TYSON HAS LONG BEEN IDENTIFED WITH THE DEMOCRAT PARTY FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
Tyson Foods Faces Boycott After Firing 1,200 Americans, ‘Would Like to Employ’ 42,000 Migrants - AND BIDEN - MAYORKAS - SCHUMER HAVE USHERED OVER THE BORDER 15 MILLION TO PICK FROM.
A left-wing group that claims to represent true Christian values launched a petition on Saturday asking for evangelical leader Franklin Graham to lose his job because he supported President Donald Trump.
Faithful America cited Graham’s social media post that said he tends to believe there was fraud in the 2020 election and also his comments on Republicans that voted for Trump to be impeached a second time.
Since the 2016 election, @POTUS@realDonaldTrump has been falsely accused, maligned, and attacked. He told us his campaign was spied on. He was right. He told us there was no collusion. He was proven right. When he says this election was rigged or stolen, I tend to believe him.
On Wednesday the petition from Faithful America, an organization that also targeted the Christian groups Family Research Council and World Vision for taking a stance on traditional marriage, has garnered about 20,000 signatures.
Text on the petition web page cites the attack of the U.S. Capitol:
As for the violence that left five dead, the court evangelical simply shrugged it off: “We knew he had flaws when he ran for office in 2016.” There is absolutely nothing Christian about that.
With blasphemous preachers like Graham blessing Trump’s Big Lie and pretending “antifa” was behind the attack, it’s no wonder the failed coup featured crosses and “Jesus saves” banners and flags. Graham and the religious right must be held accountable for their deadly dishonesty.
Graham gets away with his hatred and conspiracy-theories by hiding behind the humanitarian work of Samaritan’s Purse and his late father’s name. It’s time for Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) to realize that by propping up Franklin’s unchristian extremism, they are abandoning their Gospel missions, undermining democracy, and helping incite white-nationalist sedition.
The petition says, in part:
As long as Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association stand by Franklin Graham, it must be said that these once-vaunted organizations have forgotten their original Christian missions, abandoned the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and are complicit in the spread of dishonest, discredited election conspiracy theories and the deadly, unpatriotic, white-nationalist terrorism at the U.S. Capitol incited by those lies.
Our faith in Jesus Christ demands that we do better than this. Your fellow Christians from across the country call on you to fire Franklin Graham, or to resign from the Board in individual protest.
The Raleigh News and Observerreported on the response to the petition from Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association:
Paul Saber, who serves on the board of directors for both organizations, told McClatchy News in a statement Tuesday that Faithful America “fabricated this lie that (Graham) incited violence at the Capitol.”
“The Boards of Directors for Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association have expressed that they fully support Franklin Graham and are more than satisfied with the job he has done and is doing in leading these ministries,” Saber said. “Franklin Graham was not in Washington, D.C., and he did not encourage people to go to the Capitol on January 6.”
Follow Penny Starr on Twitter or send news tips to pstarr@breitbart.com
The amnesty plan pushed January 20 by President Joe Biden includes a few cursory mentions of American families while championing the demands of migrants, employers, and investors.
“The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 establishes a new system to responsibly manage and secure our border, keep our [migrant] families and [border] communities safe, and better manage migration across the Hemisphere,” says the statement introducing the plan.
The plan mentions families 15 times, nearly all of which refer to foreign families:
Keep families together. The bill reforms the family-based immigration system by clearing backlogs, recapturing unused visas, eliminating lengthy wait times, and increasing per-country visa caps. It also eliminates the so-called “3 and 10-year bars,” and other provisions that keep families apart. The bill further supports families by more explicitly including permanent partnerships and eliminating discrimination facing LGBTQ+ families. It also provides protections for orphans, widows, children, and Filipino veterans who fought alongside the United States in World War II. Lastly, the bill allows immigrants with approved family-sponsorship petitions to join family in the United States on a temporary basis while they wait for green cards to become available.
