by Bethany Blankley
A group of 17 congressional Republicans, led by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, D-Texas, is calling on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to provide information on the “total number of illegal aliens currently in the United States.”
In a letter to Mayorkas, whom they voted to impeach in February, Republican lawmakers argue: “The American people deserve an accurate accounting of the number of illegal aliens in the country, especially if federal government policies have caused that number to skyrocket from the previous estimate.”
The estimates to which they refer were published in April 2021 by the DHS Office of Immigration Statistics: “Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population in the United States: January 2015 – January 2018.” It states that from January 2018 to January 2021, there were 11.4 million illegal aliens in the U.S.
Pew Research report the total number was estimated to be over 10.4 million; Yale-MIT test estimates that it is as many as 29 million.
It is estimated that more than 11 million foreigners have entered the United States illegally since January 2021, The Center Square reportedincluding those who evaded capture, known as “fugitives”.
Under Mayorkas, record numbers of illegal border crossings have been reported each fiscal year, each time breaking previous records. More than 1.7 million illegal border crossings were reported in the first six months of fiscal year 2024, the highest number ever in the United States for this period, The Center Square reported.
The coalition estimates that “at least 4.7 million illegal aliens have been released into the country under Biden administration policies” and called on Mayorkas to immediately update the 2021 report using the latest available data. The number they provided does not include escapes, the total of which is estimated at over 2 million since January 2021, The Center Square reports. Officials explained to The Center Square that escape numbers are undercounted by 10 to 20 percent.
The coalition estimates that “at least 6.5 million illegal aliens have entered the United States since this administration took office.”
They also point to Mayorka’s policies that they say have facilitated the release of unprecedented numbers of illegal aliens into the country, including prohibiting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from arresting and removing them; releasing them from custody instead of physically holding them pending trial; and the extension of Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Forced Departure for nationalities that are otherwise inadmissible under the law. The House Homeland Security Committee deemed these directives illegal because they aim to impeach Mayorkas, The Center Square reported.
The coalition is requesting information including “an updated number of aliens who have evaded capture at the southern, northern and coastal borders”; how many of them overstayed their visas; how many were paroled and released into the country; and how many TPS beneficiaries are registered with DED and are beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Representatives of the Republican Party also asked for information on the number of people released into the United States who received documents with notices to appear or notices to report; how many were removed from the US; an immigration judge ordered them removed, but they are still in the U.S. illegally; they were ordered removed in absentia for failing to appear at an immigration court hearing; and are considered fugitives by ICE.
The coalition includes fellow Texans Brian Babin, Michael Cloud, Morgan Luttrell, Keith Self and Randy Weber. It also includes Reps. Mary Miller of Illinois, Bob Good and Ben Cline of Virginia, Nicole Malliotakis and Anthony D’Esposito of New York, Daniel Webster and Aaron Bean of Florida, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota and Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin.
After House Republicans impeached Mayorka, Senate Democrats dismissed the charges for the first time in Senate history. Last month, after repeated reports of record illegal postings, Mayorkas He admitted a border crisis exists, but it remains decisive in pursuing its policy.
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Bethany Blankley is a contributor Central Square.
Photo “Alexander Mayorkas” by Department of Homeland Security. Cover photo “Illegal Immigrants” by Jan R. Modlin.
