Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) says newly-confirmed Attorney General Merrick Garland will support President Joe Biden’s “extreme open borders amnesty agenda” as the head of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In a speech on the Senate floor, before the 70-30 vote, Cotton blasted Garland for refusing to answer questions in written statements regarding his position on basic federal immigration law.

“At Judge Garland’s confirmation hearing, he was asked if entering the country illegally should be a crime,” Cotton said:

You would think that would be a very simple question. But Judge Garland responded that he ‘hadn’t thought about it.’ Hadn’t thought about it. It stretches the bounds of belief that a federal judge who has been on the bench for nearly a quarter-century “hadn’t thought” about that question. Or that any American with common sense who believes in our borders and believes in our sovereignty, hadn’t thought whether it should be a crime to cross our border illegally. [Emphasis added]

But, to give him the benefit of the doubt, I asked in a written question after the hearing … should illegally entering our country be a crime? And he said, conveniently, even then, that he hadn’t thought about it. Judge Garland also refused to say whether illegal alien gang members or illegal aliens who have assaulted U.S. citizens should be deported if a judge orders it. [Emphasis added]

Likewise, Garland has refused to say whether he would stop DOJ officials from prosecuting illegal entry into the U.S. or if he would back plans to decriminalize illegal immigration.

“Judge Garland’s silence shows that he will, at best, meekly abide by the administration’s irrational immigration agenda,” Cotton said.

For years, the DOJ has charged thousands of illegal aliens with illegal entry. Between fiscal years 2016 and 2019, U.S. attorneys charged more than 83,400 illegal aliens with illegal entry. In that same time period, U.S. attorneys charged nearly 232,000 illegal aliens with misdemeanor improper entry and more than 14,550 with alien smuggling.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.