The plan mentions work and workers 16 times, nearly all of which refer to foreign workers:
Protect workers from exploitation and improve the employment verification process. The bill requires that DHS and the Department of Labor establish a commission involving labor, employer, and civil rights organizations to make recommendations for improving the employment verification process. Workers who suffer serious labor violations and cooperate with worker protection agencies will be granted greater access to U visa relief. The bill protects workers who are victims of workplace retaliation from deportation in order to allow labor agencies to interview these workers. It also protects migrant and seasonal workers, and increases penalties for employers who violate labor laws.
The statement repeatedly praises the economic migrants who have illegally taken jobs and wages from many millions of Americans, including mother of young children, disabled Americans, ex-convicts, blacks, untrained Americans, and isolated Americans:
The bill provides hardworking people who enrich our communities every day and who have lived here for years, in some cases for decades, an opportunity to earn citizenship … The bill creates an earned path to citizenship for our immigrant neighbors, colleagues, parishioners, community leaders, friends, and loved ones—including Dreamers and the essential workers who have risked their lives to serve and protect American communities.
The plan does not mention “jobs” — but it does include one reference to Americans’ wages.
The statement says the amnesty will allow — but not require — federal agencies to set policies that raise wages for foreign workers “to prevent unfair competition with American workers.”
But those protection policies have already been established by President Donald Trump’s regulations — and the Biden team is expected to discard the regulatory protections.
Moreover, the amnesty bill would cut Americans’ wages by dramatically increasing foreign competition. For example, the bill would spike competition for Fortune 500 jobs by allowing all foreigners with “STEM” PhDs to get citizenship.
Overall, the bill offers to dramatically expand corporate revenues, real-estate values, and Wall Street stocks by supercharging the chaotic flow of foreign consumers and workers into American’ jobs, home, and communities:
Grow our economy. This bill clears employment-based visa backlogs, recaptures unused visas, reduces lengthy wait times, and eliminates per-country visa caps. The bill makes it easier for graduates of U.S. universities with advanced STEM degrees to stay in the United States; improves access to green cards for workers in lower-wage sectors; and eliminates other unnecessary hurdles for employment-based green cards. The bill provides dependents of H-1B visa holders work authorization, and children are prevented from “aging out” of the system. The bill also creates a pilot program to stimulate regional economic development, gives DHS the authority to adjust green cards based on macroeconomic conditions.
In contrast to Biden and his business-backed policies, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said on January 19 that Americans and their job should get a higher priority than immigration changes. “Before we deal with immigration, we need to deal with COVID, make sure everyone has the chance to find a good job, and confront the threat from China,” Rubio said in his statement.
Amnesty advocates respond to the criticism by insisting that Americans will gain some moral benefit as their jobs and wages are diverted to blue-collar migrants, foreign graduates, and Wall Street.
For example, Mark Zuckerberg’ FWD.us group declared that the Biden amnesty is “Vital to Restoring the U.S.’ Moral Leadership.” The statement from the investor group continued:
At the end of the day, the success of our country comes in large part from our longstanding tradition of encouraging families seeking a better life to leave behind everything they know to begin contributing to the United States. They deserve the opportunity to live a dignified life. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle must act expeditiously to bring this legislation to the floor for a vote to create the modern, compassionate and humane immigration system that our nation deserves.
The vast majority of Americans tell pollsters that the federal government should ensure Americans have decent jobs before allowing companies to import more foreign workers.
The multi-racial, cross-sex, non-racist, class-based opposition to cheap labor migration co-exists with generally favorable personal feelings toward legal immigrants and toward immigration in theory — despite the media magnification of many skewed polls and articles that still push the 1950’s “Nation of Immigrants” claim.
