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Mayorkas: Domestic violent extremism is our greatest threat

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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday during a House Homeland Security hearing that domestic extremism is the most threatening to national security.

“Right now, at this point in time, domestic violence extremism, the lone wolf, the loose affiliation of individuals following ideologies of hate, other ideologies of extremism, that are willing able to take those ideologies, execute on them in unlawful, illegal, violent ways, is our greatest threat in homeland right now,” Mayorkas told the House panel.

Mayorkas also spoke via Zoom about the crisis at the U.S. southern border and the plan to crack down on illegal migrants.

Moreoever, he confirmed that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials were executing a plan to address the crisis at the border.

“We have a short-term plan, a medium-term plan and a long-term plan and we’re executing on all fronts,” Mayorkas said. “To address the situation at the border that’s upon us right now takes time and we are working around the clock to do it. This is what we do and we will succeed. I believe in the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security and I believe in our commitments, our capabilities and we will get the challenged tackled.”

“But we will not waver in our commitment to succeed. That is our job. We will also not waver in our values and our principles as a nation. In the Department of Homeland Security, we can and we will tackle the many challenges we face while complying with our legal obligations and honoring our nation’s values and principles.”

“We are a nation of laws but we are also a nation of immigrants,” Mayorkas said.

The influx of unaccompanied minors at the border is of high concern to DHS officials. Mayorkas said that DHS officials are doing everything in their power to keep the young children safe and secure.

“I was on the border a few weeks ago and I saw the heroism, the true heroism of the men and women of the United States Border Patrol. I saw them undertake personal sacrifice to not only ensure that the border is secure but that the needs of the very young children are taken care of,” Mayorkas said.

In a statement Tuesday, Mayorkas said that the number of unaccompanied minors attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border is expected to reach its highest peak of the past two decades.

DHS officials expect the number of unaccompanied migrants children to continue increasing throughout the year and estimate that more than 117,000 will arrive to the U.S. this year, making it the largest number of migrant children to have arrived since President Obama was in office.

Watch the House Homeland Security Hearing here.

Follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy

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Immigration

Harris Supported a ‘Overhaul’ of U.S. Immigration and Customs, Supported ‘Moratorium’ on Detention Centers

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On the 2024 campaign trail, Vice President Kamala Harris is faced with her past remarks, particularly those articulated during her 2019 presidential run. Harris’s progressive stances on immigration from the 2019 primary season are drawing renewed scrutiny.

A look at her 2019 responses to a questionnaire from the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund, uncovered by National Review, shows the extent to which Harris staked out left-of-center views on immigration. In her response, Harris supported a significant “overhaul” of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and called for a “moratorium on the construction and expansion of immigration detention centers.” Criticizing former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, she described ICE’s actions as “cruel and out of control,” pledging to review and reform the agency if elected president. Harris also highlighted her introduction of the DONE Act, which proposed added oversight for ICE and a moratorium on detention center expansion.

Harris’s office did not respond to requests for comment about the resurfaced questionnaire, which featured responses from other primary candidates, including Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Julián Castro, and Pete Buttigieg. Despite these progressive stances, Harris struggled to gain traction with the Democratic left, which ultimately endorsed Sanders after she exited the race, explains National Review.

Since joining the 2024 Democratic ticket, Harris has adopted a tougher tone on crime, often referencing her prosecutorial background in addressing concerns about transnational gang violence. She frequently cites her experience handling crime as a prosecutor to appeal to moderates. On the debate stage, she has emphasized her opponent’s—former President Donald Trump’s—role in derailing a bipartisan border-security agreement, pivoting criticism of her own policies toward the GOP’s reluctance to pass comprehensive reforms.

However, Harris’s past rhetoric on immigration continues to pose a challenge. In another questionnaire from 2019 for the American Civil Liberties Union, Harris voiced support for ending ICE detainers, reducing immigration detention by half, and providing taxpayer-funded gender-transition surgeries for detained illegal immigrants. This record, resurfaced by Republican spending groups, has fueled negative ad campaigns that often quote Harris’s prior statements to question her commitment to immigration enforcement. In one such ad, Harris is shown describing illegal immigrants as “not criminals” and suggesting a “start from scratch” approach on ICE.

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