House Republicans Threaten Action if DHS Hides Data on COVID-Positive Illegal Aliens Freed into U.S.

A group of House Republicans, led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), say they are ready to take legislative action against President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) if the agency hides data on the number of coronavirus-positive illegal aliens released into the United States.

In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the House Republicans call his leadership a “lackluster performance” and credit Biden’s “weak border policies” for “appalling” illegal immigration totals – nearly 200,000 border crossers were encountered by federal immigration officials in June.

“The June numbers put the United States at over 1 million encounters in just the first 7 months of this fiscal year,” they write:

With continued complicity from the Biden Administration, the United States is once again slated to see another massive increase in southern border encounters. For the month of July – reporting indicates another approximate 210,000 illegal migrant encounters – this will be the highest monthly total in the history of DHS.

The House Republicans then blast Mayorkas for what they say has been a “dangerously irresponsible” lack of transparency from DHS about the number of border crossers and illegal aliens testing positive for coronavirus being released into the U.S. interior.

By September 6, the House Republicans are requesting a slew of information on illegal immigration totals. Otherwise, they say they will take legislative action by introducing a resolution of inquiry that will require DHS to respond to their questions.

“The American people and migrants seeking to come here deserve better than the chaos of a wide-open border,” they write. “Without such a foundational mechanism as enforcement of the rule of law, you cannot begin to uphold the words of DHS’s mission.”

Specifically, the House Republicans want a breakdown on the number of border crossers who have illegally entered the U.S. since January 20 who subsequently tested positive for coronavirus and were released from DHS custody into the U.S. interior while still coronavirus-positive, and a total of how many have recieved a coronavirus vaccine after crossing the border.

The House Republicans also want to know the final destinations where border crossers ended up after their release from DHS custody, broken down by state and county, as well as the number of border crossers apprehended since January 20 who are connected to international gangs, terrorist groups, or drug cartels.

In detail, the House Republicans additionally want the cost of housing, utilities, food, education, healthcare, coronavirus testing, coronavirus vaccines, and transportation provided to border crossers at the expense of American taxpayers.

The House Republicans who signed the letter include:

• Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX)
• Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX)
• Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX)
• Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX)
• Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ)
• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
• Rep. W. Gregory Steube (R-FL)
• Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO)
• Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH)
• Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI)
• Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)
• Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH)
• Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT)
• Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC)
• Rep. Dan Bishop (R-SC)
• Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO)
• Rep. Bob Good (R-VA)
• Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL)
• Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC)
• Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA)

The full letter can be read here:

Inquiry to Mayorkas by John Binder

Last week, DHS officials admitted in a court brief that coronavirus-positive border crossers arriving at the southern border have “increased significantly” in recent months and caused “extremely worrisome” conditions at detention facilities that are far beyond capacity limits.

“This risk has recently increased due to the recent spread of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant,” a DHS official wrote. “The rates at which encountered noncitizens are testing positive for COVID-19 have increased significantly in recent weeks.”

City officials in McAllen, Texas, revealed that the Biden administration has released more than 7,000 coronavirus-positive border crossers into their communities since February. In the last seven days, alone, the Biden administration released more than 1,500 coronavirus-positive border crossers into McAllen.

According to White House sources who spoke to the Washington Post, Biden is weighing a plan that would give border crossers the Johnson & Johnson vaccine before their release into the U.S. interior.

The latest data reveals that the Biden administration has released about 173,000 border crossers into the U.S. interior since he took office in late January. In addition, just in the month of July, nearly 15,000 Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs) were released to sponsors across the U.S. Another 16,000 UACs remain in federal custody until they are released to sponsors.

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

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