on capitol hill, the health rules committee members have been recessed several hours. they are working on four bills that would provide military aid to israel, ukraine and taiwan as well as require the use of u.s. seized russian assets to repay aid to ukraine. more coverage when members resume their work here on c-span. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. funded by these television companies and more, including comcast. >> oh, you think this is just a community center? no, it's way more than that. >> comcast is partnering with 1,000 community centers to create wi-fi enabled lift centers so students from low income families can get the tools they need to get them ready for anything. announcer: comcast support c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, ving you a front row seat to democracy.

>> the u.s. homeland security secretary testified on the president's 2025 budget request one day after the senate voted along party lines to dismiss impeachment articles against the secretary. some republican senators criticize the move during the hearing, others focused on order secured, and the process for young, undocumented immigrants. this is about two hours.

>> the department of homeland security has dedicated -- and dedicated employees has played a central in keeping our country safe. we must ensure they have the resources necessary to keep doing that work and to safeguard our nation from rapidly evolving

security threats. today's hearing is an important step toward that goal. this morning we will examine president biden's 2025 budget request and assess what the department of homeland security needs to fulfill its critical missions in the coming year. i am pleased this proposal includes several investments to combat persistent threats in michigan as well as across the united states. for instance, cyber attacks continue to pose serious threats to the homeland. this past february, and ransomware attack disruptive thousands of pharmacies and hospitals. last summer, microsoft faced a dangerous intrusion into its cloud system. as always, attacks pose a great danger to our citizens. it is critical the department of homeland security receives the

resources it needs to bolster cybersecurity and i'm glad to see this budget includes significant resources for our leading cybersecurity agency. we also have a chance to discuss the department plans to secure our northern and southern borders. the irregular flow of migrants at our southern border continues to put the strain on law enforcement officials as well as neighboring communities. members of this committee, senator sinema and senator langford, worked hard to negotiate a bipartisan water bill this past year that would have been the most significant border bill in decades to strengthen our presence on the border and i would like to take a moment to thank them. thank you for your hard work in developing that compromise. unfortunately it didn't move forward. unfortunately i have many callings that like to talk about solving a problem but would much rather throw rocks than solve

the problem. unfortunately, even though the bill had the potential to make substantial changes in our immigration system and would provide critical resources for frontline operators, partisan politics not in the way, the rock throwers got their way as opposed to problem solvers. these long-standing challenges are more serious than ever and this budget will give us a chance to meet them head on. president biden's budget request includes resources to hire more law enforcement officials, updating our screening technology and keep fentanyl from reaching our communities. we also have to commit resources to our northern border. as a member of the appropriations committee, i was proud to secure funding to establish the northern border coordination center, which will create one unified entity that focuses on keeping our northern border security or i look forward to hearing the secretary's insight into the security needs of of of our

borders, northern and southern. natural disasters and climate change continue to present some of the most serious threats to the homeland. i've been proud to work with dhs on efforts to mitigate damages from natural disasters and held a hearing earlier this year on the devastating effects of wildfires across our country and i certainly appreciate the work senator romney has put into that issue. we must continue to strengthen our disaster response efforts and i look forward to discussing how this proposal helps continue that work. we also have to address the threat posed by unmanned aerial systems, more commonly known as drones, whether they are used recklessly or controlled by an operator with bad intentions, they can pose a serious security threat to mass gatherings like sporting event, concerts and more. the current authorities we need to address the problems will expire this may and i will continue working to reauthorize

and expand them so we can continue to protect our citizens, our airports and critical infrastructure from this growing threat. secretary, you will provide a key perspective on the key threat drones posed to our communities. finally, the threat of the mystic terrorism is more serious than ever. the war in israel has heightened tensions at home, leading to a spike in antisemitic, anti-arab and anti-muslim hate. at the same time, white supremacists and antigovernment supreme us continue to pose a significant domestic terrorism threat to the united states. i've been proud to work with the department to address this problem and ensure we are adequately tracking the danger it poses to our citizens. i'm glad this proposal includes resources for the nonprofit security grant program, an initiative i helped establish that gives organizations and

houses of worship the resources they need to stay safe and i look forward to hearing how else we will reduce the threat from domestic terrorism. these are just a few examples of the many security threats that face our nation and the solutions that have been proposed in the president's budget will be a major topic for us to talk about today. i look forward to having a productive, professional discussion today about the departments plans to continue to keep americans safe. with that i would like to recognize ranking member paul for his opening remarks. sen. paul: yesterday your impeachment trial ensued in the senate. i don't see this as a happy day or a day i take pleasure in, but it is a sad day, in the sense that it has come to this, this wasn't a debate over policy, it

