Mayorkas criticizes Republicans for accusing immigrants of "invading" the United States: "It is deeply offensive"

Photo: Jesus Garcia / Impremedia

NEW YORK.- The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, criticized those who affirm that there is an "invasion" of immigrants in the United Statesconsidering that words matter and that expression is "deeply offensive."

“That rhetoric is deeply offensive,” Mayorkas said. “In fact, language matters, at the beginning of this administration we had a policy in the Department of Homeland Security that we were not going to refer to these people as illegal immigrantsbut as non-citizens.

Mayorkas defended that people have the right to request asylum in the US under the corresponding laws.

“A person seeking asylum in this country, under the laws of the country, is not invading this country", he narrowed.

Although Secretary Mayorkas did not refer directly to the Republicans, his position was in response to journalist Gabe Gutiérrez, NBC correspondent and moderator of a plenary session with Latino officials from the Government of President Joe Biden, organized at the 40th NALEO Educational Fund Summit.

Gutiérrez referred to the fact that there is recent rhetoric in political campaigns that uses the word "invasion", something that is becoming common among Republicans.

“In this year's Republican primary election…one word in particular stands out: invasion,” an NPR report states.

In Arizona, for example, Blake Masters, the Republican candidate for the US Senate, has spoken at rallies and propaganda. The same goes for announcements from Governor Brian Kemp in Georgia; Senator Rick Scott in Florida; and Kari Lake, who is running for governor in Arizona.

“We are going to put an end to this invasion”Masters said in an announcement.

In the panel "Coffee with the President's Cabinet: A Discussion of Latino Leadership in the US", Mayorkas was accompanied by the Secretary of Health, Xavier Becerra, and the Administrator for Small Businesses, Isabella Casillas Guzmán.

Photo: Impremedia

In defense of Biden's immigration plan

The plenary began with a question to Mayorkas about the criticism faced by President Biden's immigration policy, which has had an impact in cities like New York, which next year must allocate $4 billion dollars to the migrant population.

"I think we need to address this issue in its context, the Western Hemisphere is facing unprecedented immigration," Mayorkas justified. "We have seen that almost a third of the population of Venezuela migrated to other countriesWe are seeing an extraordinary number of Nicaraguans, we have seen a diaspora that is larger than anything we have seen at any time since World War II.”

He added that many of these people have decided to migrate to the US, due to the opportunities offered.

“The law allows humanitarian aid for those who qualify”, defended. “We have created a model that offers pathways for those who qualify for help and there are consequences for those who don't. [califican]”.

He criticized states that do not allow the safe transfer of immigrants, in addition to ensuring that the Biden Administration allocates resources to cities where non-citizens seeking protection are sent.

Mayorkas unleashed laughter when he spoke of the "state leaders" who complicate immigration actions and the moderator Gutiérrez specified if he was referring to the governor of Texas, the Republican Greg Abbott.

"Yes," Mayorkas said, unleashing laughter.

Abbott has implemented several anti-immigrant policies, including sending buses to Democratic-run cities like New York.

Keep reading:
• Migrant crossings on the border with Mexico reach the lowest level in the Biden government
• How long does it take USCIS to approve a Green Card by family petition?
• USCIS announces how some immigrants will be informed about their immigration status