Border crisis, ‘rebuilding’ terror groups pose threat to U.S.
By Casey Harper | The Center Square House lawmakers held a hearing Wednesday about the growing threats to U.S. national security, including the crisis at the southern border, the growing threat of terrorism as well as overseas conflicts that could entangle the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and National Counterterrorism Director Christine Abizaid testified at the hearing about the danger of worldwide threats. “Foreign terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS are rebuilding overseas, and they maintain worldwide networks of supporters that could target the homeland,” Mayorkas said in a prepared statement. The Ukraine and Israel wars as well as a possible invasion of Taiwan also put the U.S. in a difficult position. “Some of the greatest threats include: an open and lawless Southwest border, ask any border Sheriff or for that matter the mayor of NYC; the rising threat of terrorism; rogue nation-state actors and criminal elements seeking to do us harm; and efforts by foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party to target our critical infrastructure,” House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn, said in his opening remarks at the hearing. “Of course, we also have the wars in Israel and Ukraine, and rising Chinese aggression in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.” The hearing comes after an effort from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to impeach Mayorkas narrowly failed in the House of Representatives Monday. Legislators referred it to the Homeland Security Committee, which is often a way of indefinitely tabling legislation. Mayorkas raised the concern of domestic terrorism in particular, something Wray has also warned about. “The threat of a ‘lone wolf’ actor attempting to exploit the conflict between Israel and Hamas and incited to violence by an ideology of hate is of particular concern,” Mayorkas testified. “Foreign terrorist organization and lone offender reactions based on perceptions of U.S. support to Israel could further escalate the threat to Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-American communities in the United States and to U.S. government officials. As the conflict endures, graphic visuals will likely continue to circulate online and garner significant media attention, potentially acting as a catalyst for various violent actors who have shared and continue to share this kind of material.” Wray has raised a similar concern, specifically naming Hamas, the Gaza-based terror group that killed more than 1,400 Israelis in October and took hundreds of hostages, including Americans. “Our top concern stems from lone offenders inspired by— or reacting to—the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as they pose the most likely threat to Americans, especially Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-American communities in the United States,” Wray testified. “We have seen an increase in reported threats to Jewish and Muslim people, institutions, and houses of worship here in the United States and are moving quickly to mitigate them.” Millions of illegal migrants have come into the U.S. since President Joe Biden took office. Notably, hundreds of migrants were flagged as potential terrorists, raising major concerns about how Hamas, Hezbollah or other terror groups could exploit the border to infiltrate the U.S. As The Center Square previously reported, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s San Diego field office warned earlier this year that Hamas may try to send individuals to the U.S. through the southern border. The northern border, though, has also seen a high number of migrants with suspected terrorist sympathies. “San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit (SDFO-FITU) assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to, the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwest border,” an unclassified document from the office reads. Mayorkas also pointed to another threat, namely hackers, which can be a lucrative business and also a dangerous weapon. “Malicious cyber activity targeting the United States has increased since Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine, a trend we expect to continue throughout the duration of the conflict,” he testified. “Within the past three years, we have seen numerous cybersecurity incidents impacting organizations of all sizes and disrupting critical services, from the Russian government’s compromise of the SolarWinds supply chain to the widespread vulnerabilities generated by open-source software like Log4j. “We believe there is significant under-reporting of ransomware and other cybersecurity incidents, and we assess that ransomware attacks targeting U.S. networks 6 will increase in the near- and long-terms,” he added. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Jerry Carl and Barry Moore support failed impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
On Tuesday night, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to thwart a motion by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) to impeach embattled Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Eight Republicans joined House Democrats to stop the impeachment effort and instead refer the motion to the Homeland Security Committee for their consideration. The eight Republicans were Representatives Ken Buck (R-Colorado), Darrell Issa (R-California), Tom McClintock (R-California), Patrick McHenry (R-North Carolina), John Duarte (R-California), Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina), Cliff Bentz (R-Oregan), and Mike Turner (R-Ohio). All six of Alabama’s Republican Congressmen voted with Rep. Greene to proceed with impeaching Mayokas. Congressman Jerry Carl (R-AL01) wrote on X, “Tonight, the House voted on a motion to refer this impeachment resolution to the Homeland Security Committee. This motion passed, so we didn’t vote to impeach him. I voted against this motion because the House needs to take immediate action to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.” Rep. Barry Moore (AL-02) also voted against killing the resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas. Rep. Moore is also a co-sponsor of this resolution. Moore was one of the first Members of Congress to call for the impeachment of Mayorkas back in May. “Under Mayorkas’ watch, there have been 8 million illegal border encounters, 52,900 pounds of fentanyl seized at the border, more than 280 people on terrorist watchlists caught while attempting to cross the border, and 1.8 million known “got aways” who have evaded U.S. authorities,” said Moore. “In the private sector, if you don’t do your job, you get fired. Mayorkas’ failure to do his job is putting Americans in grave danger every day, and it’s past time for him to be impeached.” Carl is also a co-sponsor of Rep. Greene’s resolution. “Our southern border is wide open, and we have an unprecedented illegal immigration crisis at our southern border because Secretary Mayorkas has failed to do his job. That’s why I proudly co-sponsored @RepMTG’s resolution to impeach him.” Carl said on X. Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC.us) announced afterward that it is dropping the national organization’s long-standing endorsement and support for Rep. Tom McClintock after McClintock joined seven other Republicans in voting with Democrats to protect Mayorkas from impeachment. “Our decade-long support for Rep. McClintock ends today, and we call on American patriots, conservatives, Republicans, and invasion opponents to mount GOP Primary challengers to any of these eight sellouts still on the ballot in 2024,” said William Gheen of ALIPAC. “These Republicans supporting Democrat efforts to flood and overwhelm U.S. elections with illegal alien Democrat voters should be run out of office! Shame on them for depriving all Americans of a true choice against illegal globalist policies.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said that she will continue her efforts to hold the Biden Administration accountable for its thwarting of the nation’s immigration laws and the crisis on the southern border. “I will not stop fighting to hold the Biden administration accountable for their open border policies that are killing Americans every day,” Congresswoman Greene said on X. “It’s time for Republicans to grow a spine and join me in impeaching Mayorkas and others who are destroying our country.” An impeachment by the House had it occurred would likely have been rejected by the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate if the Senate even took the matter up. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
26 attorneys general: Give states the authority to enforce federal immigration law
A coalition of 26 state attorneys general is calling on the new U.S. Speaker of the House to pass a Florida-sponsored bill that would grant states the authority to enforce federal immigration law when the federal government refuses to do so. The AGs, led by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, on Monday. In it, they called on Congress to pass U.S. Rep. Bill Posey’s bill, the Immigration Enforcement Partnership Act. Posey, R-Florida, first filed the measure in 2022 and again in March 2023. “On day one, [President Joe] Biden began intentionally dismantling our public safety immigration structure,” Moody said. The president and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “have outright ignored federal law, and we have uncovered numerous ‘secret plans’ to allow for the mass release of unvetted and inadmissible migrants,” she said, referring to Florida’s border-related lawsuits against the administration. The administration’s parole and mass release policies are “not only in direct conflict with federal law, but it has also put Americans’ safety in jeopardy,” Moody said. Despite Florida’s repeated wins in court, Moody said, “more needs to be done. I like to believe we at least slowed the invasion to some degree. However, it is becoming clear that the judicial system is not an adequate battlefield to quickly address the urgent crisis Biden has created.” Posey on Monday called for Mayorkas to be impeached. In posts on social media, he said, “The border crisis is at unmanageable levels of mass migration. Simply put, Sec. Mayorkas isn’t doing his job. In the real world, if someone fails to do their job, they are fired. Sec Mayorkas has failed at the southern border. I support the initiative to impeach Mayorkas.” Posey’s bill, HR 1337, would allow state officials to require the DHS secretary to enforce federal immigration law in certain circumstances. It gives DHS the option to enforce the law or deputize state officials to carry out federal immigration duties instead. According to the bill, state attorneys general would identify how DHS isn’t fulfilling its non-discretionary duties under Title II of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which includes arresting, detaining and removing criminal and arriving illegal immigrants. It also requires the courts to expedite proceedings related to these actions to the greatest extent practicable, according to a summary of the bill. If enacted, the measure “authorizes a state attorney general to request in writing that the Department of Homeland Security adequately fulfill certain duties related to immigration enforcement. Within 30 days of receiving such a request, DHS must ensure that such duties are adequately fulfilled by DHS officers and employees or authorize that state’s officials to fulfill such duties. The state attorney general may sue DHS for failure to meet this bill’s requirements,” according to the bill language. “Maintaining operational control over our borders is critical to our security and our ability to stop drug smugglers, human traffickers, and those on terrorist watch lists, who are invading our country and mean to do harm to our communities,” Posey said when he introduced the bill earlier this year. “When the federal government abdicates its role in securing our nation’s borders and refuses to enforce immigration laws, states should have authority to protect their citizens.” The AG’s argue in their letter, “Had Congress acted sooner, the U.S. might not be setting yet another record for CBP encounters at the border. We will never know, but if we take action now to give states the authority to do the job Biden and Mayorkas refuse to do, we could prevent another record next year.” They urged Johnson “to at the very least, expeditiously give” Posey’s bill a hearing. Joining Moody in the coalition are the attorneys general representing the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. The Texas Senate, for the third time last month, passed a bill that authorizes the state to enforce border security. It would create a new state crime for entering Texas illegally and authorize Texas law enforcement officers to arrest illegal border crossers who enter Texas