Border Security Issues Gain Congressional Attention as Migrant Encounters Rise
Border security is among the issues in the spotlight on Capitol Hill, as migrant encounters surge on the southern border.
Reports say that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had more than 300,000 encounters with migrants attempting to enter the U.S. illegally in December, the highest ever recorded in a single month.
The rise is illegal border encounters is putting more pressure on lawmakers to act on border security. A small, bipartisan group of senators has been negotiating legislation with the White House that would do just that, in exchange for unlocking aid to Ukraine.
The lead Republican negotiator in the Senate, Senator James Lankford (R-OK), said that the group made substantial progress over Christmas break, but added that a bill is not likely before next week.
“Congress has to pass something, and after decades of doing nothing on this, we’ve got to pass something to make this better,” said Senator Lankford.
Border Security Sticking Points
Reports say lawmakers reached agreements on tightening asylum interviews, expanding expedited deportations, and creating an authority to expel migrants without humanitarian screenings when border agents are overwhelmed.
But sticking points remain on changing rules to make it easier to deport people living in the U.S. without a day in court, as well as setting a limit on how many asylum seekers can be processed in a day or year.
In addition, parole, which allows federal officials to cite humanitarian grounds to authorize the entry of foreigners who otherwise do not have permission to be in the U.S, is another major sticking point.
The Biden Administration has used parole to resettle thousands of migrants, but Republicans call it an overreach and want to limit that power.
According to CBS, the administration may be willing to accept some restrictions on parole in a concession to Republicans in order to get a deal done.
Republicans Eye Secretary Mayorkas Impeachment
As negotiations on border policy continue, House Republicans moved ahead with efforts to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the border. The House Homeland Security held its first hearing on whether or not to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.
"Secretary Mayorkas has brazenly refused to enforce the laws passed by Congress that knowingly made our country less safe. What we are seeing here is a willful violation of his oath of office by Secretary Mayorkas," said House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Greene (R-TN) at the start of the hearing.
While not articulating what formal charges may be brought, Republicans maintained that Secretary Mayorkas has been derelict in his duty to secure the border.
Democrats denounced the impeachment inquiry as a political process.
"This is not a legitimate impeachment. Republicans want to throw political red meat to their base and keep that campaign cash coming.," said House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-MS).
The hearing featured testimony from the Attorneys General of Montana, Missouri, and Oklahoma (all Republicans) about how the migrant crisis is impacting their states.
Meanwhile, Secretary Mayorkas recently visited the border in Eagle Pass, Texas.
“Some have accused DHS of not enforcing our nation’s laws. This could not be further from the truth,” said Secretary Mayorkas.
A DHS spokesperson said Congress needs to act on fixing an “outdated immigration system” rather than focus on impeachment.