(Washington, DC) — The nation’s Homeland Security Secretary is facing questions over the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. In a House committee hearing, Republicans pressed Alejandro Mayorkas over the record two-point-two-million migrant arrests at the border in fiscal year 2022. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Congress they continue to battle against Mexican cartels who ship people and drugs across the border. This comes as Customs and Border Protection is releasing apprehension numbers for October. They show a record 230-thousand migrant encounters in the first month of the fiscal year. This is the busiest October in the agency’s history. House Republicans said there’s a crisis at the border and the surge of migrant crossings and influx of dangerous drugs like fentanyl shows the Biden administration’s border policies are failing. Mayorkas defended DHS policies and said the agency has taken unprecedented action against smugglers and transnational criminal organizations. Mayorkas also denied speculation that he’s planning to resign in the coming months. Some Republicans have called for his resignation over the handling of the border. The hearing comes just days after the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Christopher Magnus resigned.