was a debate over malfeasance, whether you've been telling the truth and enforcing the law. we have a disaster at our southern border, a disaster that becomes very personal to people. a family, this disaster cost them a loved one. people show up at the border every day and they simply said i am joe smith from venezuela and waltzed in. there are supposed to be rules, there are rules about rolling people, a small number of people were paroled, it has become a blanket in this administrative -- administration. you testified last year that parole was individualized but the administration has admitted it is a public and if it to have migrants come in as migrants as opposed to the legal aliens as if there is a difference. people come by and we don't see them, we give the migrant status and somehow that is better and there is a public benefit to

that, but that is not individualized, it is judging people as a group i can help but be sad for lake and riley and her family who didn't have to have this. he wasn't paroled for any of those reasons. you have either said you don't have the knowledge, and we will ask again, how to the murder of lake and riley get into this country and what was the statute that allowed you to do it, how could you and how could you sleep at night having done that. there are laws. this is about whether or not the biden administration believes in open border policy and whether we have laws. the last administration was enforcing the laws. like in riley's family will

never get her back. that man came in and apparently was let go because they said it was full. there is no statute saying when the camps are full you just let people in. we have a system of saying what is your name, we think or print you and off you go could we have over 300 people on the terrorist watch list that come in and are later found on the watchlist. we have people coming to new york, we give the money and put them in a hotel and as they come past the cameras, they are flipping the bird to everyone in america. it's a sad day for america and you presided over this, over a disastrous border. it is in a matter of policy, it's a matter of you like open borders and we like a more secure border. there is a law, we have a law and you are supposed to enforce that law. yesterday was a sad day because the majority went ahead and set the precedent that having lied

to congress, there wouldn't be an examination, they would simply say that lying to congress did not rise high enough to be high crimes and misdemeanors. the chairman says we are just throwing rocks and that's why we didn't fix the border policy and that is not true. the fix was at best a fix that would've allowed 5000 people a day before we would have taken extraordinary measures to slow the influx of migrants, but even after that, they would still come to the ports of entry. it wasn't a reform, it was a whitewash. all of the laws that existed under the trump administration still exist under the administration. you have all the powers you need. the executive may admit migrants, it doesn't say the executive branch shall admit migrants.

you can simply say that we are full up. we will stop taking migrants into we can sort out the mess on the border. you have the power to do that now. you just don't utilize those powers. we just think you are not obeying the law. i think it is a sad day and yesterday was a sad day we had to impeach a member of the cabinet. today is a saturday the majority chose not to even hear the arguments or see the proof one way or another and have a real trial. i look forward to trying to get some answers today and i hope you will tell the truth and not simply say i don't know. you have been asked about lincoln riley's family, you should know everything about the alleged murder. i hope you can explain why that happened. >> is the practice to swear in

witnesses so if you could stand and raise your right hand. do you swear the testimony you give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god? sen. peters: this is the seventh secretary of the department of homeland security. he has led a distinguished career over three decades. as a law enforcement official and lawyer in the private sector. he has served as the department's deputy secretary, director of u.s. citizenship and immigration services and at the department of justice in the central district of california. thank you, once again, for being before our committee. you may proceed with opening remarks. sec. mayorkas: distinct members of this committee, every day, the men and women of the

department of homeland security carry out our mission of the security of the american people. skies cyberspace, borders, and , leaders. they stop deadly drugs from entering the country. they leave the response and maritime emergencies. as we speak, they are engaged in the response to the tragic francis scott key bridge collapse in baltimore. they help communities rebuild after national disaster, they combat the scourges of human trafficking, forced later and -- labor and child exploitation and more, despite a perennially insufficient budget. the members of dhs deserve support and the american people deserve what dhs can deliver. the fiscal 2025 budget are critical to meet both goals. i look forward to discussing the

budget and highlights today. when we were founded in the wake of 9/11, i visibly -- high visibility targets worthy primary concern. that foreign threat still exists. now we confront radicalized offenders in small groups already residents here in the united states. this budget provides an $80 billion increase for the nonprofit security grant program and additional funds for targeted violence and terrorism prevention grants so that dhs can better help communities prevent tragedies from happening. the presidents of budget provides needed funding to improve our cybersecurity and resiliency. sentinel is wreaking tragedy across communities in the country. they have arrested more individuals for the related crimes within the last two