between ports of entry. The measure has gone nowhere in the state House. The coalition letter misstates border apprehension data, appearing to confuse southwest border apprehension data with national apprehension data, and underreports the number of known, suspected terrorists who’ve illegally entered the U.S. and been caught. It states, “record-breaking numbers of inadmissible immigrants flooding in – more than 7 million illegal immigrants have walked freely into the country since Biden took office – including more than 280 individuals encountered on the terrorist watchlist since fiscal year 2021.” According to official U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and preliminary gotaway data obtained by The Center Square, the numbers are significantly higher. There were 736 known, suspected terrorists apprehended in fiscal 2023 alone, the highest in recorded history. The majority, 66%, were apprehended at the northern border, The Center Square first reported. There were nearly 4 million illegal border crossers reported nationwide in fiscal 2023, and over 10 million illegal border crossers reported since January 2021, including gotaways, The Center Square first reported. There have been roughly 1.7 million gotaways reported since January 2021, although this number is estimated to be closer to 2 million, The Center Square first reported. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
AGs to Biden administration: Revoke student visas for supporting ‘terrorists’
By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square Twenty attorneys general are asking the Biden administration to revoke student visas for anyone suspected of supporting terrorism. The five-page letter sent Wednesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Security Alejandro Mayorkas specifically refers to recent pro-Palestine protests on college campuses. “For example, the national chapter of a group calling itself Students for Justice in Palestine described Hamas’s attack as ‘a historic win for the Palestinian resistance,’” the letter said. “SJP issued a ‘call to action’ asking its college chapters to demonstrate, and more than 20 chapters responded, spearheading anti-Israel activity on campuses across the country. That group is linked to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.” The students’ activity may put their immigration status in question, they said. “As state attorneys general, we are concerned that foreign students admitted to colleges in the United States on student visas may be supporting terrorist activity through membership in SJP and are ineligible to hold a student visa under the Immigration and Nationality Act,” the letter said. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, the letter’s lead author, said providing material support for a terrorist act is a class Y felony in his state. A class Y felony carries a sentence of 10 to 40 years in prison, according to the Arkansas code. “Additionally, Act 710 of 2017 prohibits the state from contracting with, or investing in, companies that boycott Israel,” Griffin said. “The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an ACLU-led challenge to that law by a 9-1 margin, and earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to overturn that ruling.” The attorneys general are taking a giant leap, Joe Cohn, legislative and policy director for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said in an interview with The Center Square. “There needs to be actual evidence of providing material support and that had to beyond just expressing ideological agreement because that would be protected under the First Amendment,” Cohn said. The U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on the issue twice. “In a case called Bridges vs. Wixon, the Supreme Court said, ‘Freedom of speech and press is accorded aliens residing in the country,’” Cohn said. “And in a 1953 case called Chew vs. Colding, it said, ‘The Bill of Rights is a futile authority for the alien seeking admission for the first time to these shores. But once an alien lawfully enters and resides within our country, it becomes invested with the rights guaranteed by the Constitution to all people within our borders.’” The Department of Homeland Security did not return a message from The Center Square. The attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia signed the letter. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Brian Lonergan: White House’s most cynical, secretive amnesty push yet
It is obvious by now that the Biden administration has a goal of keeping people living in or entering the country illegally in the United States, even those with criminal records. What most Americans don’t know, however, is the amount of chicanery this White House is engaging in to achieve that goal. In July 2021, the administration launched an official effort both to stop removal proceedings against who have served in the military as well as to return those who had already been removed. The argument for this policy is that anyone willing to risk their life to serve the country should be allowed to remain in the United States. There are, in fact, some provisions of federal law that make serving in the military a path to citizenship. However, that’s not the whole story. The people living in or entering the country illegally at issue here have overwhelmingly committed serious crimes, either while in the military or after their return to civilian life. Those who committed crimes while in the military were often dishonorably discharged. Both civilian and military crimes frequently prevent people living in or entering the country illegally from becoming naturalized citizens of the United States. Moreover, federal immigration law generally requires the removal of people living in or entering the country illegally with significant felony convictions as well as certain misdemeanor convictions – without regard to prior military service. This raises a number of questions. Is the White House knowingly trying to keep noncitizens who have committed felonies in the country? What types of crimes have these people committed? Aggravated assault, drug trafficking, armed robbery? It would seem the American public deserves answers to these important questions. According to the Biden administration, we don’t. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and his colleagues have been entirely unwilling to share even basic information about their immigrant/veterans policy. Because of this, the Immigration Reform Law Institute filed a Freedom of Information Act request with DHS and U.S. Customs and Immigration Services in April, seeking the agencies’ policies regarding this initiative as well as information about any aliens actually returned from other countries under the program. Under FOIA, an agency is supposed to determine whether and to what extent it will comply with a request and provide relevant public records within 20 working days. However, more than five months after IRLI’s request was submitted, neither agency had produced anything in response to the request. Accordingly, IRLI filed a lawsuit to compel production of the requested information. This from an administration that pledged “to bring transparency and truth back to the government to share the truth, even when it’s hard to hear.” Why all the secrecy? The administration would be publicly embarrassed to reveal the details of violent crimes committed by the people living in or entering the country illegally they are trying to keep and relocate to American communities. Internal communications about the policy would also shed light on the radical, agenda-driven nature of the agencies’ bureaucrats. Even more importantly, the administration never sought congressional authorization for this program; they simply created it out of thin air. It is far better for the administration’s interests to take advantage of the public’s affection for those who have worn the uniform. The majority of Americans rightly have respect and love for those who have served. Most people have someone in their family who served in the military, and we should appreciate former service members for their sacrifices in protecting our freedoms. While we honor our veterans, they are subject to the same laws as are civilians. If veterans commit an assault, robbery or other felony, they don’t get a free pass solely on the basis of their military service. Like everyone else, they will receive due process through our justice system and, if found guilty, will be sentenced accordingly. There are many inmates in state and local prisons who served in the military, and while we thank them for their service, we still punish them for their crimes. Since federal immigration law mandates removal of people living in or entering the country illegally guilty of certain crimes, military service should not exempt foreign nationals from immigration consequences merely because they spent time in the U.S. military. Despite this, the Biden administration believes it can change the law by fiat. In our constitutional system of separation of powers, the executive branch is supposed to enforce the law, not create programs to evade and undermine it. If the White House thinks the current law is somehow unfair because it does not privilege veterans ahead of other convicted criminal people living in or entering the country illegally, they can convince Congress to change the law. Absent that, they are just creating new powers for the executive branch. That is action consistent not with a constitutional republic, but with tyranny. Much like it did by inflaming public sentiments over a scandalously misrepresented photo of a mounted Border Patrol agent, this administration is now playing on the nation’s affection for veterans to conduct policies that work against the interests of the United States and its citizens. Even worse, they are making an extra-constitutional power grab and violating federal law to hide it from the public. The American people have spoken. They do not want amnesty, surrendered borders, or lawless communities, yet that is what the Biden White House is giving them. Brian Lonergan is director of communications at the Immigration Reform Law Institute in Washington, D.C, and co-host of IRLI’s “No Border, No Country” podcast.
Former border chief: Alejandro Mayorkas underreported gotaway data in Senate hearing
By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chief Mark Morgan estimates the number of people who entered the U.S. illegally and evaded capture in fiscal 2023 is closer to one million, much higher than the “over 600,000” that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told U.S. senators at a Tuesday hearing. Morgan told The Center Square Wednesday in response to questions about Mayorkas’ testimony that official known gotaway data could hit one million in fiscal 2023, and the nearly 1.7 million gotaways since January 2021 is underreported by at least 20%. It’s “closer to over 2 million,” he said of the gotaway numbers since President Joe Biden first took office. Gotaways is the official term used by Customs and Border Protection to describe foreign nationals who illegally enter the U.S. primarily between ports of entry and don’t return to Mexico or Canada. They generally don’t file asylum or other immigration-related claims and intentionally illegally enter to avoid being caught. Many have criminal records, and run when pursued by Border Patrol agents or others in law enforcement, officials have told The Center Square. “The question Secretary Mayorkas should be providing the American people an answer to is how many aliens on the Terror Watchlist or Special Interest Aliens, who come from countries we know sponsor or harbor terrorist organizations, are among the [close to 1.7 million] known gotaways who have entered our country under his watch,” he told The Center Square. “The answer is – he has no idea. It’s not if, and when, the threat arrives in our homeland. It’s already here.” Mayorkas testified Tuesday before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, saying there were over 600,000 gotaways reported in fiscal 2023, a low estimate compared to data first reported by The Center Square. U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, asked Mayorkas how many gotaways U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported in 2023. Mayorkas replied, “I believe that number is over 600,000. I am sure you are well aware the phenomenon of gotaways is something that has been a challenge for the Department of Homeland Security for decades. In fact, it is a powerful example of a broken immigration system.” According to preliminary data obtained by The Center Square, Border Patrol agents reported at least 769,174 gotaways in nine southwest border sectors in fiscal 2023. This excludes Office of Field Operations data and data from the remaining 11 CBP sectors nationwide (there are 20), including at the northern border. Border Patrol agents in one northern border sector alone reported roughly 4,000 