House Republicans Criticize Mayorkas for Releasing Immigrants

House Republicans challenged Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during a hearing for releasing millions of illegal immigrants into the United States instead of detaining them while they await their immigration court hearings.

At a Tuesday appropriations hearing on Capitol Hill, GOP lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee questioned Mayorkas’ assertion that his department would prefer to detain more foreign nationals but lacks the necessary financial resources to do so.

Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., pointed out that there are thousands of available beds each day, averaging 9,000 in FY 2022 and 3,000 in FY 2023. He expressed confusion over the department’s claim of resources being overwhelmed, leading to the release of individuals into the country rather than detaining them.

Since February 2021, over 9 million migrants have been encountered at the southern border, with estimates suggesting that over 2 million have been released into the U.S. pending immigration hearings.

While federal law enforcement is required to detain illegal aliens through court proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Biden administration has been selective in its approach, releasing millions and using electronic monitoring for some individuals.

The Department of Homeland Security stated that no administration has been able to detain every individual who crosses illegally due to funding limitations set by Congress.

The House delivered two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the Senate on Tuesday, stemming from his handling of the border crisis. However, the Democrat-controlled Senate is expected to prevent a trial from taking place.