House Homeland GOP hits Biden admin for ‘celebrating’ June border data, as fiscal year nears record high

Posted on July 21, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee are criticizing the Biden administration for "celebrating" June's border numbers – amid a battle over the narrative of what shifting migrant numbers means for the ongoing crisis at the southern border.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data released this week showed there were 144,571 migrant encounters in June, compared to 207,834 in June last year and 189,034 in June 2021. In June 2020, there were just 33,049 at the border.

The numbers are high, compared to pre-2021 numbers. (June’s numbers are still higher than any month of the 2019 border crisis.) However, they mark the lowest at the border since February 2021 and a sharp drop from the 206,702 seen in May and 211,999 in April. A decrease is particularly unusual during the summer months.

MIGRANT NUMBERS DROP SHARPLY IN JUNE AS BIDEN ADMIN'S POST-TITLE 42 STRATEGY TAKES SHAPE

Administration officials have tied the drop in encounters to measures introduced by the Biden administration as Title 42 ended in May. Those include dramatically expanded legal pathways -- including allowing 1,450 migrants in a day through ports of entry via the CBP One App -- and a rule to limit asylum for those who enter illegally.

The agency noted that the number of people crossing illegally had dropped to 99,545, a 42% decrease from May. Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller hailed "sustained efforts" to enforce consequences and expand access to pathways for having "driven the number of migrant encounters along the Southwest border to their lowest levels in more than two years."

In an interview published Friday in Politico, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pointed to both the "lawful pathways" and the asylum rule as reasons for the numbers.

"So it’s: lawful pathways, and a consequence regime for not using them — and we’ve seen a dramatic drop," he said.

HOUSE HOMELAND GOP REPORT ACCUSES MAYORKAS OF ‘INTENTIONAL’ DERELICTION OF DUTY OVER BORDER CRISIS

But Republicans have said that the numbers are nothing to celebrate, and they have criticized the new broad use of parole by the administration , arguing that it is beyond the "case by case" basis intended by Congress.

Chairman Mark Green said that the administration "is attempting to deceive the American people by celebrating June’s monthly encounter numbers—even as the Office of Field Operations reported a nearly 200% increase in encounters compared to June 2022."

The Office of Field Operations is the CBP agency that encounters migrants at a port of entry. Those encountered entering illegally between ports are typically encountered by Border Patrol. Both OFO and Border Patrol encounters are included in the total number of encounters, but Republicans have accused DHS of simply waving in otherwise-illegal immigrants through ports of entry via the use of parole and the CBP One App.

In June, over 38,000 migrants were scheduled for an appointment on the app. That is also separate from up to 30,000 Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans per month who are eligible to be flown in via a separate parole program announced in January.

"This drastic increase is even more evidence of how Secretary Mayorkas is abusing the CBP One app to shift otherwise inadmissible alien entries to ports of entry and release hundreds of thousands of these individuals into the United States," Green, R-Tenn., said.

Meanwhile, the committee released a fact sheet noting that currently, the number of migrants encountered at the border for FY 2023 is at nearly 1.8 million, which already exceeds the then-historic numbers seen in FY 2021 (1.7 million) and is on pace to approach or exceed the record-breaking 2.4 million encountered last year.

"If this rate of encounters continues, Fiscal Year 2023 is shaping up to be the highest year of Southwest border encounters on record," the fact sheet says.

The factsheet also noted that there have been a 579% increase in encounters of Chinese nationals this fiscal year, and 140 people whose names matched on the FBI terror watch list.

MAYORKAS TO TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AMID GOP SCRUTINY OVER BORDER CRISIS

The clash comes as Republicans and Democrats continue to struggle to find common ground on the question of migration and illegal immigration — with Republicans pushing for border security, asylum reform and greater deportations, and Democrats calling for broader legal pathways, expanded refugee resettlement and amnesty for those already in the U.S.

Republicans have hammered the Biden administration, including Mayorkas, for its handling of the border crisis, arguing that policies it put into place have exacerbated the crisis. They point to reduced enforcement, greater catch-and-release and the abolition of Trump-era policies such as border wall construction and the Remain-in-Mexico policy. Some have even called for Mayorkas to be impeached over his conduct.

This week, the committee released a report accusing Mayorkas of an intentional dereliction of duty in his handling of the crisis.

"On top of these failures to uphold the law and fulfill his oath of office, Mayorkas has willfully undermined the sacred foundation of our constitutional republic—the separation of powers. He has rejected his responsibility to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and he has refused to respect rulings by the federal judiciary," it found.

DHS soon pushed back against the report.

"Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of the Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people," a DHS spokesperson said on Wednesday. "The Department will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border, protect the United States from terrorism, and improve our cybersecurity, all while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system.

"Instead of pointing fingers and pursuing a baseless impeachment, Congress should work with the Department and pass comprehensive legislation to fix our broken immigration system, which has not been updated in decades," the spokesperson said.

House Homeland GOP report accuses Mayorkas of ‘intentional’ dereliction of duty over border crisis

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday issued a scathing report accusing DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of being "intentionally" derelict in his duty to the country as he implemented a "radical open-borders agenda."

Chairman Mark Green launched an investigation into Mayorkas’ ‘dereliction of duty’ earlier this year amid a barrage of criticism of how the administration has handled the border crisis now into its third year. There were more than 1.7 million encounters in FY 2021 and more than 2.4 million in FY 2022. Numbers have been similarly high in FY 2023, but have recently seen a drop in May and June.

In the interim report published on Wednesday evening, the report accuses the DHS secretary of "undoing effective policy" of implementing an "open-borders" policy agenda and of ignoring nearly a dozen laws passed by Congress.

HOUSE HOMELAND REPUBLICANS TO LAUNCH PROBE INTO MAYORKAS' ‘DERELICTION OF DUTY’ IN HANDLING BORDER CRISIS

The report says that it is not just a question of policy differences, and says that policies must have foundations "in the laws passed by Congress, and work to the benefit of the American people."

"This cannot be said to be true of Mayorkas’ actions and policies as DHS secretary. It is, therefore, the solemn conclusion of this Committee that Mayorkas has been derelict in his duty, and that this dereliction has been intentional," it says.

The report levels dozens of accusations against the secretary, arguing that he abused humanitarian parole to expand it well beyond the "case by case" basis laid out in law, while ignoring court orders to re-implement Trump-era policies and of "flouting" requirements for detention of illegal immigrants.

