Mayorkas Twice Dodges MSNBC Host’s Question About Border ‘Gotaways’

by The Daily Caller

Mayorkas Twice Dodges MSNBC Host’s Question About Border ‘Gotaways’

Harold Hutchison on January 31, 2023

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas ducked questions about “gotaways” from MSNBC host Jose Diaz-Balart Tuesday during an interview about the border.

“Some of the criticism includes, for example, the 600,000-plus get-aways, folks who came into this country and didn’t go through the process of requesting asylum. So, do you know where they are and who they are, the people that don’t request asylum when they arrive here?” Diaz-Balart asked Mayorkas.

“For the first time since 2011, the president of the United States presented a budget successfully that increased the number of Border Patrol agents,” Mayorkas said. “For the first time, this year we have 300 more Border Patrol agent eligibility positions than we did in the past. We are making tremendous strides. We are devoting tremendous resources to enhance border security and we’ll keep at it.”


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U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) encountered over 2.3 million migrants in Fiscal Year 2022, while another 600,000 migrants evaded CBP that fiscal year, Fox News reported. CBP reported encountering 230,000 people in October, the first month of fiscal year 2023, another 233,470 people in November, the second month of fiscal year 2023 and over 250,000 in December.

Diaz-Balart again questioned Mayorkas about the “gotaways,” people who evaded CBP at the border.

“Do you know where they are and who they are?” the MSNBC host asked.

“So, gotaways have been a challenge from year to year, regardless of the administration, whether it’s more than a million in the early part of this department’s administration or it’s hundreds of thousands over the ensuing years,” Mayorkas said. “But what we are doing is dedicating people, physical assets, and an increasing reliance in use of innovative technology to enhance our visibility and our interdiction capabilities.”

Republican Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas introduced a resolution to impeach Mayorkas Jan. 3, while the House Judiciary Committee scheduled a hearing on the border for Feb. 6.

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