Border Patrol chief Raúl Ortiz directly contradicted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Wednesday by telling Congress that the federal government does not have operational control of the border.
Mayorkas, whom Republicans want to impeach, has repeatedly said the administration is in control at the southern border, despite a two-year crisis with a record number of illegal crossings every month since President Joe Biden took office.
Ortiz’s testimony before the House Homeland Security panel comes just days after a group of at least 1,000 migrants attempted to enter the El Paso, Texas, port of entry, directly across from Juárez, Mexico.
Ortiz also took responsibility for the September 2021 controversy surrounding images of horseback border agents using whips to round up migrants at the border, reiterating the importance of horseback unity.
Border Patrol chief Raúl Ortiz testified before Congress Wednesday that the United States does not have operational control of the southern border.
The hearing comes after a group of at least 1,000 migrants attempted to enter a port of entry in El Paso, Texas, over the weekend. When the migrants reached the hump of the bridge, Customs and Protection agents managed to prevent their passage with barricades of wire and tear gas.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green pointedly asked Ortiz during a hearing Wednesday: “Does DHS have operational control of our entire border?”
‘No, sir,’ Ortiz replied.
Operation Control is the prevention of all illegal entry into the United States at any border, in accordance with the Secure Fence Act of 2007.
Republicans claim the southern border crisis is intentional, claiming that Biden, Mayorkas and the Democrats do not want to enforce immigration laws and want to reject the idea that the United States has secure borders.
During his opening statement, Ortiz endorsed agents who were falsely accused by Democrats, including President Biden, of whipping Haitian migrants during a border encounter in 2021.
‘As a former horse patrol officer, I can attest to how vital horse patrol units are in responding to remote and hostile locations. Last year’s mass migration event in Del Rio was chaotic. We have more than 20,000 people showing up in one place in a short period of time,’ Ortiz recalled.
“I continue to be proud of the work of our horse patrol units and what we did in Del Rio,” he added.
“As the head of the border patrol, I am ultimately responsible for all operational decisions,” Ortiz said. “Until that time, and as the senior field commander during that response, I accepted and continue to accept full responsibility for actions taken.”
Images emerged in 2021 showing agents on horseback brandishing reins as they tried to corral migrants as a caravan arrived in Del Rio, Texas. Democratic, progressive, and immigration activists immediately jumped on the misleading and damning images, alleging that these agents were whipping immigrants.
Ortiz’s testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday was in direct contradiction to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (left), who has repeatedly said the United States is in control of the southern border.
Migrant encounters in January were at their lowest level since February 2021 after five months of increases in apprehensions. Ortiz said, however, that there have already been 385,000 “leak” calls during fiscal year 2023 so far.
The Biden administration admitted nearly a year after the incident that Border Patrol agents were falsely accused of “whipping” Haitian immigrants. However, four officers were still referred for discipline in connection with the viral shock.
Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Personal Responsibility released a 511-page report last year detailing that it found “no evidence that [Border Patrol agents] involved in this incident hit, intentionally or not, any migrant with their reins.’
Biden said in the aftermath of the September 19 meeting: ‘To see people treated like they did… people tied up, it’s outrageous. I promise you these people will pay.
Oritz revealed during Wednesday’s hearing that there have already been 385,000 of the so-called ‘leaks’ during fiscal year 2023 so far. These are illegal immigrants who were able to evade Border Patrol by crossing and were instead found in other forms of surveillance.
Ortiz said the actual number of those who cross and are not stopped is typically 10 to 20 percent higher than those who are not detected.
Ortiz also took responsibility for the controversy surrounding a September 2021 incident in which officers on horseback were seen using the reins in a manner that led to allegations that they were whipping black immigrants from Haiti.
A massive group of migrants tried to enter the southern border at the El Paso checkpoint over the weekend, but were prevented from doing so by the Mexican military and US CBP officers and agents.
Barbed wire barriers helped stop the attempted entry of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, as well as the use of tear gas and riot shields.
House Republicans moved forward with the introduction of articles of impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas for lying to the American public that the border is secure and for failing in his duty to protect the sanctity of America’s border.
Mayorkas is unlikely to be removed by Congress considering the Senate still has a Democratic majority.
Many lawmakers are also pushing for more reforms to address the southern border crisis now that they have gained control of the lower house.