FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is sounding the alarm in regards to the impact the Biden administration’s “open border policies” are having on airport safety — alleging that weaknesses in vetting could possibly be placing security in danger.
“DHS, particularly TSA, must explain how it is responding to the serious ways in which the administration’s open border policies are undermining airport security and Americans’ safety,” Cruz, who’s rating member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, stated in a letter to Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Cruz has been quizzing varied companies and airports in regards to the impact that migration has had on the security and safety at airports, together with the sheltering of migrants at a lot of main U.S. airports.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (AP Picture/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
On this letter to Mayorkas, Cruz highlighted three ways in which he says “the administration’s open border policies are weakening airport security…”
He pointed first to the parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV), which permits as much as 30,000 migrants from these nations to fly into the U.S. by way of humanitarian parole. This system was just lately paused resulting from massive quantities of fraud in sponsor purposes.
He additionally highlighted knowledge that these being allowed in by way of the CBP One app, which is used for each CHNV and entrants on the border by way of parole, almost 96% of those that received an appointment had been authorized.
The Republican senator additionally pointed to a current DHS OIG report, which faulted elements of the app and its use of knowledge, discovering additionally that it couldn’t entry all biometric knowledge.
“Meanwhile, as these unvetted aliens fly into the country, TSA has deployed a significant number of air marshals—who are supposed to be protecting planes in the sky—to assist CBP with administrative tasks at the southern border, a concern I raised with TSA last October,” he stated.
He additionally reiterated his prior considerations about sheltering migrants at airports in Chicago, Boston and New York for the reason that center of 2023. Individually, he raised considerations in regards to the launch of migrants dropped at the U.S. by an ISIS-tied group. Eight individuals with suspected ISIS ties had been arrested throughout the nation earlier this 12 months.
“Airports remain an attractive target for anyone looking to harm this country and its citizens,” he stated.
Cruz is requesting all paperwork associated to airport safety from unlawful immigrants, sheltering, vetting or screening of migrants, in addition to fraud present in parole packages.
SENATE COMMERCE REPUBLICANS PROBE MIGRANT SHELTERS AT CHICAGO AIRPORTS
He’s additionally in search of paperwork associated to the shelter of migrants at a number of airports, the numbers of migrants flown into airports, and actions taken to take away unlawful immigrants from airports.
The letter comes amid a continued debate over the continued border disaster. The Biden administration has stated it wants extra funding and reforms, whereas arguing that expanded lawful pathways have been profitable in lowering numbers on the border.
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Republicans declare that the disaster was fueled by Biden-era insurance policies and the rolling again of Trump-era measures.
