Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who served under then-President Joe Biden, said at the Politico Security Summit this week that the U.S. should have tightened immigration controls sooner at the southern border.
Mayorkas said at the event that most of the blame for issues on the border lies on a “broken immigration system” that set a “low bar” for admission to America for those who had a “credible fear of persecution,” Politico reported.
“I am not in a position to speculate, but I will tell you that I would be far more better rested and less punched,” Mayorkas said when asked if raising the bar would have prevented President Donald Trump from winning the 2024 election.
At the same time, Mayorkas also highlighted actions the Biden administration took to address the influx of migrants at the border.
“I was very pleased that in June of 2024, we took executive action that, I thought, made reforms that were sensible and that proved successful,” Mayorkas said. “Our tougher border stance in June of ‘24 was coupled with an increased focus on providing lawful pathways for people to arrive at the United States outside the hands of smugglers — more secure and more humanitarian. Those two combined — our numbers dropped 70, 75%.”
