The incoming head of Homeland Security refused to say Tuesday if he planned to tear down portions of President Donald Trump's border wall.
During his confirmation hearing, Alejandro Mayorkas was asked by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., if the incoming DHS secretary recommended "any of the physical barriers along our southern border be dismantled or removed."
"I haven't looked at that specific question," Mayorkas said, per the U.K.'s Daily Mail.
Mayorkas then added his approach to the border wall resembled that of late-Sen. John McCain R-Ariz.
"I will share with you the fact that I agree with the approach that then-Sen. McCain – an American hero in my family and in this country – that Sen. McCain took to the border, which is it's not a monolithic challenge," Mayorkas said.
"The border is varied depending on the geography, depending on the specific venue and depending on the conduct of individuals around it. And we don't need, nor should we have, a monolithic answer to that varied and diverse challenge."
Based on what he had been told by Border Patrol officials, Mayorkas said what is needed to sufficiently secure the border was a combination of barriers, additional staff, technology, and equipment.
"What I heard is we need a diverse approach to border security," he said.
The building of a wall along the southern U.S. border was a major aim of President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign. He said he would make Mexico pay for it.
About 450 miles of border wall was constructed under the Trump administration, though a majority of it replaced existing barriers. Mexico did not pay for the work done.
In his last official trip as president, Trump visited a section of the border wall in Alamo, Texas, last Tuesday.
Lankford also asked Mayorkas if he supported defunding Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a demand by progressives.
"No," said Mayorkas, who also did not commit to giving ICE additional resources.
"That requires my study," he said.
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