fiscal years than in the previous five combined. the budget includes funding to advance our strategy, including funds for targeted operations. during a time when the world , including our hemisphere, is expensing the greatest displacement of people since world war ii, dhs has maximized our available resources and authorities. in the last 11 months, we have removed or returned more than individuals that did not have 630,000 to stay. a legal basis more than in every full fiscal year since 2013. the president's budget will further expand these efforts. it provides funds for hiring line apportionment -- law enforcement and personnel. the immigration system is fundamentally broken. only congress can fix it. congress has not updated the immigration enforcement law since 1996, 28 years ago. only congress can deliver on

our need for more border agents, asylum officers, judges and asylum facilities. our administration works close with bipartisan senators on a supplemental national security package, badly needed and would give dhs the tools and resources needed to meet border challenges. we remain ready to work with you to pass this tough, fair, bipartisan agreement. finally, extreme weather continues to devastate communities. last year, fema responded to more than 100 disasters. our budget provides over $22 billion to help survivors in the aftermath of major disasters. and additional funds to invest in resilient strategies to save lives and text pair money in the decades to come. essential to our success across all mission steps are department's ability to recruit

and retain a world-class workforce. in addition to the front border workforce i mentioned, the president's budget includes $1.5 billion to maintain our commitment to fairly compensate the tsa workforce. the recently passed 2024 budget, will help with many of our operations. it was enacted too late to implement an appreciable hiring search. it reduced by 20% support for cities dealing with miter related challenges and cut critical research and development funding. i am eager to work with you to address these and other shortfalls in the weeks ahead, as i am eager to deliver sustained funding, resources and support that the storage nearly talented and dedicated public servants of dhs need and deserve. thank you, mr. chairman. sen. peters: thank you. committee members, we will start the first round of questions. our intent as we traditionally

have, is two rounds of questions. but i have a lot of members that want to be here and this is a very challenging time for everybody's schedule so i will be very strict on the time, the seven minutes in the first round for everybody to adhere to that and respect our colleagues who want to ask questions. we will then take a break before the second round to give the secretary some time. we will play it by ear. my intent is to do that. there we go, a motorcycle. five minutes in the second round and once again, i will be more aggressive than i usually am because of the interest in this committee, to make sure we stay to the time. i will lead by example and stay within my time.

second round. i will be more aggressive than i usually am because of the interest in this committee to make sure that we stay to the time. i will start by leading by example, staying within my time. secretary alejandro mayorkas, i am focused on ensuring that the dhs and the doj have the authorities needed to counter the evolving threat posed by unmanned aerial systems or drones operated by bad actors. your department's current u.s. authorities, are set to collapse on may 11th, 2024. leaving major events like the indy 500 and the new york city fireworks on july 4th, unprotected. unprotected from is growing drone threat. my question for you sir, what would losing this authority mean to our combined efforts to protect the homeland? >> mr. chairman, the loss of our authority to counter unmanned aerial systems, would

leave us less secure, and less safe. the proliferation of unmanned cyst is for adverse uses, has only grown. the capability of the systems, has only increased, with respect to speed and distance covered. payload carried. that system quite compelling. while i appreciate the dhs operation, i believe they have resulted in seizures of over 5500 pounds of illicit fennel.

this is in the first two months of fy 2025 alone. clearly, more needs to be done. looking at dhs's budget request, i'm concerned that the department is relying on congress to pass a supplemental appropriation, to advance the fight against fentanyl and synthetic opioids. my question is, how will the dhs address resources that address this challenge if congress fails to take action? unfortunately, it has in the past did >> we do the most with what we have. we engage in strategic operations. we have nonintrusive inspection technologies. we deployed operating labs. we have criminal organizations to work with international partners.

the department of homeland security do so much with the limited sources that they have. they have provided us with additional resources to combat fentanyl. this is no other than i have seen. you throughout my 12 years as a federal security. ranging from cocaine to black tar heroin. >> i was looking at watch listing and screening practices from our nations are words. this report, including concrete recommendations that dhs should implement in order to enhance national security. also upholding travelers dignity and rights. dhs, addressed the reform and politics. this is a holistic manner. we are establishing a watch

listing and streaming advisory council and my question for you, what actions has dhs taken so far to begin to address these three recommendations and report? >> mr. chairman, we were published. we were certainly acting upon it read this is the highest purpose to ensure the safety and security of the american public treated doing so well complying with civil rights and liberties. we have privacy rights. department of homeland security, looking to get their own practices. we are looking at the offices of civil rights and civil liberties. we are also working with other departments and agencies. this is with respect to the recommendations, and the important recommendations that are reported the issue. >> i still have remaining time. i'm going to stop the remaining

time. i need to relieve temporarily, to look at the armed services committee. senator, this is going to be here right now. i recognize the ranking member for his comments. >> secretary alejandro mayorkas, your ministration, president joe biden's ministration, over 1 million people have been paroled. what's the criteria that you have used for parole individuals? >> ranking member of the parole process, this is one that we executed according to the law that we make. this is with respect to significant public benefit. we have the urge for humanitarian reasons. >> for what reason was the alleged killer paroled? how were they allowed to come to this country?

