Twenty congressional members seek answers from Mayorkas on border crisis

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, has led a coalition of 20 congressional members who sent a letter of inquiry to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas seeking answers to questions related to directives he’s issued to release into the general public illegal immigrants without following laws established by Congress.

The letter comes after Roy called for Mayorkas' impeachment and U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, filed two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas claiming failure to perform his duties, endangering Americans and creating a public health crisis.

“The southern border is in crisis despite the Biden Administration’s refusal to call it what it is,” the letter states. “Due to the unprecedented nature of this crisis, it is dangerously irresponsible for your Department to not be as transparent as possible with the American people, the states of this union, and the localities facing the frontline effects of this crisis.”

The letter lists 13 questions and directs Mayorkas to respond to them by Sept. 6. If he does not, the members of Congress “intend to introduce a resolution of inquiry under clause 7 of House Rule XIII that will require your Department to respond.” The resolution is a procedural move that allows for the minority party in the House to force a vote on the floor on the matter.

The members of Congress have asked Mayorkas to provide documents and correspondence related to an executive order issued by President Joe Biden that reversed Customs and Border Protection operations at the southern border. It asks for data related to all people who have entered the border illegally since Jan. 20, including their gender, status as a single adult, status as a family unit – with or without a child six years old or younger – and all data related to unaccompanied migrant children.

The letter also asks for data pertaining to all people who unlawfully entered the U.S. who were subject to expulsion under Title 42, including information about their gender, status as a single adult, family unit and all data related to unaccompanied children.

They’ve also asked for data related to the number of agents who since January 20th were reassigned from a Border Patrol sector located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, or Texas to a shelter facility, and the number of people who unlawfully entered the U.S. since Jan. 20 who tested positive for the coronavirus while in custody. They’ve also asked for data related those who were released from custody while infected with the coronavirus and those who received COVID-19 shots.

The members of congress also wanted to know how many people unlawfully entered the U.S. since January 20th who were apprehended by Border Patrol, were released after apprehension and where their listed destinations were by state and city, and how many of them received notices to appear for a hearing with an immigration judge, and how many appeared or didn’t appear.