WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) sent a bicameral letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding the Department explain its reckless decision to radically expand immigration parole programs in the midst of an historic border crisis.
“Since the day they took office, President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have purposefully and maliciously eroded our nation’s border security. They have presided over the worst border crisis we’ve seen in decades and more illegal immigration than any administration in recent history. Now, they aim to sidestep Congress and the law by granting parole to hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants. This is a massive gift to the drug cartels and human traffickers that are killing Americans by the day and wreaking havoc on our country,” said Senator JD Vance (R-OH). “The American people deserve to know why the Biden Administration has taken this action, and more importantly, what legal justification there is to support it. I’m grateful to Congressman Biggs and all my colleagues who have joined me in this effort to hold President Biden accountable for his disastrous border policies. I look forward to a timely response from Secretary Mayorkas.”
“Secretary Mayorkas testified under oath that parole is ‘judged on an individualized case-by-case basis’ but I have seen no evidence to support this claim. Instead, his department is abusing the parole authority to mass-release hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into the country. The department’s latest announcement reveals that it will continue to proceed and even accelerate this abuse as parole grants will increase by 33% from just last month. It’s unclear where the department derives legal authority to parole groups of this size and how this policy change enhances border security. As usual, the department has some explaining to do and I’m grateful for Senator Vance’s partnership in this effort,” said Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
“The entire point of President Biden’s parole programs is to usurp Congressional authority and create new, unlawful pathways for would-be border crossers. Just consider this: When the monthly cap on beneficiaries is added up, it allows up to 360,000 additional aliens to enter the country every year for the purpose of staying permanently. The American people didn’t ask for these programs, and lawmakers didn’t create them. But that doesn’t matter to the open-borders advocates running the show in the Biden administration. First, their goal was to stop all immigration enforcement. Now they seek to bypass existing immigration programs and simply create their own. All that is left for President Biden to do at this point is to order the border to be erased from the map. This is a necessary move by Congressman Biggs and Senator Vance,” said RJ Hauman, Director of Government Relations and Communications at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
“NumbersUSA applauds Congressman Biggs and Senator Vance for demanding accountability from the Biden Administration for its latest national origins-based abuse of parole authority. Immigration law clearly states that parole must be granted on a ‘case-by-case basis,’ not a ‘national-origin basis.’ Not only is the Biden/Mayorkas plan illegal, it is discriminatory and will only worsen this historic border surge,” said Rosemary Jenks, Director of Government Relations at NumbersUSA.
“The president of the United States is sworn to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States. The Biden administration has shown that it is intent on doing the exact opposite with its handling of the border and immigration. By law, parole is only to be used on a case-by-case basis and in situations where admitting the individual to the United States represents a compelling public interest. This mass importation program does not come close to meeting those standards. I’m glad to see Senator Vance, Congressman Biggs, and others teaming up on this oversight letter. I hope that Secretary Mayorkas can take some time away from preparing his impeachment defense to fulfill his obligations to promptly answer these questions,“ said Mike Howell, Director of the Heritage Foundation Oversight Project.
Senate cosigners of the Letter include: Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL).
House cosigners of the letter include: Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX), Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), and Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX).
To read more of Sen. Vance and Rep. Biggs’ letter, click here.
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