In December, the Washington Postreported on the economic free-fall faced by Flaviana Decker in Rubio’s Florida:
Her job waiting tables at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort had sustained her through the painful end of her marriage and the struggles of being a single parent to two teenage girls, one of whom is autistic and struggles with basic motor skills and speaking. Throughout the summer and fall as lawmakers were fighting over an economic relief bill and the number of coronavirus cases was climbing, Flaviana was scouring the Disney fan blogs for glimmers of hope that the tourists might be returning. But the once famously long lines at Disney World remained short even as Orlando’s free food lines, packed with laid-off hotel and theme park workers, grew longer. All the while Flaviana’s unemployment checks shrank from more than $800 a week in July to $247 a week in October, which didn’t even cover her rent.
…
The hardest parts for Flaviana were accepting the reality that her Disney job was gone; that the modest middle-class life that she had built was no longer sustainable; that she wouldn’t be able to provide Victoria, a bright and imaginative teenager whose autism made everyday tasks difficult, with the classes and therapists that enabled her to learn and share her thoughts and feelings.
…
As Trump’s prospects dimmed in the days after Election Day, Flaviana held on to the faint chance that he might somehow prevail. Her hopes were dashed on Nov. 7 when she glanced at her phone and saw the election was being called for Biden. She took a deep breath and then swallowed hard. A tear streaked her cheek.
Another poll shows Americans overwhelmingly want companies to hire Americans before migrants. Biz, progressives, media & GOP estb. pretend there is no gap b/w voters' sympathy for migrants and voters' solidarity-demand that Americans get jobs first. https://t.co/TZKGWxKiay
Mexico calls on Biden to fix immigration status of Mexican nationals
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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Incoming U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden should quickly fulfill campaign promises to launch an immigration plan, including giving dual nationality to Mexicans working in the United States, Mexico's president said on Wednesday.
Immigration has become a priority issue for Biden, who is planning to roll back his predecessor's harsh measures and enact sweeping reforms that would put 11 million people living illegally in the U.S on a path to citizenship.
"I hope that today or in the coming days he presents the migration plan," Lopez Obrador said. "What it is going to consist of, how they are going to respect their right to be recognized, that they get dual nationality."
He said such a move should complement policies to support poor Central American nations and southern Mexico, areas which send many migrants to the United States.
Earlier this week, soldiers and police wielding batons in Guatemala clashed with members of an immigration caravan bound for the United States after some 8,000 Hondurans crossed into Guatemala, preventing most of them from moving forward.
More than 36 million Hispanics of Mexican origin live in the United States, according to Pew Research Center.
Lopez Obrador also said combating the coronavirus pandemic and the economic recovery were key areas for the bilateral relationship, saying U.S. stimulus could eventually help Mexico.
The leftist Mexican leader wished Biden well for his inauguration, saying he hoped the event was peaceful.
(Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Bernadette Baum)
“The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 establishes a new system to responsibly manage and secure our border, keep our [migrant] families and [border] communities safe, and better manage migration across the Hemisphere,” says the statement introducing the plan.
The plan mentions families 15 times, nearly all of which refer to foreign families:
Keep families together. The bill reforms the family-based immigration system by clearing backlogs, recapturing unused visas, eliminating lengthy wait times, and increasing per-country visa caps. It also eliminates the so-called “3 and 10-year bars,” and other provisions that keep families apart. The bill further supports families by more explicitly including permanent partnerships and eliminating discrimination facing LGBTQ+ families. It also provides protections for orphans, widows, children, and Filipino veterans who fought alongside the United States in World War II. Lastly, the bill allows immigrants with approved family-sponsorship petitions to join family in the United States on a temporary basis while they wait for green cards to become available.
The plan mentions work and workers 16 times, nearly all of which refer to foreign workers:
Protect workers from exploitation and improve the employment verification process. The bill requires that DHS and the Department of Labor establish a commission involving labor, employer, and civil rights organizations to make recommendations for improving the employment verification process. Workers who suffer serious labor violations and cooperate with worker protection agencies will be granted greater access to U visa relief. The bill protects workers who are victims of workplace retaliation from deportation in order to allow labor agencies to interview these workers. It also protects migrant and seasonal workers, and increases penalties for employers who violate labor laws.
