Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has refused to testify on threats to national security, according to the GOP-lead Homeland Committee.The tension between Mayorkas and Republicans centers around disagreements on immigration policy, border security, and the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the migrant crisis on the southern border.Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “It is unacceptable that the FBI Director and DHS Secretary are refusing to testify publicly at our annual hearing on threats to the homeland. The American people deserve to hold these officials accountable for their actions under the Biden Administration.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on November 8, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Mayorkas has refused to testify on threats to national security.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on November 8, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Mayorkas has refused to testify on threats to national security.
Alex Wong/Getty
According to DHS, Mayorkas offered to provide a behind-closed-doors briefing to the committee and has already appeared 30 times.A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek: “DHS and the FBI have offered to the Committee a classified briefing to discuss the threats to the Homeland in detail, providing the Committee with the information it needs to conduct its work in the months ahead.”DHS and the FBI already have shared with the Committee and other Committees, and with the American public, extensive unclassified information about the current threat environment, including the recently published Homeland Threat Assessment.”DHS takes seriously its obligation to respond to Congressional requests for testimony; in fact, Secretary Mayorkas has testified 30 times during his tenure.”Florida Senator Rick Scott said in a social media post: ” The Biden admin just pulled out of our annual threats hearing in @HSGAC. They are cowards. Mayorkas must face the American people and answer for his historic failures that allowed for two assassination attempts on @realDonaldTrump & created a wide open border with terrorists, criminals & deadly drugs like fentanyl pouring into our communities. America is less safe because of him.”House Republicans impeached the secretary on their second attempt in February, accusing him of ignoring immigration laws and making “false statements” about the southern border.By a vote of 51 to 48, with one senator voting “present,” the Senate ruled the first charge was unconstitutional because it failed to meet the bar of a high crime or misdemeanor. While Democrats were unanimous, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the lone “present” vote.Mayorkas has faced a wave of criticism from the GOP over his handling of the migrant crisis.Mayorkas has been a frequent target of GOP-led congressional hearings. Some Republican lawmakers have said he has deliberately failed to enforce U.S. immigration laws.However, border crossings have plummeted under the Biden administration. In October 2024, there were 143,050 crossings, compared to October 2023 when there were 309,024 migrant encounters.Immigration was a major factor in Trump’s decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
