Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week there was “no crisis” at our southern border, only a “challenge.” Well, that challenge must have worsened during the past week, because now he’s asking for volunteers within DHS to help deal with it. In an email to staff, seen by Fox News, he wrote:
Today, I activated the Volunteer Force to support Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as they face a surge in migration along the Southwest Border. You have likely seen the news about the overwhelming numbers of migrants seeking access to this country along the Southwest Border. President Biden and I are committed to ensuring our Nation has a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system while continuing to balance all of the other critical DHS missions.
The email assured potential volunteers, which must be civilian DHS employees, that “no experience is required, just a willingness to serve and perform non-law enforcement duties.” Those duties, according to Fox News, would include “managing property, preparing meals, doing supply runs, prescription medicine runs, housekeeping, and assisting in control rooms.”
The last time the Volunteer Force was activated was during the acknowledged crisis of 2019. To deal with that crisis, President Trump negotiated arrangements with Mexico and the Central American countries, including the MPP or “Remain in Mexico” policy, which permitted DHS to return asylum seekers to Mexico to wait out the adjudication of their applications.
Immediately upon taking office, Joe Biden canceled MPP and other Trump policies, labeling them “cruel.”
Hence the, uh, challenge.
As noted here yesterday, Border Patrol officials intercepted at least 100,000 illegal migrants in February alone. That was up from 80,000 in January. Currently, between 3,000 and 4,000 illegals are arriving every day.
Unaccompanied children (UACs) present a special problem for DHS, as they can be held at CBP holding facilities for only 72 hours before being transferred to longer-term care, such as U.S. refugee agency shelters. As of yesterday, nearly 1,400 UACs were being held in CBP holding facilities past the three-day legal limit. Hundreds of them arrive at the border each day; last month the daily total was 337. Customs and Border Protection projects a peak of 13,000 unaccompanied children arriving during the month of May, traditionally a big migration month.
To make matters worse, holding facilities and shelters are filling up, and the Biden people are hastily planning others.
So, maybe there’s no crisis for Secretary Mayorkas, but there’s one heck of a challenge for Joe Biden.
For more, see Fox News.