In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, 20 House Republicans demanded information related to the massive migrant influx along the nation’s southern border.
The legislators noted that if they do not receive the response to their various inquiries by Sept. 6, they will take action to require the department to respond.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported a whopping 188,829 southwest land border encounters for the month of June. A court filing last week noted that according to preliminary data, CBP probably encountered around 210,000 people in July.
“These numbers are appalling and are a direct result of the Biden Administration’s weak border policies and your lackluster performance as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. DHS’s mission is ‘with honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.’ Frankly, you are not fulfilling that mission,” the letter stated.
The lawmakers sought various pieces of information, including a tally of migrants who illegally entered the country and got taken into CBP custody since Jan. 20, the amount of federal funds obligated or spent in connection with caring for migrants who illegally entered the U.S. since that date, and more.
Jan. 20 is the date that President Biden was inaugurated as the 46th U.S. president.
The lawmakers asked about the amount of migrants who illegally entered America since that date “who were apprehended by CBP and have a connection to a Mexican drug cartel,” and they sought other information as well.
The letter declared, “We request that you respond to the below questions by September 6, 2021. If no response is received, we intend to introduce a resolution of inquiry under clause 7 of House Rule XIII that will require your Department to respond. The American people and migrants seeking to come here deserve better than the chaos of a wide-open border. Without such a foundational mechanism as enforcement of the rule of law, you cannot begin to uphold the words of DHS’s mission.”