On Tuesday, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas declined to answer a reporter’s question regarding the record number of migrants entering the southern border through ports of entry.
In June, Border Patrol reported 99,495 illegal migrant encounters at the southern border, and there was a new high of 45,026 migrant encounters at ports of entry, surpassing the previous record of 35,000 in May.
The Biden administration’s efforts to increase entry appointments through the CBP One phone app contributed to this rise. In June, the number of migrants processed for entry via CBP One reached 38,000, according to CBP data.
While taking a walk with his dog and accompanied by security officers, Mayorkas seemed to ignore questions from reporters until one identified herself as a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. Only then did he respond, saying, “I’m sorry?”
WATCH: Biden DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, out for an evening stroll in D.C., scowls and walks away when asked about the crisis at the southern borderpic.twitter.com/ndSG7hUB8K
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 19, 2023
The reporter questioned Mayorkas about the low number of illegal encounters at the border but pointed out the increase in people coming through ports of entry.
She said, “The illegal encounters are low, but you’re bringing people through the ports of entry, do you have an answer to that? Do you have any explanation?”
After Mayorkas walked away, the reporter ran into him again in a nearby area and confronted him about why he had not provided an answer to the earlier question.
The reporter asked, “Mr. Secretary, I asked you a question earlier about the southern border and you refused to answer. Are you sure you don’t have anything to say?”
Mayorkas once again chose to walk away without providing a response.
The number of migrants using ports of entry has surged in recent months, with the Biden administration expanding the use of the CBP One phone app, allowing approximately 40,000 migrants to enter the U.S. through these ports along the southern border.
Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), House Homeland Security Committee Chairman, expressed concerns that the use of CBP One is part of a “shell game” strategy.
Green accused the administration of various issues, including lying to Congress and using the CBP One app as a means to create mass parole automatically, which he believes goes against the laws established by Congress.
Green said, “There’s the lying to Congress, there’s the CBP One app, which is just this big shell game to produce automatic mass parole in violation of the laws passed by Congress. It is a wanton disregard for the separation of powers and the Constitution of the United States.”
