"In Texas, we know this better I think than anybody. I remember going to the Border after Mayorkas rescinded 'Remain in Mexico'... it was chaos."
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Texas Insider Report) — Central Texas Congressman Michael McCaul delivered some serious and direct remarks at a House Homeland Security Committee Hearing examining the Biden White House's reckless policies – specifically those of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – that have empowered drug cartels in Mexico to seize operational control of the Southwest and U.S.-Mexico Border.
Cong. McCaul questioned the witnesses:
Jaeson Jones, Private Citizen, Former Captain of Intelligence & Counter-Terrorism, Texas Department of Public Safety;- Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies, Center for Immigration Studies; and
- Derek Maltz, Private Citizen, Former Special Agent in Charge, Special Operations Division, Drug Enforcement Administration.
"Mr. Maltz, I want to thank you also for your comments about foreign policy, because I can't think, from a Communist China standpoint, of a better foreign policy than introducing poison through Mexico into the United States, killing Americans and making money off of it. It's almost like a reverse opium war, and they see it that way. It's killed 70,000 young people, 20,000 pounds of fentanyl seized, enough to kill 4.6 billion people.
"My children have been to five funerals of their friends who thought they were taking Xanax or ADD medication and they never woke up. …
"In Texas, we know this better I think than anybody. I remember going down after Mayorkas rescinded Remain in Mexico, and I talked to the Border Patrol Chief, and it was chaos. I asked,
'What do you attribute this to? Is there a direct cause and effect between what you're seeing now and the policy changes from this administration?'
“He said, 'Congressman, there is no question there is a direct cause and effect between the rescission of Remain in Mexico and what we are seeing today.'
"What else are we seeing? The biggest human trafficking event of my lifetime. I've never seen anything like this.
"I was a U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, at the Texas border. I was chairman of this committee. We were, Ms. Vaughan, getting this under control. We were controlling political asylum because the cartels manipulate political asylum claims."When Remain in Mexico went into place, they couldn't manipulate it anymore. You know why? Because they couldn't get into the United States. Their claims were adjudicated with them in Mexico, and therefore, catch and release was ended finally.
"Ending catch and release was the very first bill I introduced in Congress, 20 years ago... and here we are today. It's alive and well, and this secretary is responsible in my judgment.
“There is rising crime, and the women go into sex trafficking … and the men go to MS-13. There is a criminal enterprise now not just in Mexico and Latin America, but right here in the United States, and it was created by this administration's policies.
“So, my question to the three of you — Mr. Jones, Ms. Vaughn, Mr. Maltz — do you believe that the actions of this secretary by rescinding Remain in Mexico, a policy that was effectively working, have created this criminal enterprise? Do you believe that this secretary is responsible for, and complicit with, the criminal enterprise that has resulted as a result of these policies being rescinded?"
Mr. Jones: “Yes, I do. And that is validated by not only the data from the United States Customs & Border Protection that validates the numbers that crossed into our country as a result of the exemptions created under Title 42, which Secretary Mayorkas is the architect behind. In addition, the overdose deaths in this country due to the sheer impact to mothers and fathers and families across this country. The data validates it.”
Rep. McCaul: “And one thing to add. The district court said,
‘You must reimplement Remain in Mexico.’
"The secretary did not comply with that order. He failed to comply with that order.”
"The secretary did not comply with that order. He failed to comply with that order.”
Ms. Vaughn: “I do believe that that the Biden-Mayorkas policies are responsible for a disaster. They are what’s responsible for the situation that we have today. And no amount of money that is funneled to these agencies is going to help the situation until the officers and agents are allowed to do their job. The policies, at this point, are more important than the money.”
Rep. McCaul: “In fact, the border patrol agents said:
‘Sir, we’ll turn our backs on you [Secretary Mayorkas] since you turned your back on us,’ as I recall.”
Mr. Maltz: “It starts at the top with the president, and it comes down. … So, the results are just dead children and the families going to funerals. That’s what it comes down to. I’m not an expert on immigration law or border patrol policies, but I know what’s going on in America. That’s why I’m here today. So, thank you.”
Rep. McCaul: “That’s why we marked up a bill in my committee to designate fentanyl as a chemical weapon under the Chemical Weapons Convention … that will give us more authority to go after them.”