>> ranking member paul, first and foremost, all of our hearts rake for the family. secondly, the perpetrator of this heinous, criminal act, needs to meet justice to the full extent of the law. i will not comment on the particulars of the case. the matter is being prosecuted by authorities now. >> this is in the case of whether or not he murdered her. why was he paroled? >> my same answer. >> you are refusing to give the answer? >> i have provided my answer. >> the document says that the subject is accused of killing him. he was paroled due to detention capacity. it was full. the detention capacity, is that allowed to be used for reasoning with role? >> let me assure you that

individuals who propose a safety threat, are the highest priority for detention. the reality with respect to this administration, but every administration that proceeds me, is that the number of encounters has exceeded the number of detention beds available. >> is a statutorily legally allowed to use the excuse? he was paroled two to retention capacity. is that allowed under the law? >> my prior answer stands. >> this means you are not going to answer the question? >> no, ranking member. i have answered the question. >> you haven't. you have testified previously. you have testified today that there are two reasons that you can be paroled. urgent humanitarian need, or significant public in a fit. the reason listed, parole, due to retention capacity, is this

a lawful reason for paroling someone? >> ranking member, paul, i am not a legal expert in this regard. let me assure you that when an individual is encountered at the border, and they are deemed to be at the time of encounter, a threat to public safety and national security, they are a priority for detention. if not, they receive a notice to appear, and replace enforcement proceedings. the number of individuals encountered at the border, exceed the number of beds available in our detention facilities. that is not something specific to this administration. this is something that has been remaining true. >> they might have more beds in mexico. the administration when you came into office, reversed 92

executive orders of donald trump demonstration. this allowed them to have people remain in mexico. allowed them to probably have 90% less paroles than you have. you come to us, and you say you only had more registration and legislation, why don't you bring back the executive order that seemed to be working? you got rid of them for little purposes. why don't you bring back the 92 executive orders that you reversed? >> i respectfully disagree with the premise of your question. >> that is because you refuse to look at the facts. it is still insulting to all of us. insulting to the memory of others that have been killed by people who came into this country. march 2nd, illegal alien who got into the country, killed washington state trooper, christopher get. haitian men, entering the u.s.,

was arrested for sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. march 21st, illegal aliens in el paso rush the fence. you saw that on national television. illegal alien on march 23rd, murdered a 25-year-old michigan resident, ruby garcia. chinese national came across the border. the stories go on and on. i think a lot of people in america are going to be up old to know that you are refusing to answer the questions. was it lawful to parole him? you say the camp is full. >> this is the federal prosecutor for 12 years >> they need to be held accountable for their crimes.

>> that is not much consolation if you have waited until after he has murdered somebody. it this is the honor system. there could be some databases that you check. they would still let them go. now, they have a new name and fingerprints. they have been given a new identity by your agency. i'm saddened by the loss of loved ones for this. if it were me, i would be upset

by this. i would be possible to make sure that another one doesn't get in. i'm surprised that the democrats let you get away with it. >> mr. secretary, welcome. it is good to see you. on behalf of most of us, thank you for your service. you have taken on most jobs from anybody in the government. i'm a big believer. bipartisan solutions are true. i'm not interested in having talking points, or getting on decisions. i just want to solve problems.

not a free man in paris, but a free man in delaware. they spent nowadays, but weeks. maybe even longer, working with the administration. particularly with you, to find bipartisan solutions. serious solutions will help us address these issues. this is a shared responsibility. looking at the secretary of this department. this is a shared responsibility. this is from the executive branch and the legislative

branch. this will since the first created. when we are at our best, we work together. we work across party lines. we do this in this case as well. let me just ask if again, secretary, if you could think back on the last several months. i mentioned three of our colleagues. as we turn the page, how do we actually solve this problem? what are some key lessons that should emerge for us from those negotiations? >> senator, the senate negotiated bipartisan bill would have been transformative. it would have been transformative in two primary regards. we have resources to the department of homeland security, and the other department agencies in the

federal government that administered immigration law. field operations officers, or within u.s. customers and border protection. over 4000 asylum officers. more immigration judges. this is as an example. in addition, very importantly, it would have changed the system. the broken system dramatically. one of the greatest of our current system. it takes multiple years from the time of encounter. we have a final adjudication of the asylum case. the senate negotiated bipartisan legislation. this would have taken a multi- year process. this draws people to the united states. this would have shrunk it to sometimes less than 90 days.

