Johnson Questions DHS Secretary Suitability for Office

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) along with 130 of his Republican colleagues questioned Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas suitability for office.

In March, there were more than 221,000 migrant encounters at the border. Should Title 42 be lifted, DHS estimates up to 18,000 migrant apprehensions each day. Johnson urged Secretary Mayorkas to rectify the shortcomings and properly reimplement the “Remain in Mexico” policy established under the Trump Administration. Additionally, Johnson cosponsored the Public Health and Border Security Act which prohibits the President from lifting Title 42 until 60 days after it has formally ended the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration.

The lawmakers write that Mayorkas has “willfully ignored laws passed by Congress requiring construction of physical barriers along the southern border.” Read the full letter here.

“Ignoring laws passed by Congress has led DHS to spend $72 million on canceled contracts to avoid building a border wall. This is an egregious use of taxpayer dollars and Secretary Mayorkas’s actions—or inaction—are putting the American people at risk,” said Johnson.

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