Ted Cruz slams Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas: 'Your behavior is disgraceful'

What the senator said was revolting. I'm not going to address it," Mayorkas said.

Published: March 29, 2023 12:30pm

Updated: March 29, 2023 12:42pm

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) slammed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, going as far as telling the Biden border official, "If you had integrity, you would resign" over the migrant crisis.

"Your behavior is disgraceful. And the deaths, the children assaulted, the children raped, they are at your feet. And if you had integrity, you would resign," Cruz told Mayorkas during a Senate Judiciary hearing on the border Tuesday.

Mayorkas also admitted during the hearing that he did not know how many migrants died last year trying to cross the southern border into the United States. 

"Of course you don't! I know how many died, 853!" Cruz responded. "You go back to 1998, you see it's consistently between 300 to 400. ... Suddenly 2021. What happens? You get in office!”

Mayorkas refused to respond to Cruz later in the hearing.

"What the senator said was revolting. I'm not going to address it," he said.

"Your refusal to do your job is revolting!" Cruz responded.

The hearing comes after Customs and Border Protection had a record number of illegal migrant encounters last fiscal year.

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