gotaways in fiscal 2023, the highest in northern border history. The nearly 770,000 gotaways are included in the roughly 4 million illegal border crossers reported in fiscal 2023 and more than 10 million since January 2021, when President Joe Biden first took office. These are the highest numbers of illegal border crossers reported in recorded U.S. history. By contrast, there were at least 308,655 known, reported gotaways in fiscal 2021 and 606,150 reported in fiscal 2022, as first reported by The Center Square. In fiscal 2023, 736 known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) were apprehended at the northern and southern borders, according to CBP data. The number of KSTs who were among the gotaway numbers is unknown. The majority of gotaways are single, military-age men. However, they also include women and children, many who are smuggled, law enforcement officers say. Former ICE Chief Tom Homan not only disagrees with Mayorkas’ claim about gotaways representing a “broken immigration system” but says the issue isn’t about immigration but about national security. “If you don’t think a single one of the 1.7 million [gotaways] is coming from a country that sponsors terrorism, then you’re ignoring the data,” he said. “That’s what makes this a huge national security issue.” Homan maintains that Mayorkas destroyed the system he and others put in place during the Trump administration and Biden administration border policies “are the greatest national security threat since 9/11.” As a result, he says, Mayorkas should be impeached. “Based on recently released data on the border numbers,” including “over 900,000 illegal aliens released in the U.S.” and the more than 600,000 gotaways Mayorkas claims were reported in one year, he said, “DHS Secretary Mayorkas needs to be impeached.” Homan also says he’s been calling on Congress to impeach Mayorkas for over two years. Several Congressional Republicans and state attorneys general, led by Florida AG Ashley Moody, have called for him to be impeached. Republicans on the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, led by committee chairman Mark Green, R-Tennessee, are continuing to hold hearings and issue reports to support their claim that Mayorkas is derelict in his duty and must be removed from office. Green, a retired U.S. Army Major and West Point graduate, says Mayorkas is derelict not only for helping to create the border crisis but also for DHS not properly vetting Afghan “refugees” brought to the U.S. after Biden’s deadly and chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021. The Center Square has been reporting preliminary Border Patrol data, excluding OFO data, obtained from a Border Patrol agent on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Official data is still a best guess, officials say, because agents aren’t able to report everyone who gets away for several reasons. Former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz previously testified to Congress that gotaway data is underreported by between 10% and 20%. Ultimately, law enforcement officials say they have no idea how many gotaways are in the U.S., where, or who they are. The Border Report: #Gotaways caught on camera primarily in Terrell County in Big Bend Sector of Texas. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, Homeland Security—tasked w defending the homeland—have no idea who or where they are. Nearly 1.6 million, => ind populations of 11 states. pic.twitter.com/PHnXFWrOFR— Bethany Blankley (@BethanyBlankley) August 24, 2023 To learn more, follow The Border Report with Bethany Blankley on Facebook and X. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
27 state AGs request federal government end catch-and-release policies
By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor Twenty-seven attorneys general, led by Florida’s Ashley Moody, are demanding Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “fix the problem you created” and close the catch-and-release loophole DHS is “currently exploiting to implement its mass release policy at the Southwest Border.” The coalition filed a Petition for Rulemaking demanding that Mayorkas amend DHS’s catch-and-release policies. In their 6-page letter, they point to how “DHS is releasing aliens at a rate of over one million per year, and that does not include the aliens being released on parole under § 1182(d)(5).” In addition to releasing inadmissible illegal foreign nationals into the U.S., DHS is releasing them with court dates for three to four years and even 10 years into the future, a lag that The Center Square first reported. The coalition argues Mayorkas’ policies will result in allowing millions more unauthorized people to remain in the U.S. for 15 years or longer before they ever appear before an immigration judge. The coalition says the mandatory detention policy, CBP processing policy, and parole authority stipulated by federal statute are being violated by DHS. “DHS’s practice of releasing aliens at the Southwest Border … is fragrantly unlawful” and proposes regulatory changes. They argue that Mayorkas’ “first and most important reason for granting the petition is that DHS’s current practices are unlawful. DHS should take seriously whether its practices comply with the law, and it should grant a petition that seeks to stop its officers from committing unlawful acts.” The second reason, they argue, is catch-and-release policies are “having horrendous effects” across the country, with some individuals’ court dates being set for 10 years in the future. Their call came after Moody and other attorneys general first called for his resignation. They then called on Congress to impeach him, and then to strip him of his salary. Moody and several AGs have also sued DHS over its parole policies, border security policies and others, arguing they violate federal law. “The Biden administration’s intentional dismantling of border security has resulted in more than seven million inadmissible immigrants entering the U.S., including suspected terrorists,” Moody said. In fiscal 2023, the highest number of known or suspected terrorists were apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. illegally – 659, The Center Square has reported. The overwhelming majority being caught are coming through the northern border. The coalition’s letter to Mayorkas cites outdated data of 1.5 million known gotaways as another reason to reverse the administration’s policies. The number is closer to 1.6 million, and likely higher, since January 