The statement repeatedly praises the economic migrants who have illegally taken jobs and wages from many millions of Americans, including mother of young children, disabled Americans, ex-convicts, blacks, untrained Americans, and isolated Americans:
The bill provides hardworking people who enrich our communities every day and who have lived here for years, in some cases for decades, an opportunity to earn citizenship … The bill creates an earned path to citizenship for our immigrant neighbors, colleagues, parishioners, community leaders, friends, and loved ones—including Dreamers and the essential workers who have risked their lives to serve and protect American communities.
The plan does not mention “jobs” — but it does include one reference to Americans’ wages.
The statement says the amnesty will allow — but not require — federal agencies to set policies that raise wages for foreign workers “to prevent unfair competition with American workers.”
But those protection policies have already been established by President Donald Trump’s regulations — and the Biden team is expected to discard the regulatory protections.
Moreover, the amnesty bill would cut Americans’ wages by dramatically increasing foreign competition. For example, the bill would spike competition for Fortune 500 jobs by allowing all foreigners with “STEM” PhDs to get citizenship.
Overall, the bill offers to dramatically expand corporate revenues, real-estate values, and Wall Street stocks by supercharging the chaotic flow of foreign consumers and workers into American’ jobs, home, and communities:
Grow our economy. This bill clears employment-based visa backlogs, recaptures unused visas, reduces lengthy wait times, and eliminates per-country visa caps. The bill makes it easier for graduates of U.S. universities with advanced STEM degrees to stay in the United States; improves access to green cards for workers in lower-wage sectors; and eliminates other unnecessary hurdles for employment-based green cards. The bill provides dependents of H-1B visa holders work authorization, and children are prevented from “aging out” of the system. The bill also creates a pilot program to stimulate regional economic development, gives DHS the authority to adjust green cards based on macroeconomic conditions.
In contrast to Biden and his business-backed policies, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said on January 19 that Americans and their job should get a higher priority than immigration changes. “Before we deal with immigration, we need to deal with COVID, make sure everyone has the chance to find a good job, and confront the threat from China,” Rubio said in his statement.
Amnesty advocates respond to the criticism by insisting that Americans will gain some moral benefit as their jobs and wages are diverted to blue-collar migrants, foreign graduates, and Wall Street.
For example, Mark Zuckerberg’ FWD.us group declared that the Biden amnesty is “Vital to Restoring the U.S.’ Moral Leadership.” The statement from the investor group continued:
At the end of the day, the success of our country comes in large part from our longstanding tradition of encouraging families seeking a better life to leave behind everything they know to begin contributing to the United States. They deserve the opportunity to live a dignified life. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle must act expeditiously to bring this legislation to the floor for a vote to create the modern, compassionate and humane immigration system that our nation deserves.
The vast majority of Americans tell pollsters that the federal government should ensure Americans have decent jobs before allowing companies to import more foreign workers.
The multi-racial, cross-sex, non-racist, class-based opposition to cheap labor migration co-exists with generally favorable personal feelings toward legal immigrants and toward immigration in theory — despite the media magnification of many skewed polls and articles that still push the 1950’s “Nation of Immigrants” claim.
In December, the Washington Postreported on the economic free-fall faced by Flaviana Decker in Rubio’s Florida:
Her job waiting tables at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort had sustained her through the painful end of her marriage and the struggles of being a single parent to two teenage girls, one of whom is autistic and struggles with basic motor skills and speaking. Throughout the summer and fall as lawmakers were fighting over an economic relief bill and the number of coronavirus cases was climbing, Flaviana was scouring the Disney fan blogs for glimmers of hope that the tourists might be returning. But the once famously long lines at Disney World remained short even as Orlando’s free food lines, packed with laid-off hotel and theme park workers, grew longer. All the while Flaviana’s unemployment checks shrank from more than $800 a week in July to $247 a week in October, which didn’t even cover her rent.
