Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Newsmax on Thursday that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas failed to provide the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs with complete and honest answers during their budget hearing on Wednesday.
Senate Republicans criticized Mayorkas during the hearing, claiming that he "intentionally" allowed the southern border to become less secure. Mayorkas denied these claims, saying he was "dealing with a broken system" that needs "reform."
Johnson said on "National Report" that Mayorkas "knows that I'm going to be asking him how many people has the Biden administration let into this country. He knows that's coming. He's never prepared. Now he knows how many people they've returned … so I've got to cobble the numbers together."
He continued, "I came to the hearing thinking about 5.3 million people have either been encountered … combined with almost two million known or unknown 'got-aways.' 5.3 million people, I'll just remind your viewers that 28 states have a population less than 5.3 million people. So again, I don't know the exact number, I downgrade to maybe 4 to 5 million. It's an enormous problem."
When asked about a disconnect between leadership in the Department of Homeland Security and the people on the ground, Johnson said, "I think most Americans want a secure border. In order to have a sovereign nation, you need a secure border. The Biden administration wants to largely open [the] border and they won't admit to it publicly, but that's exactly the policies that they're enacting."
The Wisconsin Republican also commented on the legislation that he and other GOP senators introduced targeting sanctuary cities, the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act, which would allow local law enforcement in those cities to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and rescind taxpayer-funded grants that were awarded to these cities.
Johnson admitted that the bill "won't be able to pass in the Senate," where Democrats hold the majority, but said that they're "trying to make a point" that the Biden "administration is incentivizing illegal immigration."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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