that changes dramatically, the calculation of attending migrants. it would have empowered us to use expedited removal. we have a speedy and fair process for individuals not just in immigration detention. we have those outside of it as well. a transformative piece of legislation that was extremely tough, yet fair. >> i just want to thank you for that. most of us go home at the end of a legislative week. i go home almost every night. we are going to be doing this for 23 years. i feel lucky to be closely tied to that state. i suspect that we are not in session. we have 3 million people. this is for each county during the week. businesses are based large and

small. they have schools and medical school facilities. the questions i asked, i ask how you doing. how are we doing? what can we do to help? this is more of our year. businesses large and small. >> they have a different responsibility. we have different players trying to respond from different communities. this includes bipartisan legislation. this is including the workforce. it includes immigration. that would help us in a legal way, provide a legal path.

stay here for a while. this was every week from our employers. i will pass to the next colleague. can you please speak to the importance of funding the dhs budget request? passing the bipartisan border deal so that the department can be promptly and properly resourced to carry out the work security missions? >> with respect to the bipartisan? >> looking at the budget requests. >> as i articulated before, with a significant resource to the department. this is not just at the border, but in the asylum process. we can adjudicate those cases

more rapidly. they have a shorter period of time. they have a dramatic impact to the border. >> the last thing that i would say before i turn it over, a heartfelt thank you to your family. i can imagine what it has been like to go through this literally last five or six years. thank you to all of them. senator johnson. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and mr. secretary. not only showing the undeniable reality, from a catastrophe from the border policy, but they also show cause and effect. this is what sparked all of the subsequent crisis use. i'm trying to speak to what donald trump face. because of the reinterpretation

for settlement, he was rapidly looking at encounters in the border. it was rapidly increasing. this peaked in 2019. this was back in 2014. obama's humanitarian crisis. donald trump, took action. he used the assisting authority. we are looking at the floor settlement from interpretation. he secure the border. by april 2020, we were down a little bit over 500 individuals encountered at the border today. when you entered office, he reversed although successful policies. you opened up the border. it is a catastrophe.

this is the number of people that you have let in. why did you do it? why did you reverse those policies? why did you create this catastrophe? >> senator, i respectfully disagree with the premise of your question. we did not open up the border. we enforced the law. >> do you deny that you reversed the donald trump policies that could secure the border? >> no, senator. that is not what i said. we can first the law. >> you reversed the donald trump policies that were at the border. >> if we can look at your chart, forgive me. the chair is blocking them.

the former president is remaining in public policy. this was implemented in january 2019. they saw an almost 100% increase in the number of encounters over 2018. >> you went down to 500 and with covid, you started spelling under title 42. you didn't have to do that. let me ask another question. i was reading a list of a dozen people in the last four months. publicized murders, rape, a two- year-old caught in crossfire. crimes committed by this country illegally. it has not been for your reversing of the donald trump housings. open border policies. those crimes would have been committed. when you go to bed at night, you have any regrets? do you have any remorse?

do you have your complicity? it is within these crimes. your open border policies are aided and embedded. this is the murder of americans. the rate of americans. people have lost their loved ones, as of this catastrophe. this open border policy. if you have any remorse or progress? >> senator, two points. all of our hearts break for the victims of these heinous crimes. second, the criminals who committed those crimes, are responsible. >> they would not have been in this country if you did not allow them through the open border action. do you ever call up the families of the crime victims? do you ever talk to the family?

>> senator, as i stated previously, all of our hearts break for the loved ones of those who have been lost at the hands of criminal conduct. >> so your heart is broken. you have regrets? you admit your culpability? do you admit that your actions have resulted in the deaths, murders, and results of thousands of americans? i have the statistics here. assault and battery, up 5.7 times over the last few years and homicide is up 17 times. user from keeping people in this country illegally. this is up 2.5 times. messaging a direct result of your actions. president joe biden's actions. actions of the democrats in the senate. they refused to vote to complete the wall. it would have helped. secretary of homeland security,

wants a secure border. they want the open border. they caused this problem. they won't admit it. donald trump, the president authority to open up the border. now you refuse to secure the border let me paraphrase a pretty active quote. we were playing chess. they were playing checkers. we have the ukraine funding. we are in a lot other shape than we were three months ago on the border. you were negotiating to secure the border. you were looking at political cover for yourself and president joe biden. this is for the democrats and the senate. if you were serious about securing the border, you could have done it. you would have let it remain

secure read he would have left those policies that work. they would have secure the border and allowed us to establish a functioning, legal immigration system. you blew it all up. that is the result. that is the catastrophe. you have been denying before this committee repeatedly, that you are a problem set her. it is a challenge. >> your time has asked wired. >> secretary alejandro mayorkas, you and i have spent a lot of time together. i would daresay that you and i have spent more time together than anyone here. we know things that congress can do to be able to attack this. the challenge is trying to get those things implemented.