…
The hardest parts for Flaviana were accepting the reality that her Disney job was gone; that the modest middle-class life that she had built was no longer sustainable; that she wouldn’t be able to provide Victoria, a bright and imaginative teenager whose autism made everyday tasks difficult, with the classes and therapists that enabled her to learn and share her thoughts and feelings.
…
As Trump’s prospects dimmed in the days after Election Day, Flaviana held on to the faint chance that he might somehow prevail. Her hopes were dashed on Nov. 7 when she glanced at her phone and saw the election was being called for Biden. She took a deep breath and then swallowed hard. A tear streaked her cheek.
Another poll shows Americans overwhelmingly want companies to hire Americans before migrants. Biz, progressives, media & GOP estb. pretend there is no gap b/w voters' sympathy for migrants and voters' solidarity-demand that Americans get jobs first. https://t.co/TZKGWxKiay
The latest caravan from Central America appears to have been successfully stopped and dispersed by Guatemalan authorities, after some of the migrants attacked police. More caravans will follow, as well as smaller groups of migrants moved north by smugglers, drawn by the Biden administration’s announced determination to reverse all of Trump’s border-control policies and push through Congress a broad illegal-alien amnesty.
Despite the narrative peddled by the anti-borders crowd that the flow is purely the result of dislocation caused by recent hurricanes, it’s no secret that what we’re seeing is the Biden Effect. As one Honduran told AFP, “I think that with this new president, things will change for a migrant who arrives without papers, because with Trump, we’re screwed.” Another Honduran told The Hill, “He’s going to help all of us, he’s giving us 100 days to get to the U.S. and give us [legal] papers.”
Nor should this come as news to anyone. My colleague Todd Bensman made a reporting trip to southern Mexico a year ago and met migrants who volunteered that they were betting on Trump to be defeated so they could get across the border. As one woman told him, “I want Trump out! I’ll wait for that because it would make things easier to get in.” With regard to another, Bensman wrote, “Valladaras said he would wait for his Mexican asylum approval, move to Tijuana ‘until Trump leaves’, and then cross over the U.S. border when the Democrats undo his policies because ‘right now, the Americans will throw you back’ to Mexico.”
Biden officials are aware of how awkward this could prove to their administration’s immigration agenda. As I wrote last month, and as Biden’s domestic-policy chief Susan Rice confirmed shortly thereafter, the new administration is terrified that its amnesty push will be sabotaged by the Biden Effect at the border, and have warned that not every Trump policy will be overturned immediately.
The latest attempt to avert a politically damaging migrant wave came in an interview with NBC this week by an anonymous transition official, who said that “the situation at the border isn’t going to be transformed overnight.” The story noted that the anonymous official (why would NBC agree to anonymity on something as anodyne as this?) as saying that migrants passing through Mexico “will not find when they get to the U.S. border that from Tuesday to Wednesday, things have changed overnight and ports are all open and they can come into the United States.”
But the key question is not whether the ports of entry will wave in anyone who utters the magic asylum words their smugglers coached them to say (though that’s coming!), but what will happen to the busloads of aliens who illegally step across those parts of the border without fencing (or with only low vehicle barriers) and flag down the Border Patrol and say those magic asylum words. Will they be expelled back to Mexico or released after promising to maybe apply for asylum some day? Either response will cause Biden problems.
The official also told NBC that “there’s help on the way, but now is not the time to make the journey” — translation: “Please don’t screw up our amnesty push in Congress by showing Americans what it will lead to! Wait ’til Biden signs the bill, then you can all come in!”
But it’s increasingly clear that the migrants aren’t interested in cooperating.
Washington, D.C. (January 20, 2021) – An analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies examines the factors that will impact the fate of the amnesty bill, reported to provide amnesty to 11 million-plus aliens, that the Biden administration will soon send to Congress.
Andrew Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy and author of the article, writes, “There are many factors at play in determining how likely the new president will be in pushing through his amnesty plan for some 11 million-plus aliens. Speed will likely be the most critical, but that could be impeded by the work of congressional Republicans, and the principles of Sen. Joe Manchin.”
The scope and success of the bill will be impacted by the following:
There are many factors that will determine the success or failure of that plan — and what the final product will look like — but the speed at which it moves through the legislative process will likely be the key one.
Democrats hold a slight majority in the House, and the Senate is evenly split, effectively giving control of that chamber to the Democrats. The majority of Democrats are likely to favor a large amnesty plan with few if any needed enforcement reforms, but many in the House could face significant reelection challenges.
Passing that plan through "regular order" — by which the legislation is subject to committee hearings and mark-ups — will likely slow the passage of that bill, but is more likely to result in legislation that has popular support and contains key reforms and compromises. House Democrats who are in vulnerable seats in the next election would probably strongly favor that result.
Bills can be passed through the House through regular order on simple majorities, but the filibuster rule in the Senate means that stand-alone amnesty legislation will require 60 votes, and therefore would be dependent on Republican support.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has stated unequivocally that he opposes doing away with the filibuster. Whether he sticks to his principles on the issue will determine whether the amnesty bill will need to meet that 60-vote margin.
The Senate can pass that bill, however, through the budget "reconciliation" process, but that will require linking the amnesty to government revenues and spending. Sen. Manchin, a Democrat who represents a largely Republican state, may oppose that maneuver.
A further economic downturn could imperil the prospects for that bill. The unemployment rate in December was 6.7 percent, and more than 56 million working-age Americans were not in the labor force. Tens of thousands of businesses have closed permanently as a result of the pandemic.
Popular support for legalizing millions of aliens unlawfully present and allowing them to compete with those currently in the legal workforce may not be that strong, and would likely fall if the economy does not reverse itself, or if it gets worse.
Exclusive: Kevin McCarthy Rips Biden’s Push for Amnesty While Americans Struggle in Pandemic
House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy told Breitbart News exclusively on Wednesday morning that Democrat President-elect Joe Biden should drop his push to grant amnesty to every illegal alien in America and instead focus his incoming administration on getting Americans back to work with millions still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden, who will be sworn in as president on Wednesday at noon, is intending to roll out an amnesty plan on his first day and press Congress to grant the prize of American citizenship to the tens of millions of illegal aliens present in the country.
The fact Biden is beginning his administration with a focus on amnesty, rather than on the American worker who is struggling amid the pandemic, is already splitting and further dividing the country, rallying Republicans against the radical plan.
In his statement to Breitbart News, McCarthy lit into Biden’s amnesty plan saying it would “undermine our rule of law and encourage more illegal immigration,” all while hurting employment prospects for Americans hurting during the pandemic. He said:
The coronavirus and government-imposed lockdowns have left millions of Americans unemployed and small businesses shut down. Our immediate national priority must be to help Americans get back to work. Instead, the first legislative priority we get from the new administration is not one aimed at lowering unemployment for Americans or reopening our economy, but a radical immigration bill granting citizenship to millions of illegal aliens.
Not only does it undermine our rule of law and encourage more illegal immigration, it tells our fellow Americans their misfortune isn’t our nation’s top priority. Will this proposal help Americans get back to work? Most certainly not. And until that happens, the Biden Administration must focus on helping our own citizens first.
McCarthy, the Minority Leader of the House, leads an emboldened House GOP minority that has significantly higher numbers of members than before the 2020 election. Republicans picked up a dozen or so net gains in the 2020 congressional elections, significantly weakening the Democrat majority and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Those GOP gains in the 2020 elections mean that if only a handful of Democrats in the House do not end up supporting a major piece of legislation–like amnesty–it could easily fail in the chamber.
While Democrat unity is in question, Republicans are particularly unified beginning 2021.
McCarthy was the first Republican leader in years to have the entire GOP conference unanimously behind him in the speakership vote at the beginning of the Congress. Issuing this statement off the bat on Inauguration Day for Biden is a signal from McCarthy and the House GOP that amnesty is a non-starter among House Republicans, and they will not play ball on this issue.
