Lankford Opposes DHS Nominee Due to Serious National Security Concerns at Southern Border

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today opposed the confirmation of Mr. Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security:

“Ignoring illegal activity on our borders only encourages more illegal activity. We know that drug cartels, human traffickers, and caravans still seek to exploit our southern border, yet the Biden Administration is doing none of the things that would deter illegal action at the border. I opposed Mr. Mayorkas’s nomination today because we need a strong southern border and enforcement of our immigration laws, not an open door for amnesty. If a fence and guards were necessary for security at President Biden’s inauguration, a border fence, especially in high-traffic areas of the border, is the least we can do to keep Americans safe. In my questioning of Mr. Mayorkas, I asked what his message would be for the caravans of migrants traveling north right now. He responded by saying that he would encourage them to wait a few months until they can make some changes. That does not give me confidence in our future border security.”

Lankford participated in a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing last week to consider Mr. Mayorkas’s nomination. For years, Lankford has been outspoken on securing the US southern border through physical barriers and modernized technology and recently supported a bill to provide funding for continued construction. He visited the US Southern Border in July 2019 at the Hidalgo Port of Entry, near McAllen, Texas, to conduct oversight of facility conditions and operations and assess the needs of Border Patrol agents at the border. 

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