there is a rumor out there that they are considering a change in 212 f authorities. there could be some used during this time period. could you give us some time? >> i'm proud of the time that we spent together negotiating what would have been a transformative solution. this is to our broken immigration system. we in the government, consider consistently all the time what options are available to us. this is the responsibility of the government. we have not made any decisions that are in a position to announce today. i can assure you that we are considering all the options before us, looking at responsibilities to the people. >> i know you're making some considerations on that. when would we know?

>> no consideration being made yet. i don't have a timeframe to present to you. >> there are clearly differences with how they have them enforcing the border. this is the same executive authority. the negotiated agreements, including el salvador at the time, we don't have the same agreement with them. we want to re-establish some of the same types of agreements that are right there. we don't have the same enforcement mechanisms. the courts step back in, and remain being able to reinstitute it. the enforcement is different. the differences that are there, one needs to be done, president joe biden, dhs, using all the leverages that you have, to be able to enforce border as obama and president donald trump did,

this congress has a responsibility as well. this is what we had negotiated together. this is doubling the deportation flights, doubling the intention of the retention beds. decreasing the number of immigration judges, increasing asylum officers. changing so that there is a more rapid turnaround in that process. this is for removal. this is so that you are not hamstrung with some of the court decisions being made at best. all of these are dramatic changes that congress needs to do. i have been hard on members right here. we have work that we have to do. you and i have had conversations as well to be able to say that there are things the administration can do. i encourage the state department to be more focused on these countries. turning people around. i encourage the department of justice to be more clear on things that they are not doing right now. the frustration that you here, is the sense that congress has some things that we need to do. we don't feel like state

department's, are using every tool at the resource. we are eager to see the 212 f, and see what is being determined at this point. i think we had 5800 people that crossed yesterday. obviously, that is an intolerable people number for everyone. can you talk about special- interest aliens? this is a different group out there that has been difficult to get information. this is a group that they have defined for a while. they have the potential for the national security risk. thousands of individuals have been designated as a special interest alien. we can't get any information on it. this committee that has the oversight, has had one briefing on it. this was a last year that has a bipartisan briefing. they worked for months to be able to get that one classified briefing on it. since the briefing time, we have asked for a follow-up. we have nothing on it to get details. where are the aliens coming

from? what are the details on those? these are folks that your team has identified as massive security risks. is our understanding, thousands of them are being released. can you give us any clarity on that? can you give us the access to anytime about those folks? >> i'm very disappointed to hear that you feel that we haven't provided you with the information that you have requested. i am working with my team to ensure briefing from those of you that are interested in is very important side effect. >> we have had six formal requests from this calendar year. we absolutely need more information about this. this is a very special concern to us. trying to figure out how we get the result. you and i have worked on the

supplemental piece. we included funding for 50,000 attention beds. deportation flights have been dramatically increased. part of the issue if we are releasing people, actually single adults, it increases the number of people that are coming. if we don't turn them around, we have immediate consequences. we have a delayed consequence. my question is, in the budget request, 34,000 beds for to request. why that number, when we know that we could get up to 50,000? at least 40,000. why a lower number? what about a number that you know you need? >> senator, the budget is of course presented on the context of the fiscal responsibility act. 2025 budget, was present before the 2024 budget was enacted read we fully support the 5000 attention beds. these were presented in the fiscal year 2024 budget.

i continue to believe that in the context of the senates bipartisan legislation, 55,000 beds was an advancement in our efforts. we look forward to working with this committee. they are funding the detention beds that have been needed. >> we have to be able to get that resolved. that is a serious issue that only congress can result. the white house need to make the roof on it. if you don't mind on this, dhs is looking at the system immigration services being found in the statement. parole programs that had been used, are allowing more people to come in. the parole program is looking at employer resources, from other immigration programs. we have experienced this on our offense they have been saying that some of these resources are final to the border.

