MSNBC moderator downplays southern border in conversation with DHS Secretary Mayorkas

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DHS Secretary Mayorkas claims 'the border is secure'

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday at the Aspen Security Forum that the border is "secure."

ASPEN - In a fireside chat with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, MSNBC correspondent and moderator Trymaine Lee failed to address illegal immigration across the southern border until the end of the conversation, instead opting for questions about guns, White supremacy, and whether the United States is approaching a civil war.

Lee asked Mayorkas more than 20 questions during a panel on the opening day of the Aspen Security Forum, but only one addressed illegal immigration across the southern border, and no mention was made of the historic number of illegal immigrants entering the United States.

Migrant encounters at the southern border hit a new record in May, with nearly 240,000 encounters, according to Customs and Border Protection.

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This number, however, was not addressed during the panel, and illegal immigrants crossing into the United States across the southern border arose in the last five minutes of the panel, which lasted nearly 45 minutes. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee Homeland Security Committee during a hearing on Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The only other mention of the southern border came nearly 36 minutes into the panel, when Lee asked Mayorkas about families who had been separated while being detained at the border. 

Also missing from the conversation was any mention of a Customs and Border Protection report finding "no evidence" that agents whipped Haitian migrants, despite claims from President Biden at the time that the migrants were being "strapped." 

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Other issues Lee chose not to ask the DHS secretary about included the underlying causes of illegal immigration, potential changes to the U.S. immigration policy, including Title 42 and concerns about those on the terror watch list crossing into the United States via the southern border. 

A migrant family sits after being processed on May 05, 2022 in Roma, Texas. 

Instead, Lee questioned Mayorkas about whether White supremacy is "hardwired" into the country. 

Even the question "what does a good day look like for you?" beat out the southern border in order of questioning.  

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When topic of the southern border was addressed, as the second to last question in the panel, Mayorkas asserted that it was secure. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a news conference at The National Press Club in Washington, on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

"Look, the border is secure," Mayorkas said. "We are working to make the border more secure. That has been a historic challenge."

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Mayorkas later added that the border is not "safe," noting a distinction between the two terms. 

"Safe and secure are two different words," Mayorkas said. "There are smugglers that operate on the Mexican side of the border. And placing one’s life in their hands is not safe."