In the News

Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas was a "very evasive witness" and offered "non-answers" to lawmakers' vital questions during his three days of testimony about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, Rep. Mike Johnson said on Newsmax on Friday. 

"We were not satisfied at all," the Louisiana Republican, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "Remember, he used to be a litigator. He was the U.S. attorney, so he knows how to dodge a question, and he did it very adeptly."

Even if Mayorkas engaged with a lawmaker who was asking tough questions, he tried to run out the clock, Johnson added.

"That's why when it came to my time, I didn't even bother to ask him any questions," said Johnson. "I just explained what was on the hearts of the American people."

Johnson said he also pointed out to Mayorkas that he runs the third-largest department in the federal government and the largest immigration system in the world, and that "I think that his department has the smallest margin for error, because if the Department of Homeland Security, the secretary of that department, is unable or unwilling to do his job when crime surges, chaos erupts everywhere and people die."

Johnson also said he's "not buying it" when asked if Mayorkas' hands are tied where the border is concerned because of White House directives. 

"He does have this responsibility," Johnson said. 'It's in the mission statement of his department, and it is listed in his job description to keep that border safe and to prevent crime and terror in the homeland. He's doing the opposite of all those things."

Johnson said he told Mayorkas that he must start looking for another job, as there is an election coming up. 

"The American people are going to let their voices be heard on these critical issues, and we are going to retake the majority, and when we do I believe his name would be first on the list for impeachment," said Johnson. "I do believe he's committed impeachable offenses, and he's jeopardizing the homeland. We have drug cartels that are making billions of dollars because of this. They're flooding our streets with fentanyl, which by the way, has become the number one cause of death, with overdoses for Americans ages 18 to 45. We have sex traffickers, and young children are being abused and murdered on the trail. It's just a humanitarian catastrophe and he is responsible."

The White House could change its policies and reverse what's happening, but is unwilling, said Johnson, adding that makes the border situation look "like an intentional strategy" to GOP. At least 40 people on the federal terrorist watch list have crossed the border, but "we have no idea how many are actually here because, as you said, lack of documentation," Johnson said.

"It's a very dangerous situation," he said. "We are jeopardizing people in communities all across this country. Every state is a border state now. Because as we pointed out in the hearing, the evidence shows DHS is shipping people all across the country. They're taking these illegals. They're not deporting them. They're bringing them to a community near you."

Johnson also rejected Mayorkas' six-pillar plan on immigration, released this week during the hearings, as being "too little too late" and a "rehash of what they're already doing."

"It will do nothing to reverse this problem," said Johnson. "If they would hold Title 42 instead of repealing it, if they would remove their catch-and-release program, if they would go back to the remain in Mexico policies, the things that President (Donald) Trump had done under his administration to get control of this situation, we could fix this overnight."

However, since the Biden administration is not willing to return to the Trump policies, "we believe this is an intentional effort to flood our country with illegals, and it is a dangerous situation," Johnson said.