Three House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are accusing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of releasing thousands of "illegal aliens" from custody and into the U.S. ahead of the GOP's congressional member delegation (CODEL) to the southern border on Jan. 3.
Johnson; House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., sent a three-page letter to Mayorkas on Thursday, saying DHS "intentionally released 1,500 illegal aliens every day" to hide the fact that the holding facility in Eagle Pass, Texas, had been at 260% capacity just days earlier. According to the New York Post, border agents were outnumbered 200-to-1. That is, until the CODEL arrived.
The facility went from "nearly 10,000 illegal aliens" on Dec. 20 to less than 600 in custody by the time Johnson and 60-plus Republican lawmakers arrived to see the crisis firsthand, the lawmakers wrote to Mayorkas.
"According to one CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] source, the agency sought to ensure that what the CODEL witnessed would 'pale in comparison to the migrant surge and grossly overcrowded facilities experienced during the month of December.'"
The GOP leaders also take umbrage that DHS didn't allow CODEL members to take photos or video of the facility but allowed a contingent from CBS News to do so previously.
Thursday's letter comes as House Republicans are mulling a push to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of the border crisis. Johnson last Sunday said he believes Mayorkas has "done this intentionally."
Earlier Thursday, Mayorkas again declined an invitation to appear before Green's committee over the border crisis. A deputy of Mayorkas' said the secretary was busy hosting Mexican cabinet members on Jan. 18, Green's handpicked date.
"As you can appreciate, the Secretary's schedule is quite committed with the work of the Department including hosting Mexican Cabinet Members next week to discuss border enforcement," Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs Zephranie Buetow wrote to Green.
In fact, Green did not appreciate it.
"It's certainly telling that one of the primary excuses Secretary Mayorkas gave us for declining to appear next week is that he must host a delegation of Mexican officials. Yet again, this Secretary is putting the interests of Mexico ahead of the American people. Apparently, he needs to be reminded that Congress is a co-equal branch of government, and our Committee, not Mexico, has oversight over his department," Green wrote in a statement.
Green first invited Mayorkas to appear before the panel Aug. 16.
"We have given him every opportunity to explain his handling of the crisis. Unfortunately, this pattern of defying Congress has continued with his refusal to testify before this Committee specifically about his handling of this crisis and his failure to enforce America's immigration laws. Apparently, accountability and transparency are not high on his priority list," Green wrote.