i would love to have a statement back from your offense. if that is true, what is being done to change it? if not, why? >> i appreciate you staying on that timeline. for those of you who weren't here, colleagues are trying to ask questions. everybody is scheduling tightly. if you can state your time, i would appreciate that. senator romney, i appreciate your questions. >> in the last 3.1 years, during your term, there have been more illegal aliens released into the question -- country, then from the four prior presidents combined. i know there may be some in the country that apply that. i believe that frankly, if president joe biden is to be turned out of office, it would be largely because of that failure. on your part, and his part, is the person who is responsible for policy. i think a great majority of the american people believe, it is

a political bomb for the president. this is an extraordinary crisis and failure. do you believe that the numbers that you saw, it is released from the country. that is a crisis, and a terrible problem. that is a yes or no. >> i have said previously that it is a crisis. it is something that we work to address every single day. >> thank you. let me turn to the house of representatives. they took action to underscore the extent of this crisis. the democrats decided that they didn't want to spend more time talking about that. they are not intended to be hostile. the house said that you lied when you said to the house in a hearing, that the border was secure. why did you say the border was secure? what do you mean by that? >> allow me to assure you that

i have honored the oath of office that i have taken more than five times in my 22 plus years of federal service. >> let me go back to the question. accurate and irrelevant. you said the border was secure. what did you mean when you said the border was secure? >> you have asked me know if that is a lie. i have assured you, that i have honored the oath of office. >> in what way was it not a lie? >> with the authorities that we have, it is as secure as it can be. >> thank you. second question. the house correctly noted that encounters at the border, and the people seeking parole and so forth, should be detained. he released them. why did you release them? >> we release individuals into immigration from enforcement

proceedings. this is when the detention capacity cannot meet them in detention. they do not pose a threat to public safety or national security, based upon the screening and vetting that we have performed at the border. >> clearly, that was insufficient, given the number of crimes committed by the people. is there a law with the retention facility is full? i understand i can't put them in detention. the law requires this if there is more attention to space. what do you then do? under president donald trump, they were sent back to mexico, as i understand it. under your menstruation, they were released back into the country. >> yes, senator. >> do you want to explain? >> i want to be accurate with the data that i provide you. this is subsequent to this hearing. a total of approximately 70,000 people were processed through

the remaining mexico policy. the balance was either detained, or placed into immigration enforcement proceedings on a non-detained docket, with a notice to appear. that is something that has been characteristic of our broken immigration system. >> how many were sent back to mexico? how many were released into the country? >> i would be pleased to provide that to you subsequently. >> that would be helpful. asylum-seekers should be evaluated individually. why is that? >> senator, i don't know to what the house was referring. we make individualized assignment determinations or officers are trained to do so. based on the facts presented to them in each case. >> i would refer you to the articles of impeachment. i presume you would have had a chance to read. is that right?

>> i probably want to do that. this is the legislature that you did not follow. you or your legal counsel had to read that to make sure that you are following the law. they are not released into the country on block. it says that you did release on block. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i yield my time. >> senator scott, you are recognized for your questions. >> secretary alejandro mayorkas, you were the first in our country's history. this is a sad first for our nation. not because this wasn't warranted, because it was completely warranted by your failure that was being created by a wide order. i fully support with a hosted.

i'm honest that i am viewing your job performance. i do believe not just once. i think that is clearly a lie. this is from the consequences of your failures. i have talked to a lot of people at cvp. a lot of people at ice. they are doing the best they can. your horrific policies make their jobs impossible. they have been clear with me about that. when i talked to people about you, they don't get it. does he care about the thousands of americans have died from drug overdoses? is this because of your preside biden have invited into this country. do you care about the devastation that could happen at the hands of terrorists let into this country? does he care that even the fbi director's have allowed into

america? in my state, they are furious. they don't think that you care at all. just about everyone i talked to believes america is in a way more dangerous place because you have allowed criminals, drugs, terrorists, and other dangerous people into our communities. just as we love the house committee on that report on the fentanyl, you have let them into america through the southern border. the article said, quote, the chinese government not only subsidizes the manufacturer and precursor chemicals, but the report says there is a investigation into illicit manufacturers by warning the targets of investigation one u.s. law enforcement has sent a formal request versus federal agents who have described the notification of targets and pleading those targets to revamp operations to make it harder to track their

activities. i can't imagine if i was sitting in your position i would like to hear this, but the government seems to know that because of your policies on wide open border, you and president biden have created that they get to do whatever they want. now, what we know with communist china, they want to murder thousands of americans with sentinel. china is poisoning our nation and taking the lives of more than 75,000 americans each and every year. i assume you know this. i personally cannot see anything that shows that you know about it. there are real consequences to secure the border and every victim has got a name. unfortunately, real americans have been killed. families are being torn apart by vicious crimes and deadly drugs because we have a wide open border and we do. i spoke about one of the americans that was murdered by communist china's fentanyl that the cartels have pushed into

