Texas Republican Rep. Beth Van Dine sparred with CNN's Brianna Keilar on Tuesday over the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his response to the southern border.
House Republicans tried to impeach Mr. Mayorkas but failed to reach a vote, and in early February four Republicans joined all House Democrats in voting against impeaching the Homeland Security secretary. Republican lawmakers accused Mayorkas of ignoring and “evading” immigration laws on the books, which they said led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans.
“Wait, so you're saying he just repassed the law because he wasn't following the law?” Keillor asked.
“No, it's not just about following the law-” Van Dine tried to answer.
“What law? What law specifically did he disobey?” the CNN host interjected.
Van Dyne said Mayorkas is not approaching immigrant parole on a “case-by-case” basis, but instead created “mass parole.” He said Mayorkas' alleged disregard for the law had led to “deaths” of Americans and “incalculable harm” to the United States. (Related article: Why one Republican lawmaker voted against impeaching Mayorkas at the last minute)
“Why?” Keilor asked.
“Excuse me?” the senator asked.
“Tens of thousands of Americans have died,” Keillor said.
“Yes, more than 110,000 Americans have died as a result of fentanyl poisoning coming across the border,” Van Dine said. “Crime is on the rise in cities all over our country, and we're seeing people being killed.”
“Okay, but you… No, but they're U.S. citizens. Ma'am, those are — Ma'am, those are U.S. citizens who are bringing in fentanyl. Don't you realize this? Like most of the fentanyl. “The vast majority are being brought in with American citizens,” Keillor argued.
“We know that fentanyl is coming across the border right now because of Mexican cartels.
“American people!'' Cailar interrupted.
“[The Mexican cartel] They are close friends of Mr. Mayorkas and want to keep him in power. Because Mexican cartels now control our southern border, making billions of dollars in drugs, sex trafficking, human trafficking, and child importation. It’s human trafficking,” Van Dine said.
“They are taking advantage of the American people,” Keillor said.
Keillor continued to insist that it is American citizens who are smuggling fentanyl into the United States.
According to the data, 86% of fentanyl trafficking convicts were U.S. citizens. The vast majority of fentanyl is smuggled by American citizens through legal ports of entry on the southern border. according to Go to the immigration forum. Illegal drug smuggling organizations reportedly prefer to sell this deadly drug to U.S. citizens because they are less likely to undergo additional testing or raise an alarm when crossing the border.
The four Republicans who voted against Mayorkas' impeachment were Reps. Tom McClintock of California, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Blake Moore of Utah, and Ken Buck of Colorado. However, Moore voted “no” at the last moment to avoid a 215-215 tie for technical reasons. Had the vote been a tie, Republicans would not have been able to bring up the issue again.
