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Letter To Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden Regarding Border Procedures

Senator Lindsay Graham said he sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden asking to know if people crossing the border are being tested for COVID-19. He also asked what procedures are in place if someone crossing the border tests positive for coronavirus.

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Kristin Dean
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4K views2 pages

Letter To Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden Regarding Border Procedures

Senator Lindsay Graham said he sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden asking to know if people crossing the border are being tested for COVID-19. He also asked what procedures are in place if someone crossing the border tests positive for coronavirus.

Uploaded by

Kristin Dean
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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July 30, 2021

President Joseph R. Biden Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas


The White House Department of Homeland Security
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW 2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20500 Washington, DC 20528

Dear President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas:

We write to you with a sense of urgency regarding the escalating situation at our southern border. In
doing so, we hope to demonstrate that this bicameral concern is neither partisan nor political. To
solve the growing problem, we request a special executive appointment for border issues to ensure
sufficient federal resources are allocated to overburdened U.S. border communities, and to
recommend changes to our immigration policies as we work to regain control of the border.

As you know, Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) facilities and personnel are overwhelmed
by the growing surge of migrants, many of whom are unaccompanied children. We know this
current influx is neither seasonal nor temporary. In June, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(“CBP”) recorded 188,829 enforcement encounters at the southwest land border, the highest monthly
total in a decade.1 This represents a 571% increase over the 33,049 encounters recorded by CBP in
June 2020.2 Moreover, in 2021 alone, these numbers have increased by 255% from the 74,019
encounters recorded in December 2020.3 The total number of migrants apprehended at the southern
border has exceeded 1.2 million this fiscal year. In short, this is a humanitarian and public safety
emergency.

As the U.S. endeavors to fully suppress the COVID-19 pandemic and navigate the challenges
associated with the spread of the Delta variant, Americans living near the southern border are now
vulnerable to additional public health risks. In Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, where CBP had over
20,000 enforcement encounters last week, Border Patrol agents are testing positive for COVID-19 at
alarming rates. Widespread reports from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”)
officials have confirmed they are beyond departmental capacity, requiring the release of
approximately 50,000 migrants into U.S. communities without any court order.4 The situation on the
border will worsen unless we enact policies that will end the surge and fix our broken immigration
system.

Therefore, we request that you immediately create a special executive position vested with the
authority to implement federal policies which prioritize the health and safety of U.S. communities at
the southern border. Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson carries an exceptional bipartisan reputation
for pragmatic approaches to complex border security and immigration challenges. In 2014, he
coordinated a thoughtful U.S. response to a migration influx event and prioritized certain eligible
cases for immediate removal. He also established innovative public health protocols which
minimized risks to Americans from foreign travelers during the largest Ebola epidemic in history.
1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, USBP and OFO official month end reporting for FY21 to date.
2
Id., USBP and OFO official year end reporting for FY18-FY21.
3
Id.
4
Axios, “50,000 migrants released; few report to ICE,” (Retrieved July 29, 2021).
We strongly support the appointment of someone with the unique credentials of former Secretary
Johnson to this position.

Thank you for your immediate consideration of this important request. We are optimistic that the
escalating situation at our southern border can be managed by working with your Administration in
earnest and in the interests of all Americans.

Sincerely,

Henry Cuellar Lindsey O. Graham


Member of Congress United States Senator

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