WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI), a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, this week participated in a hearing titled, “A Review of the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security.” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified during the hearing, and Rep. Meijer asked questions related to the border crisis and workforce shortage.
The full text of Rep. Meijer’s remarks as prepared is below:
“Mr. Secretary, in February of this year, I introduced a Resolution of Inquiry, with the support of 39 of my Republican colleagues, requesting all documentation in DHS’s possession regarding border policies be transmitted to Congress. I did this because in the midst of this crisis, I don’t feel that DHS is being transparent with the American people or Congress about the situation at the border and how the Administration is making decisions regarding border policies, with Title 42 being only the latest example.
“There is no doubt that the United States faces an unprecedented crisis on its southwest border, and this resolution seeks to ensure that DHS is upholding our nation’s laws, securing the border, and supporting our frontline law enforcement personnel. Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit the resolution in question for the record, and I do hope that my Majority colleagues will allow us to mark up this vital tool, which will give American citizens a complete understanding of how this Administration is handling the crisis at the border.
“Secretary Mayorkas, on March 31, 2022, DHS announced along with the Department of Labor that the Administration plans to make an additional 35,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available for the second half of Fiscal Year 2022. However, we are almost in May, already in the busy season when many American employers and businesses rely on these temporary workers, and the final rule has yet to be published.
“Why is this process taking so long? When can the businesses that depend on this program expect for these visas to become available?”
Original source can be found here.
