By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN
Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a high GOP goal within the Biden administration, will face lawmakers Tuesday within the first of a collection of hearings this week as Republicans put together to accentuate their assaults on him. .
Whereas management of the Home stays undecided, Republican lawmakers have already singled out Mayorkas and the Division of Homeland Safety among the many targets of their investigations in the event that they take the bulk, with a lot of their criticism centered on the dealing with of the border between United States and Mexico by the federal government.
Some Republicans have additionally raised the chance of the impeachment trial towards Mayorkas.
Tuesday’s listening to earlier than the Home Homeland Safety Committee will supply a glimpse of the assaults Republicans are anticipated to launch at Mayorkas and the place their focus will probably be.
The panel’s high Republican, John Katko of New York, described the state of affairs alongside the US southern border as an “unprecedented disaster” and criticized the administration’s method.
US Border Patrol made greater than 2.2 million arrests in fiscal 12 months 2022 for unlawful border crossings between the US and Mexico, the best annual variety of apprehensions on document, although many have additionally been returned to Mexico or their international locations of origin.
Nonetheless, the staggering numbers and up to date pressured resignation of US Customs and Border Safety Commissioner Christopher Magnus is more likely to come up. Mayorkas had requested Magnus to resign final week, in response to two sources aware of the matter. He tendered his resignation to Biden on Saturday, efficient instantly.
Magnus has been criticized internally for not being in touch with the company and publicly for his dealing with of the US-Mexico border. Throughout his tenure, officers additionally instructed CNN they believed Magnus appeared out of contact and would not be a part of some inside conferences at a important time for the company. CBP Deputy Commissioner Troy Miller is now serving as Performing Commissioner.
However the listening to earlier than the Home panel goes past border safety. The listening to can even contact on worldwide terrorism, home terrorism, cyber threats and election safety, in response to Adam Comis, a spokesman for the committee. FBI Director Christopher Wray and Nationwide Counterterrorism Middle Director Christine Abizaid can even testify alongside Mayorkas.
There have been solely a handful of documented cyberattacks concentrating on election-related infrastructure on Election Day, however nothing that stopped folks from casting their ballots, in response to US officers. However international affect exercise, using social media or different means to affect voters, is harder to measure.
However Jen Easterly, director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company, has raised issues about international brokers utilizing the times and weeks between Election Day and the certification of votes, together with the lead as much as a contentious Senate runoff in Georgia, to additional amplify misinformation about voting and sow discord amongst People.
Mayorkas can even seem earlier than the Senate Homeland Safety and Authorities Affairs Committee this week.
The CNN Wire
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