Homeland Security Committee.

He was challenged by the words of Rodney Scott, who served as Border Patrol chief at the end of the Trump era and into the Biden era, but who was ushered into retirement by the new administration.

“Contrary to the current rhetoric, this is not simply another illegal immigration surge. This is a national security threat,” Mr. Scott wrote in a letter to Congress.

In particular, he said, known or suspected terrorists are pouring across the international boundary at a rate never seen before. He urged lawmakers to demand the actual numbers from Mr. Mayorkas. --->READ MORE HERE

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