DHS chief Mayorkas is willing to 'let children be raped,' Cruz charges in heated Senate border crisis hearing

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Sen. Lindsey Graham blasts Biden over border tweet: This is offensive

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham previews his priorities and line of questioning during the Senate Judiciary Committees hearing with DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, lashed out at Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on border security, blaming him for the rapes and deaths of children swept up in the crisis at the border.

"Mr. Secretary, I want to say to you right now, your behavior is disgraceful. And the deaths, the children assaulted, the children raped, they are at your feet. And if you had integrity, you would resign," Cruz told Mayorkas of his handling of the border crisis. "The men and women of the Border Patrol, they've never had a political leader undermine them. They despise you, Mr. Secretary, because you're willing to let children be raped to follow political orders. This is a crisis. It's a disgrace. And you won't even admit this human tragedy as it is crisis."

HOMELAND REPUBLICANS TO TURN UP THE HEAT ON MAYORKAS AFTER BORDER PATROL CHIEF’S ‘EARTH-SHATTERING’ TESTIMONY

Sen. Ted Cruz and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ( Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The exchange comes as Republicans have reportedly sought to turn up the heat on Mayorkas in the aftermath of dramatic testimony by Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz earlier this month in which Ortiz revealed several points of disagreement with the Biden administration on border security, including halting construction of the border wall and polices he argued made it difficult to do their job.

Ortiz also stated that the U.S. does not have operational control of the border, an assertion that contradicts testimony by Mayorkas last year.

"In five of those nine southwest border sectors, we have seen an increase in flow and that has caused a considerable strain on our resources and really has forced the Border Patrol to move agents and even migrants to some of the other areas," Ortiz said.

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz testifies at a Homeland Security hearing on March 15, 2023. (Screenshot)

BORDER PATROL CHIEF SAYS DHS DOESN'T HAVE OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF US BORDER

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital last week that Ortiz's statements were "earth-shattering stuff" and indicated a desire to have Mayorkas and others testify on the situation in front of the committee.

"I think we want to talk to all the sector chiefs, but certainly the five that are struggling with the overflow right now and get their perspectives," he said. "And then at some point, Secretary Mayorkas is going to have to come and answer the question – did he lie to Congress, or is he just ignorant about the definition in the code on what defines operational security?"

During Wednesday's Senate committee hearing, Cruz quizzed Mayorkas on why some migrants at the border were wearing wristbands, something the Homeland Security secretary admitted he didn't know.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (Reuters/Michael A. McCoy)

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That answer angered Cruz further, who argued it revealed Mayorkas is "incompetent."

"You don't know what they are. Mr. Secretary, you just testified to the American people. You're incompetent at your job," Cruz said "I've been to the southern border. And if you go to the southern border, along the southern border, you see thousands of these wristbands because the illegal immigrants wear them. The drug cartels, every color corresponds to how many thousands of dollars they owe the cartels. You have turned these cartels into multibillion-dollar criminal organizations."