Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, fresh off his partisan exoneration from House impeachment charges, made a rocky return to Capitol Hill on Thursday to face furious Republicans who laid blame for American deaths directly at his feet.
He declined to answer questions about the illegal immigrant accused of killing Laken Riley at a Georgia college campus, insisted the border is as secure as he can make it, and acknowledged that he never took time to read the two articles of impeachment against him.
“Do you have any regrets? Do you have any remorse for your complicity in these crimes?” asked Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican. “Your open-border policy aided and abetted the murder of Americans, the rape of Americans.”
Mr. Mayorkas is the first sitting Cabinet secretary in history to be impeached by the House, in a near party-line 214-213 vote in February.
The Senate exonerated him Wednesday. Democrats, who control the chamber, voted to “dismiss” the charges, arguing they were unconstitutional.
That outcome did nothing to erase the anger at Mr. Mayorkas, who has overseen the worst border chaos in U.S. history. His department has detected record levels of illegal immigrants, fentanyl and terrorism suspects streaming from Mexico.
SEE ALSO: Laken Riley murder suspect had been released over lack of detention space
The secretary was dismissive of the impeachment proceedings.
“I have not read the articles of impeachment,” Mr. Mayorkas told Sen. Mitt Romney, who was nonplused with that answer.
“I’d probably want to do that,” the Utah Republican said. “Either you or your legal counsel ought to do that.”
The two articles charged Mr. Mayorkas with willfully subverting the law by refusing to carry out immigration enforcement statutes and with breach of trust by lying to Congress and the public.
Republicans said those weren’t just policy disagreements but evidence of “malfeasance.”
Much of the hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee focused on the slaying of Riley and on Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan illegal immigrant charged with the Feb. 22 killing.
SEE ALSO: Vulnerable Senate Democrats look to put Mayorkas trial behind them amid GOP attacks
Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, read parts of Mr. Ibarra’s confidential immigration file into the committee records, using his prerogative under the Constitution’s speech and debate clause.
He said Mr. Ibarra was caught entering the U.S. on Sept. 8, 2022, and was quickly released under Mr. Mayorkas’ power of “parole.”
Under the law, parole is to be used in limited cases and only for an urgent humanitarian need or a significant benefit to the public. The file said Mr. Ibarra was released because of a lack of detention space at a border facility.
“Now we all know that the reason he was paroled into this country is because of lack of detention capacity, which you and I both know is not a valid reason,” Mr. Hawley said.
Mr. Ibarra reported back to Homeland Security Department authorities in New York in July. Fingerprint results showed he had a criminal history. Mr. Hawley didn’t disclose that history.
Mr. Ibarra remained free and was arrested in New York in September on charges of injuring a child, Mr. Hawley said. The case wasn’t prosecuted.
In November, Mr. Ibarra applied to Homeland Security for a work permit to hold a job legally in the U.S. The permit was approved in December — after the department had the records of his criminal entanglements.
“He had a criminal record to start with, he’s in the country on illegal grounds, you have falsely and illegally allowed him in, he commits a crime against a child, it’s expunged,” Mr. Hawley said.
Mr. Mayorkas declined to talk about the details of the case and wouldn’t say whether he had read his department’s file on Mr. Ibarra.
“I do not want to speak to the particulars of the case, given the pending prosecution,” he said. Still, he said, “our hearts break” for Riley.
Mr. Hawley swatted Mr. Mayorkas for giving two different answers about Mr. Ibarra’s case in testimony to other committees this month.
“Why did you change your story so often?” Mr. Hawley asked.
“I’m confident that justice will be vindicated in the criminal prosecution,” Mr. Mayorkas said.
Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, blasted Mr. Mayorkas for not answering the questions.
“It’s insulting to all of us and insulting to the memory of Laken Riley,” he said.
Some of the Democrats who voted to dismiss the charges against Mr. Mayorkas praised the secretary.
“I’ve always found you very forthright, candid, very professional,” said Sen. Gary C. Peters, Michigan Democrat and committee chairman.
Other Democrats expressed disappointment with the secretary’s performance.
Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia said Mr. Mayorkas needs to realize that the Biden administration’s preferred solution for the border chaos — a congressional bill rewriting the immigration system — will not be presented.
“Only you have the power to address this crisis, and I urge you — I urge you — to act with utter urgency,” Mr. Ossoff said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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