On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Early morning Joe,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas argued that the number of crossings at the border has actually spiked in the previous year due to “hardship, violence, corruption, authoritarian routines, the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather condition occasions,” and incorrect information from smugglers.
Co-host Willie Geist asked, “You stated a moment back, Mr. Secretary, that we have a broken immigration system. And I don’t believe lots of people would disagree with you about that. And yes, this is a decades-old problem, but the fact of the matter is, simply today, we’re seeing record varieties of illegal crossings at the border. In the last year, practically 2 million arrests, another record at the border. Why has the problem gotten a lot worse just in this last year or two?”
Mayorkas responded to, “I would state 2 things: First, let’s not give up to the reality that we have a damaged immigration system. Congress requires to act. Let’s fix it. It’s been an issue that everyone agrees on for more than 20 years, top. Number two, the challenge that we are seeing at our southern border is not distinct to our southern border. It is a rise in migration, a rise in the displacement of individuals all across our area. In Latin America, and not just in our hemisphere, worldwide, we are seeing more displaced people now than we have at any time considering that The second world war.”
Geist then asked, “But why is it this in 2015? Why record crossings? Some have suggested it’s due to the fact that the impression that is out there is that it would be simpler under President Biden to cross into the country, that the consequences are less serious than they would have been under President Trump and even under President Obama. Why is the problem so extreme right now?”
Mayorkas reacted, “Well, a few elements: hardship, violence, corruption, authoritarian routines, the COVID-19 pandemic, severe weather occasions, the reasons for displacement are lots of, primary. And second, we are also combating smuggling organizations that spread incorrect info, that spread lies to meaning migrants, deceiving them into believing that the border is open, and it is not. And it has actually not been. Last year, we removed, returned, or expelled about 1.4 million people. And we are fighting the smuggling companies in an unprecedented way. We have actually apprehended more than 10,000 individuals associated with smuggling operations, and we are also communicating accurate info to intending migrants. We began a digital campaign only 2 days ago that constructs on all our other communications. If I had 2 words of care to offer to individuals who are believing to take the hazardous journey, I ‘d say, one, don’t take it. Utilize a safe, lawful, organized path that we have actually offered to you. And 2nd, don’t believe the smugglers, listen only to official government interactions.”
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