McCarthy’s statement comes after former 2013 Gang of Eight Senate member Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued a similar statement drawing a line in the sand over in that chamber against amnesty as Biden takes office. The Senate is currently split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans.
Despite the fact Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, when she is sworn in later on Wednesday, will cut the tie and hand the majority in the chamber to the Democrats, that tight margin will make it similarly difficult for the Biden-Harris team to get their agenda through the Senate as well.
The strong GOP unity against amnesty off the bat seems to dim establishment hopes for a big bipartisan immigration bill in the Biden Administration’s early days, and put a damper on the incoming president’s initial legislative push.
That means barring the Biden team finding a few random Republican votes here or there on either side of Capitol Hill, they would most likely need to jam an amnesty through Congress on purely partisan lines—which is no foregone conclusion they would even be able to accomplish that given the tight margins in both chambers of Congress.
Joe Biden: Amnesty for Everyone Who Was Here on January 1
Joe Biden’s DHS Nominee Alejandro Mayorkas Will Not Commit to Not Tearing Down Border Wall
During his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, would not commit to not tearing down existing border wall built by President Trump’s administration.
Mayorkas, when questioned by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), said he had not yet “looked at” the specific issue when asked whether he would take a sledgehammer to “physical barriers along our southern border.”
Citing the former Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Mayorkas suggested that a wall across the entire United States-Mexico border was not necessary, to which Lankford agreed. Biden has vowed to stop all construction of border wall.
The exchange went as follows:
LANKFORD: Would you recommend any of the physical barriers along our southern border be dismantled or removed? [Emphasis added]
MAYORKAS: Senator, I haven’t looked at that specific question, I will share with you the fact that I agree with the approach that Sen. McCain, an American hero … took to the border which is it’s not a monolithic challenge, the border. The border is varied depending on the geography and depending on the specific venue and depending on the conduct of individuals around it. We don’t need, nor should we have, a monolithic answer to that varied and diverse challenge. [Emphasis added]
On the question of expanding the border wall, Mayorkas likewise said he would “look forward to studying that.” Trump helped build about 450 miles of new wall at the nearly 2,000-mile-long southern border, much of which is 18 to 30-feet bollard fencing that replaced dilapidated barriers from more than a decade ago.
Trump administration officials said that border wall helps cut illegal immigration by almost 90 percent.
Mayorkas also refused to commit to continuing Trump’s Title 42 order, which was implemented in May 2020 to drastically reduce illegal immigration to slow the spread of the Chinese coronavirus crisis. The order allows federal immigration officials to immediately return border crossers to their native countries.
The exchange went as follows:
LANKFORD: Do you anticipate changing the Title 42 authorities that currently exist to be able to protect our agents and individuals in the United States from individuals traveling from very high-profile COVID areas? Do you anticipate changing that? [Emphasis added]
MAYORKAS: … I look forward to studying Title 42 authorities and what they provide and I can say this, unequivocally, that our highest priority is to protect the health and well-being of the American public. [Emphasis added]
The Title 42 order, as well as Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy and the administration’s order to close the northern and southern borders to unessential travel are hugely popular with Americans across the board.
Exit polling from the November 3 presidential election found that 5-in-6 U.S. voters said they agree that “limiting cross-border traffic and restricting the admission of international travelers is important to help slow the spread” of the coronavirus. Only 13 percent of voters said they disagree that the policies do not help.
Even with the border controls in place, though many are expected to be ended by Biden, illegal immigration has started ticking up to its pre-virus levels.
As Breitbart News reported, border apprehensions at the southern border have jumped to the highest level for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2021 since the year 2000.
Between October and December 2020, nearly 208,000 border crossers were apprehended at the border, the highest number since the Clinton administration. Officials have previously said that about half of all border crossers successfully illegally enter the U.S. undetected by Border Patrol.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.