2021, as The Center Square has previously reported. Publicly reported CBP apprehension and KSTs data don’t include gotaways. “Gotaways” is the official U.S. Customs and Border Patrol term that refers to those who illegally enter the U.S. between ports of entry, don’t return to Mexico or Canada, and are not apprehended. An unknown number of KSTs are believed to be gotaways. The Biden administration has consistently claimed the border is closed and secure, and that a humane, orderly process is being implemented. But more than 8 million people have illegally entered the U.S. since January 2021, excluding gotaways. This data also excludes those entering using the CBP One App. Total numbers are estimated to be closer to 10 million, or likely higher, officials have explained to The Center Square. “Given the massive flood of unvetted migrants into the interior of our country, there is no way to know who is in the U.S. or if they plan to enact terror on Americans,” Moody said. “Given the risks illustrated by what happened this weekend in Israel, I am leading a coalition of 27 attorneys general taking action to force the Biden administration to enact responsible rulemaking to ensure our nation’s security at our Southern Border.” If Mayorkas denies the petition, they indicated they plan on seeking judicial review. Joining Moody in filing the petition are attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Border Patrol email: Plan to mass release illegal border crossers from crowded facilities
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Tuesday published an internal Border Patrol email her office obtained that provides guidelines to release foreign nationals being held at Customs and Border Patrol processing centers because they are at near full capacity, at full capacity or are already over capacity. President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “have become so brazen that they are now implementing mass-release quotas for immigrants surging into our country,” Moody said. “As a federal judge already recognized, these releases are unlawful, yet the Biden administration is ordering Border Patrol to release even more immigrants into the interior.” Moody is referring to a lawsuit Florida brought against the administration and won. Despite Mayorkas claiming that the border is closed and secure, a record number of people are being processed through ports of entry using the new CBP One App. As a result, processing centers, where individuals, some families, and unaccompanied minors are held within a certain timeframe, as they are processed to be released into or removed from the country by federal agents, are at capacity. With the majority of agents pulled from the field tasked with processing record numbers of people, officials have expressed concerns to The Center Square that an unknown number of criminals are illegally entering undetected between ports of entry. This also could be why significantly fewer gotaways are being reported than in previous months. With nearly 20,000 people currently in custody at CBP processing centers in the nine southwest sectors, Border Patrol agents were given a new directive on how to release even more people into the U.S., according to an email sent to agents obtained by Moody’s office. The redacted email states it is from the Acting Deputy Chief, Law Enforcement Operations Directorate, at U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters. The name on the letter is redacted, but the acting deputy director of this office is Ricardo Moreno, according to official records. The email was sent on Aug. 8, 2023, to all Border Patrol field chiefs and field deputies as a follow-up to a call to discuss how to “bring in-custody numbers to manageable levels.” “Unfortunately, after leveraging all consequences to include referrals to ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations], the rate of daily encounters continues to surpass the daily permanent bookouts and the in-custody numbers continue to rise creating significant risks to agents and detainees. This level of detention numbers has also resulted in increased manpower requirements impacting border security efforts,” the email states. In addition to this, as of Sept. 11, “BP agents were instructed to reward and release over 6,500 illegal aliens who had committed a crime and crashed our lawless border. 6,500 in one day. Do the math. Joe Biden is destroying this country,” the National Border Patrol Council, the union representing Border Patrol agents, said on X. This is also in addition to CBP ERO agents continuing to apprehend and process for removal violent criminals, including murderers, rapists, child sex offenders, and others. According to preliminary data The Center Square obtained from a Border Patrol agent, over 215,000 illegal foreign nationals were apprehended or reported evading capture at the southwest border alone last month. The data only includes what is reported by Border Patrol agents. It excludes Office of Field Operations data. So far this month, according to preliminary data, Border Patrol agents have apprehended nearly 76,000 illegal border crossers and reported over 12,300 gotaways. The station with the heaviest traffic is in Eagle Pass, Texas, with nearly 10,000 people apprehended so far this month. Ajo, Arizona, is not far behind with over 7,700 people apprehended. Brownsville, Texas, Tucson, Arizona, and Santa Teresa, New Mexico, are also among the busiest stations this month. Santa Teresa’s station, located roughly 30 miles west of El Paso, Texas, reported more gotaways than apprehensions, nearly 4,300 compared to over 3,700, respectively. The Border Patrol email “is further proof of the disastrous cycle created by [President] Biden’s intentional destruction of our border with Mexico,” Moody said. “Biden cuts resources, opens the border, and then releases detainees while claiming there is not enough detention capacity to prevent the unprecedented flood of migrants entering the country because of his terrible policies. With every passing day it is becoming more obvious that the border crisis is being intentionally orchestrated by the Biden administration. We will continue to do everything in our power to push back and let the American people know what Biden is doing.” The email Moody obtained from CBP redacted the actual release quotas “for unexplained reasons.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Thousands of flight cancellations, 1.1 million lose power as strong storms hit eastern U.S.
