Sen. Cruz to Newsmax: Mayorkas 'Flat-Out' Lying About Border

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is "flat-out lying" about the border being closed and "secure," says Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

"Last weekend I brought seven senators down to the border. I've been to the border many, many times. It's the worst I've ever seen," Cruz told Newsmax's "Spicer & Co." on Thursday.

"It is utter chaos. We have open borders."

Mayorkas on Tuesday said the U.S.-Mexico border is "secure" as migrant crossings have hit an all-time high.

"Look, the border is secure," Mayorkas said during remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

But the administration "is still working to make the border more secure," he added. "That has been a historic challenge."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced last week that there were 207,000 migrant encounters at the border in June, compared with 189,000-plus last year.

More than 1.95 million migrants were encountered crossing the border in fiscal year 2021 and about 1.75 million have been encountered in fiscal year 2022, which ends in late September.

Cruz, on his outing, said it was easy to spot people trying to cross.

"We went out, first thing we did, we landed Thursday night, we went out at midnight patrol with the Border Patrol. You don't have to go and hunt for people crossing illegally. Within minutes you encounter group after group after group. It is a steady stream of humanity," he added.

"First group we encountered was three teenagers, 16 and 17 years old, traveling alone. The next group we encountered was about a dozen people, mostly women and children. There were two little girls in that group who were both 7 years old. They were both unaccompanied minors.

"They had been brought over by violent drug cartels. ... a couple of weeks earlier, Border Patrol had found two little girls, ages 5 and 6, who had been violently raped by the drug cartel. They had to provide medical care because these girls were in really bad shape. This is happening every minute, of every hour, of every day."

Cruz said the Biden administration is ignoring the situation, and Democrats have handed the agenda to "radicals who embrace an open border."

"Right now, what Mayorkas is trying to do is make the process of open borders more efficient. So he actually tracks efficiency, but here's what efficiency is. From the moment you apprehend someone, how quickly do you release them?

"In the last week we have seen the mayor of New York City and the mayor of Washington, D.C., say, 'We're being drowned in illegal aliens. Help us, we need help.' ... You can't defend this, and Democrats aren't even trying."

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