Alejandro Mayorkas on border: ‘We don’t bear responsibility for a broken system’

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday blamed House Republicans for record-high migrant crossings at the southern border after they voted largely along party lines to sink the bipartisan border security bill that included foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

During an interview on NBC News' “Meet the Press,” Mayorkas was asked by moderator Kristen Welker whether he bears responsibility for the overwhelming number of migrants trying to cross the border and the backlog of asylum claims, which President Joe Biden has called a “crisis.”

“It certainly is a crisis and we don’t bear responsibility for a broken system, and we’re dealing a tremendous amount within that broken system,” he said. “But fundamentally, Congress is the only one who can fix it.”

Pressed by Welker about whether he agrees with Biden that the border isn’t “secure,” Mayorkas said, “There is no question that we have a broken system,” and reiterated his call for Congress to take action.

“There is no question that Congress needs to fix it, and we’re doing everything we can within that broken system short of legislation to address what is not just a challenge for the United States, but one throughout our region,” he said.

NBC News reported that Biden is considering taking executive action to deter illegal migration at the border. Welker noted Republicans’ calls for Biden to shut down the border before asking Mayorkas, “Why doesn’t the president just shut down the border and let the courts just try to stop him?”

Mayorkas said that the administration has taken several steps and continues to “review what options are available to us.” He then argued that issues at the border would have been addressed with the bipartisan border security bill,