OKLAHOMA CITY - In a multistate effort led by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Attorney General John O’Connor is joining the call for U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ resignation. Citing the continued failure to enforce federal law and secure the southwest border, the coalition of 14 state attorneys general is demanding that Secretary Mayorkas leave office as his failed leadership has resulted in a disaster at the southwest border and led the nation to the verge of a national security crisis.
“Secretary Mayorkas’ failure to enforce federal law and deliver on the core mission of DHS has magnified an unprecedented border crisis,” said Attorney General O’Connor.
In a letter to Secretary Mayorkas, the 14 attorneys general outline the failures of the secretary’s leadership. In the midst of a national opioid crisis, Mexican drug cartels wasted no time exploiting the open border policies. The letter states: “From the time you took office to December 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman and child in our country six times over—an increase of more than 30 percent since before you took office. If that much was detected and seized, we shudder to think how much more is slipping through each day…Any competent leader facing such disastrous results would quickly alter their policies to abate the extraordinary harm…Yet you continue undeterred, oblivious…to the destruction and deaths you are causing in American communities.”
The letter outlines that under Secretary Mayorkas’ watch, not only are unknown amounts of deadly drugs flooding into the country, but with no attempt to vet or certify the thousands of illegal immigrants entering through the southwest border, there is no way of knowing who is coming into the country. The letter states: “…the number of sex offenders arrested entering our country increased by an astounding 213 percent over the last fiscal year. Given your unlawful catch and release policies, we are left with many other unanswerable questions, like how many children are now being trafficked in our communities and how many sex offenders now prowl our streets.”
Finally, the letter points out that the natural consequence of Secretary Mayorkas’ refusal to enforce the law is the rise in convicted criminals entering the country. The letter states: “Deportations have fallen a staggering 70 percent since 2020…Perhaps most egregiously, you have refused to deport some of the most dangerous criminals, even though you are required by law to do so. That decision is shocking, especially because Democrats and Republicans alike have always prioritized the removal of criminals here illegally, including when you were Deputy Secretary of DHS from 2013-2016.”
Because of the abject refusal to carry out the duties Secretary Mayorkas swore to uphold, the coalition of attorneys general are calling for the secretary to resign immediately.
Attorney General O’Connor joined the attorneys general of the following states in signing on to the letter: Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia.
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