Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas got smacked down in friendly territory when CNN anchor Kate Bouldan hammered him over murders committed by illegal immigrants.
The Homeland Security Secretary appeared on CNN and defended the Biden administration policies, insisting that they are working, but the anchor was not going to allow that to go unchallenged.
“One thing I’m very curious about, there’s been a lot of coverage on, are these eight Tajik nationals that were arrested this month believed to have connections to ISIS after they entered the U.S. crossing at the southern border last year. Federal authorities have not disclosed publicly what led investigators to believe that the men might be involved in terrorism to need to track them and pick them up. That investigation seems to still be happening. They have not been charged. But how real was the threat, Secretary?” the anchor said.
“Kate, it is our responsibility, our highest responsibility to protect the safety and security of the American people. And that’s what our remarkable men and women in DHS do every single day. We screen and vet individuals at the border when we encounter them. If we learn of information subsequently that gives us any cause for concern, we take law enforcement action. That is indeed what we did in this case. And we are seeking to remove these individuals. They are in custody and in proceedings now,” the secretary said.
“But how does this fact, how does this circumstance and others not support and back up the criticism coming at the Biden administration that the border is not secure?” the anchor pressed.
“Kate, every year, every single year we encounter individuals that do indeed pose a threat to our public safety. That is not something unique to this administration. When I was the deputy secretary, when I was the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, when I was a federal prosecutor in the 1990s for 12 years, we encountered individuals of concern and we took enforcement action. That’s not something that is unique,” the secretary said.
“In fact, in this administration, the different agencies and departments across the federal enterprise are working more cooperatively and more effectively and doing more robust screening and vetting than ever before.
“The security and safety of the American public is our highest priority. These individuals are in custody, and they are in proceedings to remove them from the United States,” he said.
“I’ve also just been handed some information, Secretary, I wanted to ask you about. This is some new reporting coming from the Associated Press about the arrests. There have been arrests in the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. This is a terrible story on its own, on its face. And it’s also become a political flashpoint in the discussion that we’re having right now about border policy, because as the A.P. is reporting now, a second Venezuelan man living in the United States illegally has been accused of killing this 12-year-old Houston girl and was ordered on Tuesday to be held on a $10 million bond, another man charged with capital murder in this 12- year-old’s death as well,” the anchor said.
“This is something that’s really that you have faced criticism for and how you’ve responded to these horrific — these tragedies and deaths. What do you say about this news?” she said.
“Kate, what I say is what I have said throughout, that our hearts are with the families of the victims. The criminals who committed these heinous acts must be held responsible with the fullest force of the law,” the secretary said.
“And I saw cases like this in the 1990s when I served as a federal prosecutor. And we imposed the full force of the law then, and we will do so now. Our hearts are with the families, and we will hold the criminals accountable,” he said.