It accuses him of canceling "effective" policies including border wall construction, Title 42 and the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), while implementing policies that it says are "actively benefiting" illegal immigrants. Specifically, it points to narrowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) guidance, that coincided with plummeting deportations, increased use of catch-and-release and "irresponsible rhetoric."

"Mayorkas is required to remove illegal aliens, but under his leadership and policies, removals by ICE have hit historic lows, and the targets set by his department continue to drop," it says. "He has even told ICE agents that an alien’s unlawful presence in the country is no longer sufficient grounds to remove them, despite the clear language of the law saying otherwise. He has even flouted the orders of a co-equal branch of government, refusing to fully and faithfully comply with a federal court order requiring him to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols."

The report marks the latest in a relentless hammering of the secretary by Republicans in both chambers -- some of whom have called for his impeachment. Green has held off from endorsing such a move at this point, saying the committee is not there yet.

"My mission as the chairman of [the committee] is ‘get to the facts.’ So we're not talking about that. We're not using that word. Every single thing we're going to look at, every rock we're going to look under is to find the facts," he said in June to Fox News Digital. "And the facts, I think, are going to show that he has disregarded the laws passed by Congress, subverted those laws, been dishonest to Congress and the American people, among many, many other things. And we're just going to get to the bottom of all that."

MIGRANT NUMBERS DROP SHARPLY IN JUNE AS BIDEN ADMIN'S POST-TITLE 42 STRATEGY TAKES SHAPE

The Biden administration pushed back, pointing to a sharp drop in encounters at the border since the end of the Title 42 public health order in May -- despite widespread predictions that it would be followed by an increase in apprehensions. Numbers in June show 144,000 migrant encounters for the month, which is the lowest number since February 2001, although still high compared to pre-2021 numbers. Officials have also highlighted that it removed more individuals in FY 2022 via Title 8 and Title 42 than in any other fiscal year to refute claims of "open border" policies.

MAYORKAS TO TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AMID GOP SCRUTINY OVER BORDER CRISIS

The administration has tied the drop in encounters to measures it put into place when Title 42 ended in May, including a significant and historic expansion of the use of parole to expand lawful immigration pathways -- combined with an asylum rule which limits migrants from claiming asylum if they enter illegally and fail to claim asylum at a country through which they already passed. That rule is currently facing legal challenges from both left-wing activity groups and GOP-led states. DHS officials have also pointed to statements Mayorkas has made in which he has repeatedly stressed that the U.S. is a "nation of laws."

Democrats on the committee were also critical of the report.

"Since Extreme MAGA Republicans predetermined months ago they would impeach Secretary Mayorkas, they have been busy trying to manufacture so-called ‘evidence’ to do so," Ranking Member Bennie Thompson said in a statement. "But their cooked-up narrative is not reality."

"I realize Republicans have been counting on chaos on border for months and are now panicking that the Administration policies are working, but there is no valid basis for impeachment. Any attempt to do so would be a sham. We’re here to serve the American people, not right-wing special interests in Washington," he said.

There is no sign, however, that the scrutiny of the secretary will cease any time soon. The report published Wednesday is only the interim report of the first phase of the investigation, with the second phase already underway.

Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing next week at which Mayorkas will be present -- and will likely face a grilling from Republicans over the border crisis.

House GOP threatens to defund Mayorkas’ salary: ‘Do your damn job or Congress will act’

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: Several House Republicans are considering a legislative action that would reduce Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ salary down to zero in response to what they deem to be his failure to enforce the southern border.

"People are sick of inaction against elected officials who betray their oath and refuse to do their jobs. Congress is given the power of the purse by the Constitution, and if the president’s Cabinet secretaries won’t do their jobs, we should consider using any tool, including the Holman Rule, to defund them and their ability to do further damage," Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital.

"Do your damn job or Congress will act," she said.

Mayorkas has taken an avalanche of GOP criticism since he's led President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a record number of undocumented migrants have crossed into the U.S. under his tenure.

SUPREME COURT HANDS BIDEN ADMIN MAJOR WIN ON CHALLENGE TO ICE ENFORCEMENT POLICY

Some Republican lawmakers are now thrusting his paycheck into the middle of the looming government funding battle. They are pushing to use the Holman Rule – a tool in the U.S. House of Representatives that allows lawmakers to file amendments to spending bills that restrict the use of federal funds for programs or even specific federal employees' salaries.

"Secretary Mayorkas has facilitated Biden’s large-scale invasion of our southern border by allowing over 6 million illegal aliens – that we know of – to cross and jeopardize our national safety and sovereignty. His salary should be completely zeroed out, and he should be impeached as soon as possible," said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va.

Impeachment articles were filed against Mayorkas just weeks ago over his handling of the border. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., an Appropriations Committee member, suggested the Holman Rule be used as a parallel to that process depending on the severity of his shortcomings on the job.

NEARLY 17 MILLION ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN US, 16% INCREASE SINCE 2021: ANALYSIS

"If we lay out all the facts and determine that Secretary Mayorkas has ignored our laws, then Congress should consider zeroing out his salary using the Holman Rule. That is not an alternative option to impeachment, but it is just another tool in our toolbox to hold members of the Biden administration accountable," Cline said.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said, "Secretary Mayorkas has intentionally created the worst border crisis in history. He could be impeached. Defunding his salary is a good start."

Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern, R-Okla., similarly said House Republicans are "looking at both impeachment and the Holman Rule."

MIGRANT NUMBERS EXCEEDED 200,000 ENCOUNTERS AGAIN IN MAY AS TITLE 42 EXPIRED

"Secretary Mayorkas has failed the American people at every point of his public career. He wrecked our borders and allowed cartels to smuggle apocalyptic amounts of fentanyl into our nation. Republicans must stop him from further destroying our national security," Hern said.

A DHS spokesperson defended Mayorkas in a statement to Fox News Digital from what they called the GOP’s "baseless attacks."

"Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of this Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The Department will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border, protect the nation from terrorism, improve our cybersecurity, all while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system."

"Instead of pointing fingers and pursuing baseless attacks, Congress should work with the Department and pass legislation to fix our broken immigration system, which has not been updated in decades," the spokesperson added.

The Biden administration has thus far refused to call the situation at the southern border a crisis, but Republicans have consistently painted the issue as a failure of Biden’s and Mayorkas’ leadership.

The most recently available Customs and Border Patrol data shows the number of illegal migrant encounters in May is lower than last year, though it remains high compared to levels seen in 2020 and 2021. GOP lawmakers have cited reports of migrants dying along the harsh route many are forced to take to accuse Mayorkas of fomenting a humanitarian crisis at the border.

