Sen. Josh Hawley announced that he will be stalling a confirmation vote on President-elect Joe Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary nominee Alejandro Mayorkas over issues regarding his stance on the border wall and other immigration policies. The decision of honoring a hold request and for how long in Congress rests with Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Mayorkas was the former U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services director and also played a key role in processing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He was also caught in a Homeland Security report indicating that he helped foreign investors who were linked to top Democrats in the EB-5 visa program. He had granted unexamined benefits that were not aligned with existing EB-5 regulations and policies.
“Mr. Mayorkas has not adequately explained how he will enforce federal law and secure the southern border given President-elect Biden’s promise to roll back major enforcement and security measures. Just today, he declined to say he would enforce the laws Congress has already passed to secure the border wall system. Given this, I cannot consent to skip the standard vetting process and fast-track this nomination when so many questions remain unanswered,” Sen. Hawley explained.
Some liberal activists and lawmakers, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have called for the defunding of the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the hopes of “justice and equality.” Mayorkas has openly rejected the radical left idea of defunding ICE, an agency that plays a prominent role in deportations, but has talked about dismantling parts of the border wall. President-elect Biden has also promised that he wouldn’t build “another foot” of the wall to be built during his administration.
While some agreed that a number of undocumented immigrants have been treated unfairly during the process, the Democrat party has not provided any alternative to ICE or dismantling the border wall that would protect our borders and prevent an untold number of immigrants to flood in and stretch our resources.
Last month Congress approved an additional $1.4 billion on wall funds. Mayorkas admitted that it might not be so simple to stop building the wall, but he would have to understand the law to see what it permits with respect to the obligation of funds.
Mayorkas also talked about the thousands of Central Americans headed to the U.S after promises of ending Trump’s “Remain In Mexico” policy, which requires them to await an asylum decision in Mexico. He warned that ending the policy doesn’t indicate that asylum seekers will be allowed into the U.S right away. He said that the policy change “cannot be accomplished with just a flick of a switch.”
Promising solutions without a plan is just what the Democrat Party does best.