Thousands of U.S. flights were canceled or delayed, and more than 1.1 million homes and businesses lost power Monday as destructively strong storms, including potential tornadoes, hail, and lightning, moved through the eastern U.S. Rain began falling in the Washington area shortly after 5 p.m., and the skies gradually turned an ominous dark gray, a precursor to the severe weather and mass power outages that were predicted. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the greater D.C. area, lasting until 9 p.m., as well as a flood warning extending through Tuesday morning. A special Weather Service statement warned, “There is a significant threat for damaging and locally destructive hurricane-force winds, along with the potential for large hail and tornadoes, even strong tornadoes.” The storms’ spread was massive, with tornado watches and warnings posted across 10 states from Tennessee to New York. The National Weather Service said more than 29.5 million people were under a tornado watch Monday afternoon and that the area of greatest concern centered in the Washington-Baltimore region. By late Monday afternoon, about 1,500 U.S. flights had been canceled and more than 7,000 delayed, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. More than a quarter of the cancellations were at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which was digging out from disruptions caused by Sunday storms. The Federal Aviation Administration said it was rerouting planes around storms heading to the East Coast and warned it would likely start pausing flights in and out of the New York City area, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte, and Atlanta. The White House pushed up by 90 minutes President Joe Biden’s departure on a four-day trip that’s taking him to Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The White House also canceled a back-to-school cybersecurity event that was to feature first lady Jill Biden, who is a teacher, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and school administrators, educators, and education technology providers from around the country. The Office of Personnel Management announced Monday that all non-emergency employees would have to depart before 3 p.m., when all federal offices closed. “This does look to be one of the most impactful severe weather events across the Mid-Atlantic that we have had in some time,” National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Strong said in a Facebook live briefing. Also concerning forecasters was the timing of the storms. They were expected to strike major population areas in late afternoon and early evening, prompting federal workers to be sent home early so they wouldn’t be in their cars amid wind, hail, and tornadoes. Strong advised residents: “Have yourself in a strong shelter. Be at home or be at work.” By early evening, more than 1.1 million customers were without power across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia — all states along the storm system’s path, according to poweroutage.us. The Knoxville Utilities Board tweeted that the damage across its service area in Tennessee was “widespread and extensive” and will likely take several days to repair. A row of utility poles were toppled in Westminster, Maryland, WJLA-TV reported. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Barry Moore questions Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on border policies
Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02) questioned Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during a House Judiciary Committee Department of Homeland Security oversight hearing. Moore questioned Secretary Mayorkas about the border situation. Rep. Moore supports Articles of Impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas due to his failure to uphold the law at our southern border. “I am certainly appalled at what’s happening at the southern border, and I know my constituents are too,” Moore said. “Your border policies make every state a border state. I said my constituents are appalled at what’s happening — I know a family that has personally suffered the consequences of your actions. In my district, the Second Congressional District in Alabama, the Autauga County Sheriff’s Department arrested Grevi Geovani Rivera-Zavala, a 29-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, for the rape of a teenage girl in Prattville, Alabama. Zavala identified as a minor. Why do you think it is that we are finding so many ID cards thrown down south of the border? If people are coming here for asylum, why don’t they want us to know what they are up to?” “Congressman, I am sorry to learn of the tragedy that occurred to your constituent,” Sec. Mayorkas answered. “I understand that sir, but we’ve been apologizing to people for a long time. Even when the other party was in charge — we are continuing to apologize to parents for losing their children to fentanyl, for people getting raped in restrooms, and for people killing others with cars when they can’t even [legally] hold a driver’s license,” said Rep. Moore. “So, who is [going to take responsibility] for these tragedies? Is that you, Mr. Mayorkas? Is that President [Joe] Biden?” “Congressman, the criminal is responsible,” Mayorkas answered. “I look forward to working with you to address the scourge of fentanyl that is causing so much devastation and death. I look forward to working with you to fix what is wrong with our broken immigration system.” Before the oversight hearing, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter to Sec. Mayorkas requested that the Secretary be ready to discuss in detail several aspects of the Administration’s immigration policies. Chairman Jordan asked the Secretary to provide the following data at Wednesday’s hearing: Since January 20, 2021, the total number of inadmissible aliens who have been encountered by CBP along the southwest border and (a) who were released into the United States, and (b) who have remained in DHS detention and have not been released. The number and percentage of those aliens in request 1 who claimed a fear of persecution for purposes of asylum and received a fear determination. The number and percentage of those aliens in request 2 who received a negative fear determination. The number and percentage of those aliens in request 3 who have been removed from the U.S. The number and percentage of those aliens in request 2 who received a positive fear determination. The number and percentage of those aliens in request 5 who have been placed in removal proceedings. The number and percentage of those aliens in request 6 whose claims have been adjudicated on the merits. The number and percentage of those aliens in request 7 who have received a final order of removal. The number and percentage of those aliens in request 8 who have been removed from the U.S. Republicans have been very concerned about the issues on the border. There is growing momentum among House Republicans to bring articles of impeachment against Mayorkas. Barry Moore represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
DOJ sues Texas over Rio Grande barriers; Greg Abbott says feds ‘left me no other choice’
