Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday that illegal immigration is a "much bigger" problem now than under former President Barack Obama.
Appearing on Original Jurisdiction, Johnson said new challenges have arrived in President Joe Biden's tenure, with illegal crossings reaching 2,766,582 last fiscal year — the highest ever recorded.
"The job, first of all, is different than it was when I was in office seven, eight years ago," Johnson said. "The current secretary was my deputy secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas. The job is different. The immigration problem is much bigger than it was."
Johnson also suggested that Mayorkas stay on message amid calls from House Republicans to resign.
"Sometimes, the essence of the job is repeating over and over again one simple, straightforward message that you want people to hear," Johnson said.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called for Mayorkas to resign in November and pledged that the incoming Republican House majority will investigate Mayorkas' leadership before pursuing impeachment charges.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who chairs the Oversight committee, announced last week that his panel will hear testimony from Department of Homeland Security personnel under Mayorkas.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said through Twitter on Wednesday that the first hearing will be Feb. 1.
Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, recently told the Washington Examiner that the drawn-out investigation process wasn't quick enough, advocating instead for immediate impeachment proceedings.
"We really can't fix the current problem and ... the future without addressing the past," Fallon said. "It gives me no joy to do it ... but what we saw unfold on the border over the last two years — a crisis then turned into a catastrophe, and now it's near collapse."
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