DHS Chief Says the ‘Border is Closed’ But the U.S. Won’t Expel Children
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday defended the Biden administration’s decision to not expel children arriving in the U.S. amid a migrant surge along the southern border, arguing “that’s not who we are.”
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mayorkas said “the border is closed” and that the U.S. was expelling families and adults but will not turn back “young, vulnerable children.” He said the Biden administration was working to develop new policies to address the problem with Mexico and Central American countries that are the source of the asylum seekers.
He blamed former President Donald Trump for having “dismantled the orderly, humane and efficient way” of dealing with the migrant children.
“We are rebuilding those orderly and safe processes as quickly as possible,” he said. “But in the meantime, we will not expel into the Mexican desert, for example, three orphan children whom I saw over the last two weeks. We just won’t do that. That’s not who we are.”