Both the bid to defund Mayorkas’ salary and to impeach him are virtually certain to stop dead in the Democrat-controlled Senate, but that hasn’t stopped members of the House Republican majority from calling to use all tools at their disposal against Biden’s officials.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., suggested going even further with the Holman Rule to also include Attorney General Merrick Garland, accusing him of "treacherous efforts to weaponize the Department of Justice for political gain."

"Given the severely troubling misconduct of numerous Biden officials, I believe it is incumbent upon Congress to use every tool at our disposal – including the powerful Holman Rule – to hold these arrogant offenders accountable," Clyde said.

Impeachment once again looms large in Congress

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., don’t get along.

But if House Republicans try to impeach President Biden or a roster of other Biden cabinet officials in the coming months, a look at how Pelosi handled impeachment questions deserves attention.

Rewind the calendar to 2007. Democrats flipped control of the House in the 2006 midterms. Pelosi faced a wall of pressure from liberal Democrats to impeach President George W. Bush over the war in Iraq.

Pelosi resisted those calls. "Impeachment is off the table," Pelosi said at the time.

TED CRUZ CALLS ON HOUSE TO INVESTIGATE IMPEACHING BIDEN OVER HUNTER ALLEGATIONS: ‘DIRECT EVIDENCE’

But Pelosi had a plan to wind down the U.S. commitment overseas. Pelosi instructed then-Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wisc., to start diminishing spending available for the war effort. Control of the purse strings is the ultimate power in Congress. Pelosi and Obey didn’t want to cut off troops in the field. But the plan was to dial back funding so the U.S. would leave Iraq sooner rather than later.

Fast forward to the summer of 2019.

BIDEN DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN SON HUNTER'S CHINESE BUSINESS DEALINGS AFTER NEW MESSAGE EMERGES

Pelosi had resisted calls to impeach former President Donald Trump for years over a host of transgressions. Pelosi often reminded House Democrats and her members she supported an investigation of alleged misdeeds and would "follow the facts" wherever they may lead.

Democrats were disappointed in information provided at a summer 2019 hearing with former Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller was coy during his testimony and failed to produce a smoking gun. But some lawmakers observed that Mueller may have left a breadcrumb of clues in his report investigating Trump: impeachment may be an option.

Still, Democrats were reluctant to go there — even though many wanted to do so.

In fact, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, regularly launched efforts to try to impeach former President Trump. While many Democrats admired Green’s gusto, they viewed his effort as an unserious sideshow.

Pelosi wouldn’t let the House be a part of such a carnival.

That was until word came of the phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Information surfaced that Mr. Trump may have delayed sending previously-approved assistance to Ukraine. But he first pressured Zelenskyy to launch investigations of President Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

No love was lost between the former president and Pelosi. But Pelosi was often a master of understanding where the votes might be on a given issue. She was also mindful of protecting her members from taking a tough vote. Pelosi didn’t appear ready for impeachment yet. Certainly after Mueller’s appearance. But the Trump/Zelenskyy phone call was another matter.

In mid-September 2019, a coalition of seven Democratic freshmen House members penned an op-ed in The Washington Post. They wrote that if the allegations against Trump were true, they would consider it "an impeachable offense."

WHAT A BIDEN IMPEACHMENT FIGHT WOULD DO TO REPUBLICANS, AND THE COUNTRY

All seven authors flipped districts from Republican to Democratic control in the 2018 midterms. The seven had serious national security credentials. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., served in the Army. Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., worked for the CIA. Three served in the Navy: Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., along with former Reps. Elaine Luria, D-Va., and Gil Cisneros, D-Calif. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., was in the Air Force.

The op-ed signaled to Pelosi that centrist, Democratic freshmen from battleground districts were willing to potentially impeach the president. The speaker had protected them and others from what could become a career-defining vote. Pelosi greenlighted a formal impeachment inquiry a few days after the op-ed. The House voted on Halloween to design the ground rules for an impeachment inquiry. And just before Christmas, the House voted to impeach Trump again.

The Pelosi-led House moved to impeach Trump just hours after the Capitol riot in January, 2021.

The measure went to the floor swiftly — lacking the weeks and months of hearings which were a feature of the former president's first impeachment. In fact, the House impeached Trump days before his term expired.

Pelosi didn’t hold back on impeaching Trump that time because she had the votes. She also wanted to impeach him while he was still in office.

What is past is prologue.

McCarthy may have temporarily circumvented an immediate push by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., to impeach President Biden before the House abandoned Washington for the July Fourth recess. But this is far from the last time we will see or hear about this debate.

A ROAD TO IMPEACHMENT: HOUSE REPUBLICANS MAY YET IMPEACH BIDEN

And the stark reality is that it may very well wind up in an eventual impeachment of President Biden.

Here are several scenarios which could unfold over the next few months:

The Judiciary and Homeland Security committees are already probing alleged misdeeds of Biden. Boebert’s resolution specifically calls for impeachment of the president because of how he’s dealt with the border. The House voted to send Boebert’s resolution to those panels, preventing an immediate up/down vote on impeachment on the floor.

Watch to see how these committees move. If they amp things up, the House could be headed toward a true impeachment inquiry. That ultimately could result in an impeachment vote later this year. However, it is unclear if the House actually has the votes to impeach Biden.

By contrast, the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees could do nothing with the referral of Boebert’s impeachment resolution. Boebert indicated she’d force the issue on the floor again. This is a little like Al Green’s repeated efforts to impeach Trump. But if Boebert presses the issue, McCarthy could lack the ammo to again sidestep a direct confrontation over impeachment.

That likely means Boebert reintroduces her special resolution to impeach Biden. Either the House votes on that or tables it. A straight vote on impeachment causes big problems among Republicans. Some conservatives truly want to impeach the president. Others like to talk about impeachment but don’t really want to tangle with it. Still, other GOPers see impeachment as political kryptonite and want to stay as far away from it as possible. Forcing a vote actually on an issue as explosive as impeachment ignites a GOP firestorm. Of course, voting to table it triggers a political maelstrom among a different set of GOP factions.

Here's another possibility: The committees actually shelve the impeachment effort. The committees might address the impeachment question and conduct investigations. But some Republicans already view the move to send the Boebert plan to committee as an effort to euthanize the enterprise. Some Republicans will breathe a sigh of relief. Others will go nuclear — perhaps against the speaker.

