In the wake of United States Customs and Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz speaking out contradicting his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, by telling the members of a House committee that the federal government does not actually have “operational control” of the southern border, Rep. Chip Roy called back to the patronizing tone used by Mayorkas back when Roy asked him the very same question.
When questioned by Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), the currently seated chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, “Does THS have operation control of our entire border,” Ortiz fired back a fast answer, “No, sir.” Green then highlighted the literal actual definition operational control per the U.S. Code: “The prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens, instruments of terrorism, narcotics, and other contraband.”
Roy was quick to send out a post on social media at Mayorkas, snapping, “I recall I asked you that question under oath… and you smirked and said yes.”
CC: @SecMayorkas (I recall I asked you that question under oath… and you smirked and said “yes.”) https://t.co/ISTc4ySq6W
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) March 16, 2023
Roy was making direct reference to his hardnosed questioning of Mayorkas in April of last year.
“There have been over one million plus individuals put into proceedings or released into the United States on your watch,” Roy started. “I’ve asked multiple Border Patrol personnel, not the union, mind you, that if we double, triple, quadruple that CPB budget, would that one million release go down, and they categorically said no, it would go up. Do you agree? Yes or no.”
“The only plan that you offered is to process aliens faster and encourage more to come,” Roy went on. “We know that to be true. I know it’s true, you know it’s true, cartels know it’s true and people around the world know it’s true and that’s why people are coming.”
“That’s false,” expressed Mayorkas.
“It’s not false,” fired back Roy. “Will you testify under oath right now, do we have operational control, yes or no.”
“Yes, we do,” responded Mayorkas.
Roy then put a spotlight on a section of the U.S. Code’s active definition of operational control. Mayorkas then stated that his predecessors in both 2019 and 2020 would have went along with him that there had been operational control.
Roy quickly shot back, “The Secretary would at least have had a basis for saying we had some sort of control of the border. But the fact is that we currently have people flowing across the border including dangerous narcotics and dangerous members of terrorists which your own agency sent a letter to my office after eight months, we were sent a letter saying there were 42 people on the terrorist watch list that are in the United States.”
“As you just said to Mr. (Jim) Jordan, you don’t even know where the hell they are! That’s what you’re saying is operational control?” exclaimed Roy.