On the same day the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil complaint against Texas over a floating barrier of buoys strung together in the Rio Grande River, Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to President Joe Biden saying that Texas has a right to defend its border. The Department of Justice said the floating barrier was constructed without federal authorization as required under the Rivers and Harbors Act and creates a humanitarian threat. The complaint seeks to stop construction of the barrier and to require Texas to remove it. But Abbott is having none of it. The Texas governor’s formal letter sent Monday is a follow-up to the notice he gave on Friday in response to the DOJ saying its civil action was coming. DOJ’s lawsuit also was filed Monday. Abbott’s two-page letter copies Attorney General Merrick Garland and three Texas officials: the provisional attorney general and heads of the Texas Military Department and Department of Public Safety. He also includes copies of two letters he previously sent to the president, the first of which was sent last November explaining Texas’ constitutional right to secure its border. The second he hand-delivered on January 8, 2023, outlining solutions the president could take immediately to secure the border. Abbott, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, wrote, “In accordance with Article I, § 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, I have asserted Texas’s “sovereign interest in protecting [her] borders,” citing Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent in the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court case, Arizona v. United States. “I have done so in my role as the commander-in-chief of our State’s militia under Article IV, § 7 of the Texas Constitution,” citing a ruling in the 2023 case, Abbott v. Biden, when the federal judge in this case held that “the Constitution forbids President Biden from bypassing the States [and] stepping into Governor Abbott’s shoes.” Abbott also states that the president’s “ongoing violation of Article IV, § 4 of the U.S. Constitution has left me no other choice” than to secure the Texas border and block illegal entry. He also points to arguments he made in the letters he previously sent and reiterates what he told the president in El Paso, Texas, on January 8: “All of this is happening because you have violated your constitutional obligation to defend the States against invasion through faithful execution of federal laws.” In response to DOJ attorneys claiming Texas’s floating marine barriers violate Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, Abbott says their analysis “misses the mark. In that statute, Congress decreed that ‘it shall not be lawful to build . . . any wharf, pier, dolphin, boom, weir, breakwater, bulkhead, jetty, or other structures in any . . . water of the United States.’ “To state the obvious, that statute does not describe any action by the State of Texas.” Texas began the Rio Grande initiative to prevent illegal entry on state land between ports of entry. Abbott also places the blame on Biden for any humanitarian crisis at the border. Responding to DOJ attorney accusations, he writes, “Mr. President, your finger points in the wrong direction. Neither of us wants to see another death in the Rio Grande River. Yet your open-border policies encourage migrants to risk their lives by crossing illegally through the water instead of safely and legally at a port of entry. Nobody drowns on a bridge. “If you truly care about human life, you must begin enforcing federal immigration laws,” he continued. “By doing so, you can help me stop migrants from wagering their lives in the waters of the Rio Grande River. You can also help me save Texans, and indeed all Americans, from deadly drugs like fentanyl, cartel violence, and the horrors of human trafficking.” The letter came as over 175,000 foreign nationals were reported illegally entering the southern border alone in June, including at least 70,200 in Texas, and as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas continues to claim the border is secure. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Barry Moore visits Yuma, Arizona to learn about the southern border crisis first hand
U.S. Congressman Barry Moore participated in the House Judiciary Committee’s first field hearing of the 118th Congress dealing with the border situation. The hearing was held in Yuma, Arizona, where Moore and his Republican colleagues were able to observe the border situation firsthand. The hearing featured three witnesses: Jonathan Lines, a county supervisor in Yuma County; Sheriff Leon Wilmot; and Dr. Robert Trenschel, president and CEO of Yuma Regional Medical Center. Moore’s questions focused on the humanitarian crisis created by the flood of humanity crossing the U.S. southern border. 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses – most of them from drugs that were smuggled across the U.S. southern border with Mexico. “In Alabama recently, I was told that in Birmingham we seized enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child in my entire state, so this may be affecting border communities, but it’s a crisis for our entire nation,” Moore said of the fentanyl crossing the border in large quantities. Moore discussed the high costs that some traffickers have charged people worldwide to cross the U.S. southern border. “We actually seized some Chinese nationals, [said] a Sheriff’s Department in Texas, and it was $80,000 each,” Moore said. “Folks, they’re not coming here to do us any favors, just so you know.” Moore discussed the benefits, including cell phones, being issued to migrants paid for by American taxpayers. “We are actually, with taxpayer dollars, trafficking children, and we’re paying to get them here on American taxpayer dollars, and putting them in God knows what and God knows where,” Moore said. Moore expressed his concerns about the vast numbers of unaccompanied minor children our government has lost after transporting them to unverified and unvetted people and places throughout our country. “We’ve lost 20,000 children. [Alejandro] Mayorkas said himself in a hearing he does not know where 20,000 of these children are, and that’s just staggering to me,” Moore said. Moore appeared Thursday on Newsmax’s National Report with Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg live from the southern border near Yuma, Arizona. “The people of Yuma have a story to tell,” Moore said. “The number of encounters they’ve had over the last three years, the difference in what the Trump administration was doing for this community and what’s going on now under the current administration is a remarkable difference. It’s a stark difference in how we handle the southern border.” Moore said that President Joe Biden should visit Yuma. “If nothing else, it would show he actually puts America first. We have a president who globe-trots around the world trying to solve other nations’ problems and denies and ignores the problems right here in our very own country, whether it’s East Palestine or the U.S. southern border,” Moore said. “These are things that this administration could lead on, and they’ve turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the American people and the crises we face here in this country.” Moore said that if the American people knew what was happening at the border, they would be upset. “A closed border is a compassionate border,” Moore said. “We cannot address immigration reform in this country until we close this southern border and get a handle on what’s going on down here.” Moore is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has ordered the Committee to hold hearings on the border crisis to draw attention to the problem. Moore said that Democrats were invited to attend the field hearing; but chose not to. Barry Moore is in his first term representing Alabama’s Second Congressional District. Moore previously served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
