Hearing on Border 'Crisis'

GOP Lawmakers Demand 

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) participates in a discussion on the Right to Bear Arms during the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on February 27, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Ten House Republicans are calling for the Subcommittee of Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security to hold a hearing on the surge along the southern border and how it impacts homeland security and public safety.

The request was made in a Thursday letter to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who chairs the subcommittee. It was led by Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. A copy of the letter was posted on the House Judiciary GOP Twitter account.

"Transnational criminal organizations (TCO) and other criminals engage in human smuggling, a crime that happens on a ‘daily occurrence’ at the U.S. southwest border in deliberate circumvention of U.S. Immigration laws," they wrote.

"Because of the Biden administration’s immigration policies that have caused a surge of alien encounters along the U.S. southern border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection now has to divert its resources away from its priority missions and law enforcement duties to secure the border and instead process illegal aliens."

The lawmakers called the situation a "crisis."

"The subcommittee should hear directly from officials from the Department of State, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security about what the Biden administration is doing to address the criminal activity caused by the Biden administration’s radical policies," they wrote.

"In addition to human smuggling, the trafficking of illicit drugs carried out by Mexican TCOs is a prevalent and real concern along the southern border. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s most recent National Drug Threat Assessment, ‘Mexican TCOs are the greatest drug trafficking threat to the United States; they control most of the U.S. drug market and have established varied transportation routes, and hold strong affiliations with criminal groups and gangs in the United States.’ These TCOs ‘continue to control lucrative smuggling corridors,’ mainly across the U.S. southern order to traffic large quantities of illicit drugs."

The Epoch Times noted Biden officials have pushed back against claims the president’s policies have resulted in reduced security at the border.

"The border is secure and the border is not open," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told members of Congress during a Wednesday hearing. The White House has also called on people not to undertake illegal border crossings.

And earlier this week, Mayorkas said the administration is working to "rebuild" the immigration system that he claimed was "entirely disbanded" when Donald Trump was president.

In the letter requesting the hearing, the Republican lawmakers say they want to hear from Biden officials directly.

"We ask that you schedule a hearing so that subcommittee members have the opportunity to hear from, and question, Biden administration officials about how the Biden administration’s failure to secure the U.S. southern border has allowed TCOs, smugglers, and drug traffickers to engage in criminal activity and harm public safety. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter."