Mayorkas Defends DHS Achievements As Trump Promises Tougher Immigration Actions

As the Biden administration comes to an end, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has highlighted his department's efforts to reduce border crossings.

During an interview Monday, he also spoke against proposals to dismantle the department, which oversaw a wide range of responsibilities including border and airport security, disaster response, and protection for top officials, AP News reported.

President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to take swift action against illegal immigration on his first day in office, has selected South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Noem's confirmation hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Mayorkas faced heavy criticism over border security and was impeached by Republicans in early 2024, who accused him of failing to enforce immigration laws. Mayorkas dismissed these claims as politically driven and baseless.

He highlighted the challenges the Biden administration faced upon taking office, including managing the Title 42 policy, a pandemic-era rule used to expel migrants quickly. While the administration ended the policy, concerns over rising immigration numbers created huge pressure to keep it in place.

Mayorkas noted that the Department of Homeland Security worked to increase resources, such as expedited removals, but faced funding shortages due to Congress's lack of support. The opposition ultimately derailed efforts to pass a bipartisan Senate deal for a long-term border solution.

"I couldn't disagree more vigorously. I just fundamentally disagree. Do they understand the reality of the number of encounters that we experienced at the border and how unacceptable that is from a border security perspective?" he added.

Mayorkas said he had spoken with Noem several times about important issues, such as the Jan. 1 truck attack in New Orleans and the wildfires in California. He described their conversations as "meaningful, productive, and positive."

He noted that illegal border crossings surged after President Joe Biden took office, but dropped massively last year. December marked the sixth consecutive month where arrests for illegal crossings were below the 2019 monthly average.

Republicans have criticized the Biden administration, saying it hasn't done enough to manage the border, and many voters shared this view in November. Mayorkas argued that the increase in crossings began toward the end of Trump's presidency.

Meanwhile, Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director P.J. Lechleitner slammed Biden last week for allegedly not acting sooner to improve border security and reduce the flow of migrants into the U.S.