The bottom line: While not yet a formal "impeachment inquiry," the committees have wide latitude to truly investigate allegations which could be potentially worthy of impeachment. The vote to send the Boebert impeachment resolution to committee may have been a fig leaf. But chances are that the House must address impeachment for President of the United States in some form later this year.

As we speak, there are various Republicans who hope to impeach Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves.

In an interview with Fox about impeaching Garland, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., noted that "Kevin McCarthy is not against impeachment at all." Greene observed that "if we’re going to do it, it needs to be successful."

In other words, just don’t deposit a privileged impeachment resolution on the floor and expect members to vote on it, al a Boebert or Al Green.

"The speaker of the House, whether it’s Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy or anyone … they want to make sure that they have the votes to pass it," said Greene.

That’s a calculus McCarthy may need to figure in the coming months — be it for Biden or the host of other figures listed above.

Pelosi moved the impeachments for Trump once she was confident she had the votes. But McCarthy only has a four-seat majority. It’s far from clear how he’ll handle similar impeachment calls on his watch.

House Republicans set to kick off ‘dereliction of duty’ hearing aimed at DHS Secretary Mayorkas

Posted on June 14, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Republicans are poised to launch an investigation into alleged "dereliction of duty" by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during a Wednesday hearing.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., will hold a press conference Wednesday laying out allegations against the Cabinet member. Green's committee will also hold a hearing in which several border security experts will testify regarding the secretary's handling of the border.

"I gave 24 years of my life as service as an army officer, and I know what dereliction of duty looks like. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been willfully derelict in his duties as secretary of Homeland Security. has disregarded his oath to the Constitution by ignoring the basic tenets of that Constitution," Green said during a Wednesday press conference.

"The massive millions upon millions of people have crossed our southern border because the Secretary of Homeland Security removed 89 policies from two previous administrations. The cause is simple: migrants tested the system, they called home, and millions came because of the secretary's catch and release policies," he added.

EX-DHS CHIEF WOLF ACCUSES BIDEN ADMIN OF ‘CRISIS BY DESIGN’ AT THE BORDER, CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP

APPEALS COURT DENIES BIDEN ADMIN REQUEST FOR STAY IN CHALLENGE TO MIGRANT RELEASE POLICY

Those testifying in Wednesday's hearing include former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, who served in the Trump administration, and former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott. Joe Edlow, former acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will also testify.

The investigation into Mayorkas comes amid calls from some Republicans to impeach the secretary. Green has cautioned, however, that that is not the goal of his committee's probe.

"What we know right now is that Secretary Mayorkas has either violated or subverted at least ten laws passed by the Congress of the United States. He has ignored multiple court orders to cease and desist his activities. The blatant disregard for the Constitution of the United States, which states that the United States Congress passes the laws and the executive branch executes those laws, is just scratching the surface to the harm Secretary Mayorkas’ dereliction of duty has done to our country," Green said.

Illegal Immigration has skyrocketed at the U.S.-Mexico border under the leadership of Mayorkas and President Biden. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports say they had 100,000 monthly encounters during Biden's first full month in office. Today, however, CBP reports well over 200,000 per month, with the number exceeding 230,000 throughout late 2022 and early 2023.

As a result, firebrand Republicans have introduced articles of impeachment against both Biden and Mayorkas, though the moves were largely symbolic.

Biden's handling of the border crisis has long been among his least popular issues, with a May poll showing that just 33% of voters approve of his work on the issue.

House Homeland Republicans to launch probe into Mayorkas’ ‘dereliction of duty’ in handling border crisis

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing next week that officially launches an investigation into the alleged "dereliction of duty" by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in his handling of the ongoing crisis at the southern border.

The hearing, "Open Borders, Closed Case: Secretary Mayorkas’ Dereliction of Duty on the Border Crisis," will take place on Wednesday and will include testimony from former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott and former acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director Joe Edlow.

The committee has undertaken a vigorous oversight timetable toward the Biden administration’s handling of the migrant crisis -- which spiraled to historic levels under its watch. The committee held a bombshell field hearing in March, in which Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz described a situation in which agents were overwhelmed in multiple sectors where there was no operational control of the border.

Since then, the committee played a central role in forming a border and immigration package, which passed the House in May, but has not yet been picked up in the Senate.

With the House passage, an investigation of Mayorkas’ conduct is on the table, committee chairman Rep. Mark Green told Fox News Digital.

EX-DHS CHIEF WOLF ACCUSES BIDEN ADMIN OF ‘CRISIS BY DESIGN’ AT THE BORDER, CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP

"We passed the legislation, and now we're gearing up to hold Mayorkas accountable. That's essentially what starts next Wednesday. And it's going to be a process of basically investigating, looking at the facts of the decisions that have been made by this secretary and how it's impacted the American people," he said.

Many Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have floated a potential impeachment of Mayorkas -- with some members even introducing articles of impeachment against the DHS chief. But Green says the committee isn’t at that point yet.

"My mission as the chairman of [the committee] is ‘get to the facts.’ So we're not talking about that. We're not using that word. Every single thing we're going to look at, every rock we're going to look under is to find the facts," he said. "And the facts, I think, are going to show that he has disregarded the laws passed by Congress, subverted those laws, been dishonest to Congress and the American people, among many, many other things. And we're just going to get to the bottom of all that."

APPEALS COURT DENIES BIDEN ADMIN REQUEST FOR STAY IN CHALLENGE TO MIGRANT RELEASE POLICY

The Biden administration has backed Mayorkas, and has pushed back on Republicans and conservatives calling for his ouster. The agency has pointed to a sharp over 70% drop in border encounters since just before the end of Title 42 in May that it says shows that its plan is working "as intended."

That plan includes a significant expansion of lawful pathways — including greater use of the controversial CBP One app and various parole programs — an asylum rule to limit claims by those who enter the country illegally, greater cooperation with Mexico, and stiffer penalties under Title 8, as well as increased repatriations. The administration has instead called on Congress to provide more funding and pass a sweeping immigration bill that the administration introduced on Day One. It has also touted a number of anti-smuggling efforts that it has launched in the region with regional partners.

"Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of the Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital this week in response to criticism of Mayorkas in a separate hearing. "The Department will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border, protect the United States from terrorism, and improve our cybersecurity, all while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system.

"Instead of pointing fingers and pursuing baseless attacks, Congress should work with the Department and pass comprehensive legislation to fix our broken immigration system, which has not been updated in decades," the spokesperson said.

Green is skeptical of the numbers cited by the administration, noting that they are comparing to a historic spike of 10,000 migrants a day seen a few days before the end of Title 42, and arguing that there has been a lack of transparency on specific numbers from the administration that his committee has requested.

