DHS Secretary Mayorkas faces a partisan divide over Title 42 in Capitol Hill hearings

DHS Secretary Mayorkas faces a partisan¹ divide over Title 42 in Capitol Hill hearings

Transcript²

Political divisions over lifting Title 42 are playing out on on Capitol Hill, where DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, known for its heated partisan confrontations³.

The public health order has been blocking many migrants at the border since the start of the COVID pandemic. And while the Department of Homeland Security has released a detailed⁴ plan on how to handle the likely influx⁵ of migrants expected at the border once Title 42 lifts on May 23, Republicans and some Democrats⁶ have been vocal⁷ that the plan isn't enough.

At the hearing, Mayorkas addressed the administration's plan.

"Under this administration, our department has been executing a comprehensive strategy to secure our borders and rebuild our immigration system," Mayorkas said in his opening remarks. "With the Title 42 public health order set to be lifted, we expect migration⁸ levels to increase as smugglers seek to take advantage of and profit from vulnerable migrants."

Mayorkas said the administration will continue to enforce immigration laws, but said, "We inherited a broken and dismantled⁹ system that is already under strain."

He said the department has "effectively" managed the border but immigration reform can only come from Congress.

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the ranking member on the committee, accused Mayorkas of being "out of touch" with the American people and other Republican members expressed similar outrage¹⁰ at the administration's handling of the border.

Democrats on the committee have so far defended the department's plan once Title 42 lifts and have been critical of Republican members' lines of questioning, which has left little time for Mayorkas to fully¹¹ answer.

"Just in case there's any mystery about why you're not being allowed to answer questions or why they're not interested in your reference to data ... they're not actually interested in that," Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island said.

"There's a whole plan about what this hearing is about and it's about creating Fox News spots that they can use for politics," he said.

On Wednesday, Mayorkas testified in front of the House Homeland Security Committee and was also met with aggressive questioning from Republicans who repeatedly used the word failure to describe the administration's handling of the border. Some Republicans called on the secretary to resign.

It's also possible that Mayorkas will face pressure from Democrats who support lifting Title 42 and have been critical of any attempts to delay to ending the order.

Progressive Democrats, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Veronica Escobar of Texas, are planning to hold a news conference after Mayorkas testifies Thursday afternoon.

1 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

4 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

5 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

8 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

9 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

10 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。