In a recent impeachment hearing for U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-Tenn.) criticized Mayorkas' policies on the southern border, claiming they have contributed to a fentanyl crisis and endangered American lives. Green currently serves as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Green voiced his concerns stating, "The truth is that Secretary Mayorkas has disregarded court orders, laws passed by Congress, and has lied to the American people." He continued, "Today, we are here to examine the impacts of those actions on the American people – and launch into the substance and human cost of Secretary Mayorkas’ open-border policies." He concluded his remarks with a stark warning: "As a result of the reckless actions by Secretary Mayorkas, no American is safe."
According to his Congressional biography, Green represents Tennessee's 7th district. His career includes service as a veteran, an emergency room physician, and a former state Senator in Tennessee.
In his opening statement at the hearing, Green accused Mayorkas of implementing policies that have facilitated the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States. He claimed that approximately 150,000 American citizens died from fentanyl poisoning in 2021 and 2022 combined. The representative stated, "last year, Border Patrol intercepted enough fentanyl between the ports of entry to kill every single American." He highlighted that there could be additional quantities of fentanyl that entered the United States undetected due to 1.8 million known instances of individuals evading capture at the border.
Furthermore, Green said: "By redirecting so many Border Patrol agents from patrolling the borders to assist with processing and releasing illegal aliens, Secretary Mayorkas has made it far easier to smuggle fentanyl across the Southwest border." He referred to statistics indicating an increase in arrests of illegal aliens with criminal convictions in U.S. cities and criticized a border processing system that, according to him, cannot determine if an individual has a criminal background in their country of origin.
Green also highlighted the human cost of these policies, stating: "Sadly, numerous migrants suffer sexual abuse and assault along the way." He went on to discuss the human trafficking system operating across the border.
According to statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there were a combined 4.1 million encounters at the Southwest border in fiscal years 2021 and 2022. In comparison, there were 458,088 encounters in fiscal year 2020.
CBS News reported that December 2023 saw a record-breaking number of monthly border encounters, with over 225,000 illegal aliens entering through the southern border.