"It's a shell game, and we're going to get to the bottom of that in this investigation, too," he said.

He also rejected claims that the administration has been working to secure the border.

"What Alejandro Mayorkas has done has created an open border. And that open border was intentional. And unfortunately, the cartels have seized that opportunity, made billions of dollars on human trafficking, and they've also sent fentanyl into the United States in record numbers, killing Americans," he said.

"So I think I have a duty to find out the answers about why and how. And I need to inform the American people of just exactly the failure that this secretary has been," he added.

Ex-DHS chief Wolf accuses Biden admin of ‘crisis by design’ at the border, calls for new leadership

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: The former acting head of the Department of Homeland Security will today rip into the Biden administration's handling of the ongoing crisis at the southern border, accusing the administration of a "crisis by design" at the border, and calling for new leadership at the Department of Homeland Security

Chad Wolf, who served as acting DHS secretary during the Trump administration and oversaw the implementation of a number of key Trump-era policies, will speak at the House Judiciary Committee’s immigration subcommittee hearing on the ongoing crisis at the border.

The hearing will ask "Is the law being faithfully executed" and Wolf will tell lawmakers that "the answer, by any objective measure or metric is a resounding no."

FLORIDA OFFICIALS CONFIRM STATE BEHIND MIGRANT FLIGHTS TO CALIFORNIA AS NEWSOM THREATENS ‘KIDNAPPING CHARGES’

"Today’s border security system is unrecognizable from the America First policies of the Trump Administration or even what was in place during the administrations of Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama," Wolf will say in prepared remarks obtained by Fox News Digital. "In all candor, the Biden administration is the first administration of either political party to deliberately take steps to diminish the security along our southern border."

"Therefore, it is my opinion that new leadership is needed at DHS," Wolf, now the executive director at the America First Policy Institute, will tell the committee.

Wolf joins a chorus of voices on the right who have called for the removal -- and potentially the impeachment -- of Mayorkas, who has come under heavy fire for his handling of the border crisis now deep into its third year.

The border has seen a historic number of migrant encounters at the border since the administration took office. The historic 1.7 million encounters in FY2021 was subsequently dwarfed in FY 2022 when there were more than 2.3 million encounters.

Numbers have hit records in FY 2023, when there were over 250,000 migrant encounters in a single month in December. There was a surge ahead of the end of Title 42 in May, with over 10,000 encounters a day, but numbers have dropped sharply by as much as 70% since the order ended.

The administration has said that a recent drop in encounters since Title 42 ended on May 11, and in some of the months before that, shows that the policies it is implementing are working. Those policies focus on expanding lawful pathways including a controversial use of parole, coupled with shifting to traditional Title 8 penalties for illegal crossings and a new asylum rule which limits claims for those who cross illegally and who have not claimed asylum in other countries through which they traveled.

‘SHOCKING': LAWMAKERS HEAR OF BORDER CRISIS' IMPACT ON CBP, ICE MORALE

"The administration’s plan is working as intended," DHS said in a statement this week. "We are cognizant, however, that the conditions in the hemisphere that are driving unprecedented movements of people are still present and that the cartels and coyotes will continue to spread disinformation about any potential changes to policies at the border in order to put migrants’ lives at risk for profit. We will remain vigilant and continue to execute our plan, making adjustments where needed."

Separately, Mayorkas has repeated the administration's calls for Congress to provide additional funding and to pass legislation to fix what he calls a "broken" immigration system.

But conservative and Republican critics have blamed the longer-term crisis on the administration’s expanded use of "catch-and-release," which had been curtailed sharply during the Trump administration with policies that have since been reversed by the Biden administration. Additionally, critics have pointed to the Biden administration’s reduced interior immigration enforcement, the end of border wall construction, and have questioned the legality of the use of parole in expanded pathways it has put into place. Wolf argues that the expanded pathways are only "a diversion of illegal aliens from between ports of entry to the ports of entry."

In his remarks, Wolf will contrast the Biden administration’s approach with the Trump administration’s approach, arguing that the prior administration secured the border, deterred illegal immigration, enforced the law and disrupted cartels.

"In stark contrast, today we see a border in chaos and crisis because the Biden administration ideologically and arbitrarily dismantled all of these proven policies," he will say. "Recommendations and concerns by Career Border Patrol experts were ignored and political correctness and rank ideology supplanted common sense and adherence to our immigration laws."

APPEALS COURT DENIES BIDEN ADMIN REQUEST FOR STAY IN CHALLENGE TO MIGRANT RELEASE POLICY

"To be clear -- the laws didn’t change between administrations – just the decision by the Biden administration not to follow those laws. They embraced destructive and unlawful policies that have made American communities dangerous and enriched the Mexican drug cartels," Wolf says.

Wolf notes statistics showing that 4.5 million migrants -- including 1.5 million "gotaways" -- have arrived in the country, a number bigger than every major U.S. city except New York City. He also challenges the claim by the Biden administration that its new process is "safe orderly and humane."

"But to whom exactly? Not to the migrants abused, extorted, or dying along the journey; not to American communities that have been overrun by this influx of illegal aliens and lethal fentanyl; and not to Border Patrol officers who have been assaulted and have pleaded with political leadership to solve this crisis," he says. "Instead, the process that has been created over the last two years can be more accurately described as dangerous, corrupt, and inhumane."

He goes on to say that the administration has failed to adhere to the DHS mission of securing the homeland and protecting its citizens.

"But the Biden Administration has not adhered to the DHS mission and eroded our institutions and ignored the rule of law. These policies are unlawful and this is a crisis by design," he says.

House Homeland Security Republican demands Mayorkas’ impeachment as migrants to be housed at major NYC airport

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE – Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., is leading the charge in calling for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ impeachment.

Speaking to Fox News Digital by phone on Monday, Esposito, who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, said Mayorkas has shown "a real dereliction of duty" and demanded he resign or face full impeachment.

A retired NYPD detective, D'Esposito cited the "breakdown of law and order along the border," as well as the impact of the ongoing migrant crisis on New York communities, namely as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved New York City's plan to house migrants in a hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport over the weekend.

"I'm not going to be the last to have to ask for his impeachment. I think it's clear from the outrage, you know, among lawmakers that Mayorkas is not doing the job that he swore to do," D'Esposito told Fox News Digital. "I believe that one of the most important cabinet positions in the United States is that which protects our homeland."