our country every day. her name is ashley dunn. ashley's mother said that ashley was murdered by your failure to stop ethanol from pouring into the united states. other interested americans like lake and riley are also paying the ultimate price for your failures. as we all know, laken has been brutally murdered. your agency just confirmed that this monster was in the u.s. after being probed by dhs. now, before, humanitarian reasons, you claimed you did not have the attention and capacity. that is not how law is supposed to work, but you did. it is against the law. if you followed the law, laken riley would still be alive. many people have illegally crossed. 6 million have been allowed to stay here and you have rolled out the red carpet for them. there have been sexual assaults committed all over the country.

even in florida, a man was just killed. a man charges his death to an illegal alien. let me go back to what i said in the beginning. the republican majority of the house has voted to impeach you for violating your oath of office. whether you believe that is right or wrong, that has happened. but unlike what happened in 2019 one democrats voted to impeach the president and republicans controlled the president, chuck schumer decided to deny you the ability to defend yourself in a trial. it seems to me -- to let yourself defend and try out for a couple reasons. either acting out of pure political interest are to protect incumbent members who do not want to talk about your members and the wide open border he has created and all the in the leash and it is allowing. or he is terrified of exposing your failures to the degree that it would be extremely painful for democrats to explain to the american public.

here is what i do not understand. just a few weeks ago senate democrats all voted against a bill to stop illegal aliens to getting on a commercial flight with no verifiable i.d. this is shocking considering that a recent report identified in 2023 alone, your the transit of 320,000 and administrable illegal aliens to 43 u.s. airports, preapproved by dhs on the app, many of them going to the home state of florida on commercial flights. and deporting illegal aliens who heard police like a violent attack on uniformed police officers in new york city by a group of illegal migrants. some of whom with known gang affiliations unlawfully enter the country on your watch. and democrats vote against the laken riley act with similar parts of i.c.e. before the tragedy strikes. it seems to me that democrats want to keep this border crisis growing and it is a crisis and

blocking every attempt republicans make to secure the border but when it comes to you they shut everything down and don't allow you to speak. you seem like a smart guy. you are a former prosecutor. i am sure you know how to defend your actions. i am surprised you did not read what they said about you in the house. you can present a case to yourself about life not be guilty. instead, democrats are setting a new precedent and destroying the rules and tradition to keep you quiet. do you think you are being silenced because democrats are terrified of your record and unable to defend you or because they don't trust you? >> senator hawley, you are recognized for your questions. thank you very much mr. chairman. mr. secretary, let's just come back to hosea borrow. you know who that is. i have a question. you know what he did? >> i know what he has been accused of doing.

>> which is? >> murdering a young woman. >> and i was not the first crime he committed in this country. was it? >> senator, i'm not going to speak about the facts of the case because there is an ongoing criminal investigation. >> have you read his parole file? >> senator, same answer. >> you're not going to say whether or not there is a parole file? >> senator, i do not want to speak to the particulars of the case given that pending criminal prosecution. >> i find this interesting. this is a new answer today. you changed your answers all over the map on this and it seems to me that you just don't want to answer the question. two days ago -- two days ago you were asked about this in a house homeland security committee. you are asked the same question. hosea borrow. why was he paroled? you said i don't know. you said i don't know. i don't have the case details with me today. congress in bishops is you

don't know and you said i don't know. i don't have the details with respect to the individual case but i would be pleased to provide them to you, congressman. you did not know two days a go. interestingly on april the 10th six days before that you gave senator katie britt a different answer. she ask you the same question. she said why was jose abara paroled into the united states? you said there is no derogatory information that we were aware of. you are happy to comment on the case then. by april the 16th you had developed amnesia and today you say you will not comment. which is it, mr. secretary? now that we have the file, i will tell you what the differences. congressman bishop do not have the profile and senator brett did not have the profile and now we have the profile and now we all know the reason that he was paroled into this country was because lack of detention capacity, which as you and i both know is not a valid

statute. and now that we know that for sure, this is right out of the profile. here it is. subject was paroled due to detention capacity at the processing center in el paso, texas. now, suddenly, you do not want to talk about it. this is extraordinary. it is also a pattern with you. let me try one more time. have you read the parole file? >> senator, i am going to give the same answer. >> which one? the one you gave to senator brett or the when you came to congressman bishop or the one you gave to senator paul or do you want to try a fourth one? >> senator, i will not speak to the particulars of the case given the pending -- >> of course you don't want to because it is an indictment of your policies. let's just review jose