Top Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee demanded the panel grill Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the worsening "Biden border crisis."
In a furious letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Tom McClintock, R-Calif., and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., blamed President Joe Biden's "radical immigration policies" for the crisis — and Nadler for not addressing it.
"The Biden border crisis continues to worsen," the GOP lawmakers wrote, adding, "Yet, despite the urgency of this situation, the House Judiciary Committee has yet to address the unfolding crisis."
"Republicans have repeatedly urged the committee to examine the Biden border crisis," they wrote, adding a March 4 written request to Nadler that Mayorkas testify "about the Biden administration's failure to secure the border" was never answered.
"As the Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary Mayorkas is the Cabinet official primarily responsible for implementing the Biden administration's immigration policies," the lawmakers wrote.
"As the committee of jurisdiction, his testimony before our committee is imperative. We urge you again to invite Secretary Mayorkas to testify before our committee immediately."
The demand comes as thousands of Haitian refugees gathered in a temporary site under the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas, as they wait to be processed by US immigration authorities.
In an interview on CNN on Tuesday, Mayorkas said he was "horrified" by images that appeared to show Border Patrol agents on horseback confronting some of the Haitian refugees there.
"I'm going to let the investigation run its course," he said of a probe of the troubling images. "But the pictures that I observed troubled me profoundly. That defies all of the values that we seek to instill in our people."
According to CNN, video from both Reuters and Al Jazeera appear to show law enforcement officers on horseback using aggressive tactics when confronting migrants, including authorities swinging long reins. Mayorkas said the department would investigate.
"I, by no means, diminish the humane issue that it presents, but I want to be clear that we do have a plan to address it, respecting the needs of the individuals and we are executing on that plan," Mayorkas told CNN.
"We expect to see dramatic change in the next 48 to 96 hours."
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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