House Republicans have made it clear that they seek nothing less than the resignation in disgrace of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, and if he refuses to do so, they have been equally clear about their willingness to try to impeach and remove him from office.
That was made brutally apparent during a House committee hearing this week when Mayorkas was either unable or unwilling to answer a direct question about how many American citizens have been attacked or killed by illegal migrants since he took office in 2021, Breitbart reported.
He was also unable or unwilling to answer the same question with respect to Customs and Border Protection agents, was called out for failing to even make mention of the Mexican criminal cartels that hold sway over the southern border in his budget request, and became condescending toward a congresswoman when asked when he planned to resign due to his incompetence and failures.
All of that happened on Wednesday during a House Appropriations Committee hearing about the Department of Homeland Security's FY2024 budget request while being questioned by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA).
At one point, Hinson asked Mayorkas, "Are you aware of the number of Americans who have been killed or attacked by illegal immigrants since you took office?" Mayorkas refused to answer that question and instead began to discuss the "approximately 1.4 million" illegal migrants who'd been expelled or removed by the Biden administration.
Undeterred, the Iowa congresswoman repeated her question and said, "It should be an absolute priority for you not only to know that number but to know the names of these victims." She then shifted gears slightly and asked, "Are you aware of the number of CBP agents who've been attacked or assaulted in the line of duty at the southern border since you took office?"
Mayorkas again attempted to dodge the question, but Hinson interjected, "Sir, the number is 1,100. 1,100 attacks on CBP agents at our southern border from 2021 to 2023."
I asked @SecMayorkas if he was aware of the number of Americans who have been killed or attacked by illegal immigrants since he took office.
He had no clue.
Shameful. pic.twitter.com/DL3giUqTBc
— Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) March 30, 2023
At another point in the proceedings, Rep. Hinson asked Sec. Mayorkas how many times the word "cartel" was mentioned in his 100+ page budget request, but he was unable to answer that question.
The congresswoman then informed him that "zero" was the number of times his budget request had mentioned the word "cartel," but did note that "transnational gangs" had earned a single mention in the massive document submitted to Congress. Notably, however, Mayorkas did agree with Hinson's assertion that the Mexican cartels were the driving force behind the chaos at the southern border.
I asked @SecMayorkas why his 100+ page Budget in Brief doesn’t mention the word “cartel” once.
🦗🦗🦗 pic.twitter.com/pacwNzla0o— Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) March 29, 2023
Finally, Rep. Hinson said to Sec. Mayorkas, "There have been thousands of known criminals that have crossed our southern border. There have been over 1,000 CBP agents assaulted. Children are being forced into trafficking, as many of my colleagues have said. There are migrants dying every week trying to cross our border. If you are aware of all of these failures and you've done nothing, what will it take for you to resign and step down from this job, because I see this as a complete failure? What will it take?"
.@SecMayorkas should resign. https://t.co/VP4DFlB5kX
— Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) March 29, 2023
For his part, Mayorkas adopted a condescending tone in reply as he told Hinson she was "mistaken" and "clearly do not understand the immigration system," but she countered by saying, "What I understand, Mr. Secretary, is that you are failing at doing your job" and later added that his failures proved that "we need new leadership" at DHS.