"The fact is he's just not living up to his oath," he said of Mayorkas. "Not only is he failing the administration, he is failing the American people. And that's my biggest concern."

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D'Esposito said it's been weeks since he was able to question Mayorkas before the House Homeland Security Committee in late April.

"With the ending of Title 42, he claimed that he had been planning for months and months and months. There was no plan in place. And if there was, we wouldn't be worrying about the opening of vacant warehouses in JFK Airport weeks after Title 42 ended," said D'Esposito, who also sits on the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee and is chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology.

"I am not about just not allowing anyone into this country," said the freshman congressman, whose district represents parts of Long Island's Nassau County. "My mom came here with her seven brothers and sisters from Puerto Rico in 1955, and my grandparents worked their tails off to give my aunts and uncles and my mom a good life and a good education. And they did it the right way. I believe that people should be given the opportunity for the American dream."

"We don't have the ability to handle these asylum seekers. And that's the problem. It's not about just giving people entry into this country, it's about making sure that we afford them the opportunities and the resources that they need for the life here," D'Esposito continued. "We're millions of cases behind and, you know, increasing the amount of people into this country are only going to put those cases that are backlogged further in backlog."

DHS on Thursday expanded slots to seek asylum at land crossings with Mexico through a mobile app for the second time in less than a month, seeking to dispel doubts it isn't a viable option. There are now 1,250 appointments daily at eight land crossings, up from 1,000 previously and 740 in early May.

D'Esposito's office blamed a "lack of planning by the Department of Homeland Security," for New York City Mayor Eric Adams' controversial program sending busloads of migrants "to unprepared suburban communities surrounding New York City as the Big Apple has found itself overwhelmed by the sheer number of recent border crossers."

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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey successfully petitioned the FAA for use of warehouse space at Kennedy airport to house migrants. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said state officials are working with New York City to devise a plan to house migrants in SUNY college dormitories.

"That is a slippery slope. And we're going to start having migrants and asylum seekers living among our students. And that's not what parents pay tuition for, is to have their children go to an educational institution and have to share their campus with asylum seekers," D'Esposito told Fox News Digital.

The congressman further spoke to the impact on crime in New York communities, as Nassau County officials announced a large takedown of illegal narcotics believed to have come from the souther border within the last month, as well as a burglary ring busted by the Nassau County Police Department within the last six months.

"These are people that are here illegally. They've been arrested before. And the fact is that people are concerned, people are scared, people are nervous, and they should be," he said.

"I met with leadership in many school boards throughout Long Island. And they have serious concerns," D'Esposito added. "When they plan their budget for the year, they try to run those schools like a business. They want to make sure they do their very best to deliver the most for the taxpayers. And the fact is that there are some school districts that are seeing such a large increase in unaccompanied minors that they can't keep their budget in check because they need to afford resources that they just don't have. So even our schools are taking a hit."

In addition to the millions of migrants who have been apprehended by DHS personnel and released into communities, it has been reported that over 530,000 migrants have illegally entered the country and evaded capture since October 2022, as per May 2023 estimates by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to D'Esposito's office.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lawmakers demand answers from DHS about funding school program linking GOP, Christians to Nazis

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security is targeting conservative Americans and must answer for bankrolling a university program that has explicitly lumped the Republican Party, as well as Christian and conservative groups, into the same category as Nazis, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., wrote in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.

Biggs, along with 15 House Republican co-signers, sent Mayorkas the letter on Friday, calling on him to stop DHS's alleged targeting of the Biden administration's political opponents.

"Under your leadership, the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly targeted conservative Americans for lawfully expressing their First Amendment rights," the letter states. "The Constitution prohibits the federal government from suppressing the free speech of Americans, by any means, including the use of third parties to engage in unconstitutional attacks on free speech. But this unlawful federal speech regulatory regime continues to be the norm under the Biden administration."

Biggs highlights a DHS grant program that, he says, provides funding to organizations that "openly demonize and equate mainstream conservatism with domestic terrorism," adding that it's Mayorkas' "duty to stop this un-American politically motivated targeting of ideas."

UNIVERSITY PROGRAM LINKING CHRISTIANS, REPUBLICANS TO NAZIS GRANTED DHS FUNDS UNDER 'ANTI-TERROR' INITIATIVE

The letter refers to a story first reported by Fox News Digital in May showing how DHS is doling out taxpayer money through an anti-terrorism grant initiative to a university program whose work has explicitly targeted the American political right.

The Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog group, obtained documents through Freedom of Information Act requests spotlighting controversial recipients of DHS's Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program (TVTP). The government initiative provides funds to various public, private, and non-profit institutions — such as universities and county governments — "to establish or enhance capabilities to prevent targeted violence and terrorism." Grant applicants must be based in the U.S. and implement a U.S.-based program.

The Biden administration has awarded 80 grants through the TVTP totaling just under $40 million. DHS named one of its TVTP goals as "media literacy and online critical thinking initiatives," which many grantees listed as the mission of their projects.

One grantee was the University of Dayton for its PREVENTS-OH program, which DHS awarded $352,109 to "draw on the expertise of the University of Dayton faculty" to fight "domestic violence extremism and hate movements."

The university's grant application submitted to DHS linked in a footnote to a controversial Dayton conference where an academic researcher presented a chart titled the "Pyramid of Far-Right Radicalization."

Among the organizations and movements displayed on the pyramid were the Republican Party, the Heritage Foundation, the American Conservative Union, Fox News, Breitbart News, the National Rifle Association, PragerUniversity, Tea Party Patriots, the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, the pro-police Blue Lives Matter movement, and the Christian Broadcasting Network.

The pyramid also included hate groups like The Base, a neo-Nazi paramilitary group, and the Daily Stormer, a pro-Nazi publication, seemingly comparing them to mainstream organizations such as the GOP.

In 2021, the University of Dayton held a seminar called "Extremism, Rhetoric, and Democratic Precarity" featuring several experts on extremism who compared mainstream conservatives to genocidal extremists.

The university's grant application to DHS linked to video of the conference, describing it as indicative of the university's work "to assess regional needs and capacities for violent extremism prevention" and directing government evaluators to view it for more information.

One speaker at the conference presented the "Pyramid of Far-Right Radicalization." Another compared the Trump administration to the Khmer Rouge of Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia that killed an estimated 1.5 million-2 million people from 1975-79. A third presenter compared Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposing a volunteer civilian military force to assist the National Guard in emergencies such as hurricanes to the Nazis' Holocaust during World War II.

Another speaker at the event was a DHS official who appeared virtually in his official capacity to deliver a short presentation.

