Republican Representative Michael Cloud of Texas challenged Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas during a Wednesday hearing, leaving Mayorkas stumbling over his response when asked about the powers Congress had potentially stripped from him to enforce border security.
The exchange took place during a session of the House Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security Subcommittee titled “Budget Hearing – Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Department of Homeland Security.” Cloud pressed Mayorkas on whether any Congressional actions since his tenure had limited his authority to address illegal immigration at the U.S-Mexico border. Cloud referenced recent remarks by President Joe Biden, who expressed uncertainty about his powers to act against illegal immigration during an interview with Univision.
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“Could you speak to any authorities that Congress has removed from you or the president since taking office?” Cloud queried Mayorkas, prompting a hesitant response from the Secretary.
Cloud pressed further, insisting on a direct answer: “That is a yes or no question. Why are you filibustering? I asked you a yes or no question.”
President Biden has overturned several policies implemented by his predecessor, Donald Trump, upon assuming office. Despite assertions by Mayorkas that the border is secure, data from United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicates over 6.6 million encounters with illegal immigrants since the start of fiscal year 2021.
Cloud highlighted the increased budget allocated for border security under the Biden administration compared to Trump’s tenure, refuting Biden’s claims of lacking authority or resources to address border challenges. He emphasized that Biden possesses the same authority as Trump and has even more resources at his disposal, yet allegedly fails to effectively address border security concerns.
