FBI chief says southern border presents “significant security issues” when asked if it is secure

The FBI director told lawmakers Thursday that the crisis on the southern border presents “significant security issues,” while avoiding directly addressing the Biden administration’s claims that the border is “secure.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked FBI Director Christopher Wray in a Senate hearing if he agreed with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who recently said the border is “safe”.

“When Director Mayorkas was asked about the border, he made, frankly, from my point of view, an implausible claim that the border was secure. From your point of view, in your opinion, is the border secure? ” Cornyn asked.

Wray told Cornyn that “I hesitate to substitute my judgment for the Secretary of Homeland Security, but I will tell you that I have spent a lot of time with our field offices that have border responsibility.”

BORDER PATROL REJECTS MAYORKAS’ CLAIM THAT SOUTHERN BORDER IS SECURE: ‘THEY ARE LIARS’

FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, May 25.
(AP/Bonnie Cash)

“I have been to ports of entry, including not long ago, with [Customs and Border Protection] agents who pass it on to me, so I get to see firsthand what they’re up against, and all I can say is, boy, they’re up for a big challenge and I admire their courage and determination to get the job done. but it’s discouraging.”

Cornyn pressed Wray, telling him he hadn’t answered the question.

“Well, look, I think the border presents significant security issues,” Wray responded. “There’s a wide variety of criminal threats that we face at the border.”

Wray singled out transnational criminal organizations that transport drugs into the US, saying they “cascade” into prison and the street gangs that distribute them. He called the FBI’s efforts to address these organizations, including the Northern Triangle task forces, a “major and important challenge.”

Cornyn said Border Patrol agents had told him there was a threat to public safety at the border, even with migrants from more than 150 countries, and asked Wray if he agreed with this assessment.

Wray said there was an “eclectic mix of nationalities and the volume is amazing”.

MAYORKAS CLAIM SOUTHERN BORDER IS ‘SAFE’ WITH HISTORIC MIGRANT CRISIS

“To me, it represents a significant security issue and represents a wide range of criminal threats that come from it,” he said.

The United States has been rocked by a massive migrant crisis since shortly after the Biden administration took office last year. There have been more than 1.7 million migrant encounters in both FY2021 and FY22 so far, and more than 200,000 encounters each month since March.

Meanwhile, there have been more than 500,000 escapes since the start of the fiscal year, which began in October.

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Mayorkas, however, said last month that the border is “secure” and “we are working to make it more secure … this has been a historic challenge.”

“There is work to be done,” he said before clarifying that “safe and secure are two different words.”

“There are smugglers operating on the Mexican side of the border and putting your life in their hands is not safe,” he said.