"Extremism, Rhetoric, and Democratic Precarity" wasn't the only controversial conference conducted by the University of Dayton. At a separate seminar titled "White Nationalism Workshop," the same researcher who presented the "Pyramid of Far-Right Radicalization" spoke and explained how "antifascists" could "de-platform" alleged fascists — comparing them to the mainstream political right — by surveilling, infiltrating and physically confronting them.

DHS WARNS OF 'HEIGHTENED THREAT ENVIRONMENT' IN US AMID 'POLITICAL TENSIONS'

At the same event, another professor displayed images of anti-COVID lockdown and anti-vaccine mandate protesters, suggesting they were infiltrated by hate groups.

In order to promote its work to the city of Dayton, PREVENTS-OH sent the city an image, named Anti-Rights Movements and Democratic Regression, featuring a caricature of a Second Amendment supporter above the words "Why do we have a radicalized society."

Both DHS and the university of Dayton noted the controversial conferences were separate from, and pre-dated DHS awarding money to, PREVENTS-OH, adding they don't target or discriminate against groups expressing their constitutional rights. Neither addressed the fact that the school included the seminars in its grant application, which DHS reviewed.

"President Biden's authoritarian Department of Homeland Security is weaponizing limited taxpayer money and department resources to crush conservatives in America," Biggs told Fox News Digital. "This department appears to be taking guidance directly from George Orwell's 1984 novel, in which a police state controls all speech and pummels all dissenters. America must never become that society."

"Secretary Mayorkas must answer my questions in full and justify why a multi-million-dollar counter-terrorism program designed to prevent the next Osama Bin Laden is being used to prey on innocuous conservatives," the congressman added.

BIDEN’S WAR ON ‘DISINFORMATION’ RAMPS UP AS GOP ACCUSES OFFICIALS OF PLAYING POLITICS WITH THE TRUTH

Biggs' letter poses 16 questions about TVTP grants and DHS's approach to extremism and terrorism, requesting answers by June 11.

The letter also calls out DHS for awarding seminars led by "extremists" rather than targeting groups that "promote and amplify civil unrest and racial violence like Antifa and Black Lives Matter."

The document adds that the Biden administration shouldn't be awarding grants relating to combatting domestic radicalization to organizations and municipalities that "lack the ability to discern between speech and legitimate political decisions they disagree with and domestic terrorism."

In the letter, Biggs calls it "especially concerning" that TVTP grants were very much on the radar of DHS leadership. Mayorkas called the program a "high priority" in a document obtained by the Media Research Center.

"Secretary Mayorkas thanked the grantees for their work, and he reassured all in attendance that this program is a priority for the department and that the work being done is of the highest importance," the Maryland Department of Emergency Management wrote in its notes and documentation of the 2022 TVTP Grantee Symposium, which Mayorkas hosted.

The letter comes amid calls for Mayorkas to resign due to his handling of the ongoing crisis at the country's southern border. Several Republican lawmakers have pushed the idea of impeaching him for allegedly neglecting his duties.

Biggs and his letter's co-signers weren't the only ones to take note of Fox News Digital's reporting on DHS's grant to the University of Dayton.

DIVIDER IN CHIEF? BIDEN CONTINUES REPEATED ATTACKS AGAINST POLITICAL OPPONENTS WHILE CALLING FOR UNITY

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also highlighted the story on his podcast earlier this week.

"It's the latest example of the Biden administration being more than happy to weaponize the federal government to use the powers of the federal government to target you," said Cruz. "They're engaged in propaganda, and the propaganda is saying that anyone right of center is a terrorist, anyone right of center is a Nazi, anyone right of center is a Klansman. It is the vicious lie that the radical left pushes often… why is the government funding this? They're funding it because they want to give fuel to the fire attacking those they view as enemies of the regime."

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Cruz called out what he described as a double standard of many academics and U.S. officials targeting conservatives but not looking more into radical groups such as Antifa. He added that both the House and Senate should hold hearings on this issue to examine that taxpayer money is being spent responsibly on anti-extremism programs.

DHS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

University program linking Christians, Republicans to Nazis granted DHS funds under ‘anti-terror’ initiative

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: The Biden administration is doling out taxpayer money through an anti-terrorism grant initiative to a university program that has explicitly lumped the Republican Party, as well as Christian and conservative groups, into the same category as Nazis, according to documents shared exclusively with Fox News Digital.

The Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog group, obtained documents through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests showing a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program meant to fight terrorism is funding a group whose work has explicitly targeted the American political right. The MRC outlined its findings in a report, arguing what the group found warrants criminal prosecution.

"This terrorism task force is engaged in an active effort to demonize and eliminate Christian, conservative, and Republican organizations using federal taxpayer dollars," said Brent Bozell, founder and president of the Media Research Center. "What we have uncovered calls for criminal prosecution. The American people need to know those who are abusing their positions in the federal government will be held accountable for their criminal behavior."

DHS's Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program (TVTP) provides funds to various public, private, and non-profit institutions — such as universities and county governments — "to establish or enhance capabilities to prevent targeted violence and terrorism." Grant applicants must be based in the U.S. and implement a U.S.-based program.

DHS WARNS OF 'HEIGHTENED THREAT ENVIRONMENT' IN US AMID 'POLITICAL TENSIONS'

The Biden administration has awarded 80 grants through the TVTP totaling just under $40 million. The lowest grant was for $85,000, the highest was over $1.1 million, and the median was about $442,000. TVTP grant recipients are prohibited from engaging in viewpoint discrimination, according to DHS.

Started by the Obama administration under a different name, the TVTP was broadened and revamped by the Biden administration with a new focus on violent extremism and white supremacy. DHS named one of its TVTP goals as "media literacy and online critical thinking initiatives," which many grantees listed as the mission of their projects.

One such grantee was the University of Dayton for its PREVENTS-OH program, which DHS awarded $352,109 to "draw on the expertise of the University of Dayton faculty" to fight "domestic violence extremism and hate movements."

One speaker at the conference, University of Cincinnati researcher Michael Loadenthal, presented the "Pyramid of Far-Right Radicalization," portraying it as an accurate depiction of the "modern far-right" and extremism in America.

The MRC report noted that at the same seminar, another speaker, Alexander Hinton, a member of the Rutgers University faculty who specializes in genocide, compared the Trump administration to the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge of Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia killed an estimated 1.5 million-2 million people from 1975-79.

