Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar apologized to the head of the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday over “breathtakingly xenophobic” attacks against him and his family by Republican lawmakers.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a Cuban American, had been grilled by GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee over President Joe Biden’s plans to terminate Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that represents one of the few ways border agencies can turn away illegal immigrants.
“Let me from the onset apologize to you, your family, and your staff for the sickening, breathtakingly xenophobic political theater that has occurred at this hearing, which has included attacking your family,” said Escobar of Texas. “I know that your family is profoundly proud of you for your service to our nation.”
‘WE DO’: DHS CHIEF CLAIMS US HAS OPERATIONAL CONTROL OVER BORDER WITH MEXICO
???
Buck: Sec. Mayorkas are you ashamed for what you have done to this country?
Sec. Mayorkas refuses to answer the question. pic.twitter.com/gsWSlMKjpr
— Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) April 28, 2022
Earlier in the hearing, Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado accused Mayorkas of “funding organizations that work in foreign countries to encourage illegal immigrants to come to America.”
“My constituents want you impeached because they believe you’ve committed treason. They believe you’re a traitor,” Buck said, adding, “Secretary Mayorkas, I was in an event this past weekend, and a lady approached me and asked me if you felt any shame for what you’ve done to this country … Would you please answer that lady’s question?”
The DHS head pushed back hard on Buck’s question, calling it “so profoundly offensive on so many different levels in so many different regards.”
“I won’t ask you for an apology,” Mayorkas added.
Republican members of the House grilled the looming DHS plan to end Title 42, which GOP lawmakers and a handful of Senate Democrats have opposed over concerns of increasing the likelihood of a border crisis.
Last month, Customs and Border Protection recorded 221,303 border encounters — a record number. The number for fiscal year 2022 has already surpassed 1 million encounters and is likely to exceed last year’s record of 1.7 million encounters.
But Democrats on the committee criticized Republican talking points at the hearing.
“There’s a whole plan about what this hearing is about,” said Democratic Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island. “And it’s about creating Fox News spots that they can use for politics, and I regret that you have to be part of it.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Cicilline referred to a 60-page memo put together by Rep. Jim Jordan, a ranking member on the panel, which was highlighted by a New York Times report last week.
“That’s a memo that includes misleading and provocative talking points that seek to portray migrants and refugees as perpetrators of gruesome crimes,” Cicilline added.
