House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green stated that Vice President Kamala Harris' authority at the border has become a "punchline" for Mexican cartels as millions cross the border into the United States. Chairman Green made his statement on August 9.
"On her watch, Customs and Border Protection has recorded approximately 10 million illegal immigrant encounters nationwide, and more than 8 million encounters at the Southwest border," said Green, according to Homeland Security Committee. "She has become a punchline to the cartels. In July 2021, after she warned would-be border crossers not to make the journey, more illegal aliens were apprehended at the Southwest border than any other month in decades — and millions more followed."
According to Green, Vice President Harris was given the task of overseeing the border crisis by President Biden early in his presidency. Since then, Harris has made an effort to stop millions of dollars of funding from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while millions of illegal migrants cross into the United States. Illegal crossings have increased 140% since the end of the Trump administration.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol has arrested 14,000 individuals with existing criminal convictions illegally crossing the U.S. southwest border to date in FY24.
The CBP also reported that 380 individuals on the terror watchlist have been stopped at the border from 2021 to 2024. Only 14 were apprehended between 2018 and 2021.
Congressman Green serves as U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 7th District, according to his website. He is the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
