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MAYORKAS’ BAD MEMORY. On March 1, newly-confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met the press in the White House briefing room. He famously refused to admit that the influx of illegal crossers on the U.S.-Mexico border is a “crisis,” preferring instead to call it a “challenge.” And then he just as famously addressed potential illegal crossers with this message: “We are not saying ‘Don’t come.’ We are saying, ‘Don’t come now because we will be able to deliver a safe and orderly process to them as quickly as possible.'”
It was a stunning moment. The head of the Department of Homeland Security appeared to encourage people to enter the United States illegally — but just not at this moment. Wait a while.
The Biden White House got a lot of blowback from Mayorkas’ remarks. The new secretary had a quick change of heart and revised his message to say that the border is not in fact open, and that would-be illegal crossers should not come, period.
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Now, Mayorkas appears to be so with the program that he does not remember that he ever said “Don’t come now.” He has apparently suffered a complete memory failure when it comes to his statement of March 1.
On Wednesday, Mayorkas testified before the House Homeland Security Committee. Republican Representative Carlos Gimenez of Florida brought up the secretary’s famous words. “You made a statement to migrants across the border that were looking to come into the United States, ‘Don’t come now,'” Gimenez said to Mayorkas. “Have you said that?”
“I don’t recall,” Mayorkas answered. “But I think the message is, in fact, not to come to the border, not to take the perilous journey. The border is not open.”
“So you didn’t say, ‘Don’t come now’?” asked Gimenez. Mayorkas replied, “If you are speaking of individuals who are seeking to come to the southwest border, the message is do not come.”
Later, the ranking Republican on the committee, Representative John Katko of New York, said to Mayorkas, “With respect to your not recalling whether or not you said ‘Don’t come now,’ I’m looking at a White House briefing from March 1st, and it states, quote, from you saying, ‘Don’t come now, because we will be able to deliver a safe and orderly process to them as quickly as possible.’ Does that refresh recollections whether you said before, ‘Don’t come now’?”
“Congressman, the point is, the bottom line is that the border — ” Mayorkas began.
“No, I understand, Katko said. “I just wondered if you, refresh your recollection?”
“The bottom line is that the border is not open,” Mayorkas said.
The hearing went on a long time. Mayorkas took a lot of questions and listened to a lot of lecturing by members of Congress. But he never admitted, never conceded, that he had uttered the words, “We are not saying ‘Don’t come.’ We are saying, ‘Don’t come now…'” Never.
Why not just say he had it wrong? Why not just say it was a mistake? Only Mayorkas knows the answer to that. But Mayorkas’ memory loss is not a good sign from the new administration. The Secretary of Homeland Security made a definitive statement, for all the world to see, and then completely changed his position and refused to admit he ever said what he said before.
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