A third speaker — Nicole Widdersheim, deputy Washington director for Human Rights Watch and former senior policy adviser to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Center — compared Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposing a volunteer civilian military force to assist the National Guard in emergencies such as hurricanes to the Nazis' Holocaust during World War II.

A DHS official — Joseph Masztalics, a regional prevention coordinator at the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, of which TVTP is a part — was another speaker and appeared virtually in his official capacity at the event to deliver a short presentation about the center's mission and resources.

According to DHS, the University of Dayton was not a TVTP grantee at the time of the seminar and received a grant the following year — when the department was already aware of what was presented at the event. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the award was unrelated to the seminar and rejected the notion that it supports any form of discrimination.

"This seminar was not funded, organized, or hosted by the Department of Homeland Security," the spokesperson said. "Similarly, the presented chart was not developed, presented, or endorsed by the Department of Homeland Security, and was not part of any successful grant application to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS does not profile, target, or discriminate against any individual for exercising their constitutional rights protected by the First Amendment."

BIDEN’S WAR ON ‘DISINFORMATION’ RAMPS UP AS GOP ACCUSES OFFICIALS OF PLAYING POLITICS WITH THE TRUTH

The University of Dayton similarly described the seminar as being separate from the PREVENTS-OH program.

"The speakers at the programs referred to in the Media Research Center's report are from the University of Dayton Human Rights Center's Social Practice of Human Rights Conference in the fall of 2021, which had no affiliation with and predates PREVENTS-OH," the university told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The University of Dayton Human Rights Center received its PREVENTS-OH grant in the fall of 2022 and, to date, its community awareness events and dialogues have focused on all forms of domestic terrorism, targeted violence, and extremism. As we stated when awarded the grant, 'We look forward to partnering with Ohioans throughout the Miami Valley across all political and social affiliations and sectors of the community.'"

The school did not note its inclusion of the seminar in its grant application.

"Extremism, Rhetoric, and Democratic Precarity" wasn't the only controversial conference conducted by the University of Dayton. Indeed, at a separate seminar titled "White Natioanlism Workshop," Loadenthal also spoke and explained how "antifascists" could "pressure" financial services, retailers, service providers, and various platforms to "kick people off," promoting the "de-platforming" of alleged fascists who he compared to the mainstream political right.

"A lot of things we're doing are illegal," he said. "A lot of it involves breaking the law."

Loadenthal also described hate speech as an act of war, calling it the "strategic deployment of organizational energy and power," and called for shutting down forces deemed extremist.

"To deny people that, to shut down their websites, to close their meetings, [and] to physically prevent them from assembling in public — this is the belief," he said, also displaying an infographic of how "antifascists" can "infiltrate," "surveil," and "disrupt" far-right forces.

At the same event, University of Dayton Professor Paul Becker displayed images of anti-COVID lockdown and anti-vaccine mandate protesters, suggesting they were infiltrated by hate groups.

The MRC described its findings in a new letter sent to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of both the House Judiciary Committee and the newly established Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. The letter from Bozell called for an investigation and "criminal prosecution" while asking to meet with Jordan to discuss the DHS documents.

"The Media Research Center has uncovered disturbing documentation that proves that the government is colluding with left-wing activists, academics, and state and local officials in an active effort to target some of the most prestigious conservatives and prominent political, religious, and media groups in the country, linking them directly to Nazis and terrorists," the letter states. "The American people need to know that those who are abusing their positions in the federal government will be held accountable for this criminal behavior."

The first version of the TVTP was created by the Obama administration, which in 2011 unveiled a plan titled "Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States" to give taxpayer-funded grants to local groups — including police departments, universities, and non-profits — to prevent domestic "violent extremism." The first grants weren't rolled out until 2016 in the "Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program."

The Trump administration halted the program for three years before DHS resurrected it in 2019 through the newly launched Office of Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention. DHS officials had reportedly circumvented the White House to seek congressional funds for the program.

In August 2020, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden vowed to "end the Trump administration's Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Program" and replace it with his own. Once in office, Biden and his secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, replaced the Office for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention with the new Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), of which TVTP is a part. According to a DHS press release from the time, "the creation of CP3 [is] … [among] the latest actions DHS is taking under Secretary Mayorkas' leadership to comprehensively combat domestic violent extremism, including violent white supremacy."

The majority of TVTP grants, 52%, have gone to public institutions like universities and county governments, while 48% have gone to private organizations, such as the University of Dayton and the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Out Boulder County.

DIVIDER IN CHIEF? BIDEN CONTINUES REPEATED ATTACKS AGAINST POLITICAL OPPONENTS WHILE CALLING FOR UNITY

According to the MRC, DHS has resisted producing documents pursuant to its FOIA requests to date, but the watchdog has acquired numerous documents directly from DHS grant recipients and other related organizations.

TVTP was very much on the radar of DHS leadership. Indeed, Mayorkas called the program a "high priority" in a document obtained by the MRC.

The MRC report comes amid calls for Mayorkas to resign due to his handling of the ongoing crisis at the country's southern border. Several Republican lawmakers have pushed the idea of impeaching him for allegedly neglecting his duties.

The report also comes amid outcry over the findings of Special Counsel John Durham, who had been investigating the FBI's original Trump-Russia probe — another instance of critics accusing a federal government agency of mobilizing against a political opponent.

"On the heels of the Durham report, we now have evidence that the Biden administration is ratcheting up its anti-American targeting of Christians, conservatives and Republicans. This is abhorrent and criminal," said MRC Free Speech America Vice President Dan Schneider. "We call on federal prosecutors to hold violators accountable under our civil rights laws, 18 USC Section 241 and 18 USC Section 242 accountable."

Last week, Special Counsel John Durham released a final report on his investigation into the original probe concerning whether former President Donald Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. Durham found that there was never any information to justify opening the FBI's investigation and that the bureau and the Department of Justice "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law."

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The MRC argued in its report that TVTP grants are just the latest example of the Biden administration using taxpayer dollars to attack political opponents, citing DHS's now-defunct and much-maligned Disinformation Governance Board and the FBI reportedly targeting parents with anti-terrorism tools.

To conclude its report, the Media Research Center noted it obtained documents for several other TVTP grantees allegedly showing DHS funding efforts to targe and demonize political opponents of the Biden administration.

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"This report only scratches the surface of the Biden DHS's nefarious TVTP grant program," the document states. "MRC Free Speech America has obtained more documents from other DHS grantees and other organizations through our concentrated FOIA initiative and will be presenting further evidence of the Biden administration's efforts to target conservatives, Christians, and the Republican Party going forward."