After defending budget cuts, Mayorkas seeks emergency funding for border control

Six months ago, President Joe Biden asked for cuts in federal spending for border control, which had lawmakers asking questions about why the president was reducing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) budget when the border was out of control.

Now, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is complaining that his department doesn’t have enough resources to do the job, according to The Washington Times.

Mayorkas told the House Homeland Security Committee last week that his department was “under-resourced” and needed $14 billion in emergency funding to address the situation at the border.

“Those funds are needed for personnel, technology, facilities and additional support resources critically needed to advance our mission,” Mayorkas said.

For the last three years, Mayorkas has defended cuts to ICE’s budget, the Times reports, and he sought to revoke border wall funding, cut detention space and shift department procedures to catch-and-release measures.