A few House Republicans are flirting with the idea of banning Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and his staff from flying on Federal executive aircraft until Mayorkas presents Congress with a plan to secure the southwestern border.
The “Mayorkas Must Fly Coach Until We Secure the Border” Act sponsored by Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas), requires Mayorkas and his team to fly on commercial airlines, penalizing the Biden administration’s dismal management of the border crisis.
The act also reflects a heightening frustration with the growing migrant crisis that resulted in 2.3 million migrant encounters in the fiscal year 2022, a staggering increase of 1.7 million from the year before.
In December, there were a record-breaking 251,000 migrant encounters along the southern border, and while that figure dropped to 150,000 in January, Republicans argued that the number of encounters is putting migrant children at risk and is allowing fentanyl and other dangerous substances to enter the U.S. unchecked.
De La Cruz explained that the bill is a recognition that “Mayorkas’ failure to secure the southern border has hurt the American people” and caused a “humanitarian crisis” in border communities.
The Texas Republican defended the bill, sharing that since Mayorkas “refuses to fulfill the most basic functions of his office,” he shouldn’t have the privilege of Private flights paid for by American taxpayers.
Despite the recently introduced bill being a significant penalty, it isn’t as harsh as two other bills proposed by Republicans which would establish impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas.
