Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
09.21.21
CLICK HERE to watch Lankford’s Q&A on YouTube.
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned national security officials in a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing entitled “Threats to the Homeland: Evaluating the Landscape 20 Years After 9/11,” an annual hearing that seeks to address some of the most pressing issues facing US national security and the ways in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) work together to thwart potential threats. The panel consisted of FBI Director Christopher Wray, NCTC Director Christine Abizaid, and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Lankford, the lead Republican on the Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management, focused his questions on the ongoing crisis and lack of law enforcement at the southern border and why DHS is now giving Biden’s border crossers taxpayer-funded cell phones instead of ankle monitors when they arrive at our border, are handed a “Notice to Report” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and then just released into the country.
Lankford was the first to expose the crisis at the southern border through his video on Facebook so folks could see firsthand the crisis in Texas, the same bridge under which tens of thousands of migrants are now sheltering. Lankford continues to call for our laws to be enforced at the border and for the Biden Administration to answer to its failing border security policies that encourage additional illegal immigration during this Biden-created crisis at the border. In fact, in their $3.5 trillion progressive budget agenda, Biden and the Democrats have already sought amnesty for some individuals in our country illegally, which Lankford adamantly opposes.
Excerpts
On the status of migrants who have crossed the southern border, are given a Notice to Report, and have failed to report
Lankford: We have some information that we got in late last night from the ERO office saying that there’s about 107,817 individuals have been released into the United States from the ERO office with different statuses…We have quite a few of those, tens of thousands, that have now not reported – that would be recent crossings. One of the questions I’m going to have is, are we in pursuit of any of those individuals that did get a Notice to Report but then have not actually reported. Are those in the priorities, and have been actually picked up any of those folks in detention? …The best guess that we have at this time is about 28,963 as of last night are beyond their reporting timeframe. That’s around 29,000 so far that have not reported, that were given a Notice to Report, that I just want to know: where are they? And are we actually pursuing those individuals?
On DHS tracking Biden’s border crossers with taxpayer-funded cell phones
Lankford: Secretary Mayorkas, I understand that you’ve moved over the tracking of individuals crossing our border from an ankle monitor and are experimenting with giving individuals a cell phone, and they have to be able to check in on that cell phone once or twice a day. That the ‘Notice to Report Plus,’ apparently is the term that’s being used, I’m not familiar with this process and trying to be able to figure out what is being done with that cell phone and what’s happening if individuals don’t check in if they’re given a cell phone paid for by the American public to be able to help track them. Is there a tracking device all the time? Are we able to track their location constantly? If they don’t check in, are we going to be able to pick those up?
Mayorkas: Senator, if they do not check in, we make a determination based on the facts whether they need to be the subject for a priority enforcement action for evading law enforcement and not honoring their obligations as a condition of their release…
On the lack of basic information on Afghan evacuees coming to the US
Lankford: …We’re just trying to figure out and get our hands around what’s happening with the refugees and parolees that are coming from Afghanistan. … We don’t know the breakdown of refugees and parolees. We don’t know the breakdown of SIVs, the Special Immigrant Visas, and what are called ‘partial SIV, Immigrant Visas,’ or folks that were American citizens and Green Card holders. …We’re also trying to get information about, for individuals that come into the United States, that go through the vetting process that fail the vetting process, what will happen to them, or for individuals that come in as parolees but then commit criminal acts. What will happen to those individuals? We already have reports of some of the locations where some Afghan parolees are being held that there’s been some sexual assaults that have happened in those locations, and we’re trying to get more information about that and to find out what happened to those individuals and where things go.
Mayorkas: Of the over 60,000 individuals who’ve been brought into the United States—and I will give you approximate figures, and I will verify them—approximately seven percent have been United States citizens, approximately six percent have been lawful permanent residents, approximately three percent have been individuals who are in receipt of their Special Immigrant Visas. The balance of that population are individuals whose applications have not yet been processed for approval, who may qualify as SIVs, have not yet applied, who qualify, or would qualify I should say, as P-1 or P-2 refugees, who have been employed by the United States government in Afghanistan and are otherwise vulnerable Afghan nationals such as journalists, human rights advocates, etc.
Lankford: …How are we getting a positive ID on who this person is, not just saying, ‘They’re not on the terrorist watch list, so they must be okay.’ Do we really know this is a journalist? Do we really know what’s the connection point on it.
On OMB’s curious request to Congress for Waiving Afghan parolees coming to the US with possibly dangerous backgrounds
Lankford: OMB asked Congress to include in the CR next week that’s coming up next week, asked Congress to waive all grounds of inadmissibility for Afghan parolees. I have to tell you I was a little astounded when I saw that to say they’d like to include that in there because the grounds for inadmissibility for Afghan parolees are things like terrorism, association with terrorist organizations, money laundering, human trafficking, drug trafficking, polygamy, prostitution, persecutor of individuals based on religious or political opinion, those who have commissioned torture or extra-judicial killings. I was a little astounded that OMB asked, ‘Would you waive all these grounds and allow us to be able to move people, regardless of these.’ Where did that request come from?
Mayorkas: So there must be a miscommunication because we actually deny entry, we deny admission to individuals in many of those categories…
Lankford: Right and should…
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