A reporter who said that he was an immigrant pressed U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas Friday on the treatment of Haitian migrants by the “administrations of both parties.”
The reporter said poor treatment of immigrants was a problem “going back decades” and told Mayorkas that he seemed “to be distinguishing between violence and violence.”
“What is the difference between the type of violence that Haitians are fleeing in Haiti and the type of devastation … that they are fleeing as compared to other immigrants and asylum seekers?” the reporter asked.
He also noted that President Joe Biden had said that there was a need to create a pathway to citizenship and a better asylum process, but said that doesn’t seem to be what has happened when it comes to Haitian refugees. The reporter also told Mayorkas that he is an immigrant himself so he has experience with the immigration system. (RELATED: Joe Biden Enjoys A Bike Ride By The Beach While Southern Border Disintegrates)
“An asylum claim is determined based on the facts that are presented in the individual case,” Mayorkas said. “In fact, the Title 42 authority has been applied to irregular migration since the very beginning of this administration and before, and it has applied to individuals from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and other countries.”
“It has been applied equally and the exceptions that I cited have been the exceptions that have applied to all,” he continued.
Mayorkas explained that there are three exceptions to Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allows Border Patrol agents to expel most migrants.
“There are three exceptions. The convention against torture, acute vulnerability such as extreme medical needs and operational capacity.”
Mayorkas also said Title 42 has been applied equally regardless of an individual’s race, country of origin, and “other criteria that don’t belong” in the process.