(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected to reflect that Secretary Mayorkas has not been asked to appear before the committee.)
McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — The Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee on Friday subpoenaed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to provide data detailing migrants suspected of terrorism encountered at the border, which he says was requested over a year ago.
U.S. Rep. Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee who chairs the committee, wrote in a letter to Mayorkas on Friday that “for more than a year, the Committee made multiple attempts to obtain the requested documents and information without compulsory process.”
But he says the data has not fully been sent to the committee, which is the principal committee overseeing the Department of Homeland Security.
The subpoena orders Mayorkas to provide the information by July 19.
Green says he and two other Republicans who chair the House Oversight and the House Judiciary committees on May 19, 2023, sent a letter to Mayorkas “requesting specific documents and information relating to gotaways and illegal aliens on the terrorist screening database encountered at the Southwest border since January 2021,” he wrote in the letter sent Friday.
But he says that several roadblocks and security excuses were made by DHS and have prevented full disclosure of the requested information.
The subpoena requests that Mayorkas provide in complete and unredacted form:
- A copy of the “alien file” of any migrant encountered by Border Patrol on the Southwest border in between legal ports of entry who have records within the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) and/or the Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS) at the time of their encounter since Jan. 20, 2021.
- All I-213 Record of Deportable/Inadmissible Alien forms, pertaining to each migrant encountered by Border Patrol agents on the Southwest border between ports of entry, with records within the TSDB or TSDS at the time of their encounter.
- Documents and communication on detention status contained within the Enforcement Integrated Database or ENFORCE Alien Removal Module for migrants encountered with records within the TSDB or TSDS.
- Information and documents on the present custody of migrants encountered who have records within TSDB or TSDS.
- Information and documents on removal proceedings for migrants encountered with records within the TSDB or TSDS.
“You are required to produce all responsive documents, materials, or other items in unredacted form that are in your possession, custody, or control or otherwise available to you, regardless of whether the documents are possessed directly by you or your past or present agents, employers, employees, representatives, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, partnerships, and departments acting on your behalf,” according to subpoena instructions sent to Mayorkas.
Border Report has reached out to DHS and asked if it has fully complied with sending the requested information, and if not, if it will do so now and whether Mayorkas appear at the July 18 hearing.
This story will be updated if information is received.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.