Despite having lied repeatedly and claimed the border was secure, Biden-era Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitted Tuesday that the Biden administration should have moved sooner on illegal immigration.
That said, he still refused to take full blame for what was the administration’s own self-produced kerfuffle.
Indeed, according to Politico, he placed most of the blame for the administration’s border fiasco on a “broken immigration system” that set a “low bar” for admission for those with “credible fear of persecution.”
That would be a valid excuse had the Trump administration not swooped in around the beginning of 2025 and IMMEDIATELY fixed the “broken immigration system” by severely tightening asylum restrictions.
If Mayorkas believed the border was out of control, why did he spend years lying to Congress about it while millions of illegals flooded our country? https://t.co/bLuaL2KIkz
— Rep. Warren Davidson (@Rep_Davidson) May 12, 2026
Mayorkas was asked by Politico whether President Donald Trump’s 2024 victory would have been prevented had the Biden administration tightened restrictions (instead of lying to the public).
“I am not in a position to speculate, but I will tell you that I would be far more better rested and less punched,” he replied.
He continued by claiming that the Biden administration did eventually “fix” the border crisis.
“I was very pleased that in June of 2024, we took executive action that, I thought, made reforms that were sensible and that proved successful,” he said.
“Our tougher border stance in June of ‘24 was coupled with an increased focus on providing lawful pathways for people to arrive at the United States outside the hands of smugglers — more secure and more humanitarian. Those two combined — our numbers dropped 70, 75 percent,” he added.
He was lying again, because while it’s true border crossings dropped a little after June of 2024, the major drop didn’t occur until Trump assumed office months later.
During the last two years of Biden’s open border “policy,” there were 4.6M Southwest Land Border Encounters. Over the last 12 MONTHS under Trump, there were only 119,600, compared with an average of almost 200,000 per MONTH under Biden.
From a Wide Open Biden Border to a Closed… pic.twitter.com/wwbe02Wcug
— Mark J. Perry (@Mark_J_Perry) May 11, 2026
Mayorkas did have some praise for current DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
“It is my understanding that Secretary Mullin is investing a considerable amount of time and effort in the well-being of the workforce, and I think that pays tremendous dividends when it comes to the achievement of the department’s mission,” he said.
It was only a few days ago that Mullin blamed Democrats for World Cup safety measures being “in jeopardy” as per the Democrats’ refusal to fully fund DHS.
“It put our mission in jeopardy,” he told reporters, according to The Independent. “Now, can we still deliver? Yes. Can we be as proactive [as we could have been]? No… We haven’t been able to be as proactive on putting those positions, those safety measures in place, and the first match is June 11.”
What remains unclear is whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be deployed to World Cup games.
According to the New York Times, “The head of Miami’s host committee for the FIFA World Cup says that he received personal assurances from the United States’ secretary of state Marco Rubio that ICE will not be present at stadiums this summer.”
However, earlier this year, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons suggested otherwise.
“ICE, specifically homeland security investigations, is a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup,” he said in February. “We’re dedicated to securing that operation and to ensuring the safety of all participants and visitors.”
Lyons, who was testifying at the time before the House, received pushback from Rep. Nellie Pou.
“You realize that if (fans) feel they are going to be wrongfully incarcerated, wrongfully pulled out, that is going to hurt this entire process?” she asked him. “I hope you realize that.”
Lyons was unfazed by her inquiry.
“ICE is dedicated to ensuring everyone who visits the facilities will have a safe and secure event,” he argued back.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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