Mayorkas: ‘The Fundamental Relief That Is Needed Is Immigration Reform’

On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas responded to a tweet from Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) that said rescinding Title 42 is terrible for the country and will cause Democrats to lose elections by saying that people whose claims for relief are unsuccessful will be removed from the country and that “we are working with a broken immigration system, and the fundamental relief that is needed is immigration reform.”

Mayorkas stated, “I don’t look at it through a political lens, Jake. The CDC has made a determination that we are advanced in our fight against the pandemic to permit the use of Title 42 to end on May 23. We’re planning and preparing accordingly. We are a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. When an individual makes a claim for relief in a post-Title-42 environment, when they make a claim for relief, as our laws provide, if that claim succeeds, they have established a basis to stay here. If that claim does not, they will be removed. And we very well know that the smuggling organizations manipulate the news and provide disinformation. And allow me to be explicitly clear, and I can’t say this too often, if one’s claim for relief does not succeed, one will be removed from the United States. And what I would say to Sen. Romney and to all of the senators and all of the members of the House is that we are working with a broken immigration system, and the fundamental relief that is needed is immigration reform.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett