OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tore into California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell on Wednesday morning during a tense exchange.
During a hearing House Committee on Homeland Security, lawmakers grilled Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Greene took issue with some claims from Swalwell, which led to her calling out the Democrat lawmaker for having a “sexual relationship with a Chinese spy.” Leaders in the House of Representatives received an FBI briefing in late 2020 regarding Swalwell’s ties to a suspected Chinese spy.
“That was quite entertaining from someone that had a sexual relationship with a Chinese spy. And everyone knows it!” Greene declared.
WATCH:
MTG calls out Eric Swalwell for having a “sexual relationship with a Chinese spy.”
GREENE: "That was quite entertaining from someone that had a sexual relationship with a Chinese spy. And everyone knows it!"pic.twitter.com/U2wgS2zptD
— Patriot Alerts (@alerts___) April 19, 2023
Republican calls to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have increased in recent weeks amid a new controversy involving a troublesome app for migrants developed by the Biden administration.
“The overwhelming majority of requests made by migrants for an exception to the Title 42 public health order using the recently-expanded CBP One app have been accepted, with 99% of migrants being found to have met the criteria — just as the app continues to face scrutiny from both the left and the right,” Fox News reported Saturday.
In January, the Biden administration broadened the scope of the CBP One app to include migrants who are seeking an exemption to Title 42. This public health order, which was put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, permits the quick removal of migrants at the southern border, the news outlet noted.
Migrants can utilize the CBP One app to submit information, such as their photo, and arrange an appointment at a port of entry to request an exception to the Title 42 order. This order is expected to expire next month. The Biden administration has claimed that the app is crucial in creating a secure, well-organized, and compassionate border process and that it discourages unlawful immigration between ports of entry, the report continued.
“The CBP One app is an innovative solution we are using to facilitate the safe and orderly arrival of noncitizens who believe they meet certain vulnerability criteria and are requesting a humanitarian exception to the CDC’s Title 42 Order,” Mayorkas said in January, Fox News reported.
“When Title 42 eventually lifts, this new feature will join one of the many tools and processes this Administration is providing for individuals to seek protection in a safe, orderly, and humane manner and to strengthen the security of our borders,” he claimed.
According to a CBP spokesperson who spoke with Fox News Digital earlier in the week, over 75,000 applications have been completed or scheduled until April 25th. The spokesperson also mentioned that appointment slots fill up quickly, often within just a few minutes after becoming available.
“But of those migrants who have had their appointments, the spokesperson said that fewer than 1% have been found not to have met the exception criteria,” the outlet continued. “It means that the overwhelming majority of those who secure an appointment with the app are approved for an exception then moved into Title 8 processing — which is the regular authority for immigration removal proceedings for migrants without documents.”
Afterward, migrants can be granted a Notice to Appear and released into the United States, paroled into the country, or in certain instances, subjected to expedited removal.
Fox News Digital noted further that court records from Louisiana have revealed that more than 21,000 humanitarian exceptions were granted to applicants who utilized the app in January, with over 20,000 exceptions being granted in February.
Republicans have increased their scrutiny of the app as well as Mayorkas’ performance as head of DHS over his border policies that have led to record levels of illegal immigration.
“It’s like a concierge service for illegal immigrants. My question is, you didn’t think the border crisis was bad enough that now we’re going to have an app that allows illegals to schedule their appointments and come and be admitted to this country,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told the secretary last month.
Earlier in the week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to “begin impeachment proceedings immediately” against Mayorkas.
AG Moody Calls on Congress to Impeach Sec. Mayorkas Over DHS’s Abject Failure at Border – Florida Jolt https://t.co/nKDt6n3IFM
— Jack Furnari (@JackFurnariUSA) April 12, 2023
“She cites several reasons to justify her request, including claiming he’s violated federal law, lied multiple times under oath before Congress, and is endangering American lives,” the Center Square reported.
Judge T. Kent Wetherell of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Florida wrote in his ruling: “The Court finds in favor of Florida because, as detailed below, the evidence establishes that Defendants have effectively turned the Southwest Border into a meaningless line in the sand and little more than a speedbump for aliens flooding into the country by prioritizing ‘alternatives to detention’ over actual detention and by releasing more than a million aliens into the country – on ‘parole’ or pursuant to the exercise of ‘prosecutorial discretion’ under a wholly inapplicable statute – without even initiating removal proceedings.”
