Today, House Judiciary Committee Republicans are holding another immigration hearing, this time with Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. House Republicans could be congratulating Secretary Mayorkas for effectively carrying out his job responsibilities with respect to the border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced this month that as of June 2023 encounters along the southern border were at the lowest point in more than two years. They recorded a 42 percent decrease in encounters just from May to June 2023 and that was the first full month since the lifting of Title 42.
Instead, House Republicans, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, call for the impeachment of Biden officials, like Secretary Mayorkas, in exchange for not letting the U.S. economy collapse. They stage impeachment stunts on the House floor that fail spectacularly. They persist even though some members of the House Judiciary Committee have expressed skepticism of politically motivated efforts to impeach Secretary Mayorkas. Further demonstrating that Republican rhetoric about the border is simply that, rhetoric intended to fearmonger for political gain.
Republicans pose for photo-ops at the border so they can then claim they are MAGA enough, like former President Trump. They celebrated Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott for using vulnerable migrants for a political stunt. Following President Biden’s re-election announcement, the Republican National Committee released a 30-second ad that used artificial intelligence technology to create fake foreboding images of migrants flooding across the U.S. border. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer has even suggested starting a war with Mexico as a solution to the fentanyl crisis. They do all of this despite reporting that showed Republicans’ rhetoric about “open borders,” rhetoric that has been fact checked, could be making things harder.
Clearly, House Republicans are more interested in political stunts designed to generate campaign talking points than they are about putting forward bipartisan solutions to reform our immigration system.
Republicans Could Be Congratulating DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas For Effectively Carrying Out Policy Along The Southern Border
AS OF JUNE 2023, BORDER PATROL ENCOUNTERS ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER WERE THE LOWEST IN MORE THAN TWO YEARS
U.S. Customs And Border Protection Said Total Encounters Along The Southwest Border In June 2023 Were The Lowest In Over Two Years. “U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) today released operational statistics for June 2023, which show a significant and continuing decline in migrant encounters along the Southwest border as well as successful drug interdiction efforts resulting from new enforcement initiatives. CBP’s total encounters along the Southwest border in June were the lowest in over two years, dropping nearly a third from May.” [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Press Release, 7/18/23]
- U.S. Customs And Border Protection Recorded The Lowest Monthly Southwest Border Encounter Numbers In June 2023 Since February 2021. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection: “In June – the first full month since the lifting of the Title 42 public health Order – the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 99,545 encounters between ports of entry along the Southwest border: a 42% decrease from May 2023. Total Southwest border encounters in June, including individuals who presented at ports of entry with or without a CBP OneTM appointment, were 144,607, a 30% decrease from May 2023. These are the lowest monthly Southwest border encounter numbers since February 2021.” [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Press Release, 7/18/23]
U.S. Customs And Border Protection Recorded A 42 Percent Decrease In Encounters Between Ports Of Entry Along The Southwest Border From May To June 2023 – June 2023 Was The First Full Month Since The Lifting Of Title 42. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection: “In June – the first full month since the lifting of the Title 42 public health Order – the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 99,545 encounters between ports of entry along the Southwest border: a 42% decrease from May 2023. Total Southwest border encounters in June, including individuals who presented at ports of entry with or without a CBP OneTM appointment, were 144,607, a 30% decrease from May 2023. These are the lowest monthly Southwest border encounter numbers since February 2021.” [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Press Release, 7/18/23]
- U.S. Customs And Border Protection Recorded A 25 Percent Decrease In Encounters Between Ports Of Entry Along The Southwest Border From May 2022 To May 2023. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection: “In May 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 169,244 encounters between ports of entry along the Southwest border, a decrease of 25% from May 2022. The Office of Field Operations recorded 35,317 encounters at Southwest border ports of entry, including 28,696 individuals who presented with CBP One appointments. CBP’s total encounters along the Southwest border in May were 204,561, a decrease of 15% from May 2022.” [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Press Release, 7/18/23]
- In May 2023, Following The Lifting Of Title 42, U.S. Customs And Border Protection Recorded A Substantial Decrease In Southwest Border Encounters. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection: “More than half of the U.S. Border Patrol’s encounters in May occurred prior to the lifting of the CDC’s Title 42 public health Order. From May 1 – 11, U.S. Border Patrol encountered 98,850 individuals between ports of entry along the Southwest border. After the termination of the order as of 11:59 pm ET on May 11 through the end of the month on May 31, U.S. Border Patrol’s encounters between ports of entry along the Southwest border were 70,394. For the period from May 12 – 31, CBP averaged 3,500 U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) encounters in between ports of entry per day and 1,273 per day at ports of entry, which includes 1,043 CBP One Office of Field Operations (OFO) encounters at ports of entry per day.” [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Press Release, 7/18/23]
U.S. Customs And Border Protection Recorded A 30 Percent Decrease In Individuals Presented At Ports Of Entry Without An Appointment From May To June 2023. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection: “In June – the first full month since the lifting of the Title 42 public health Order – the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 99,545 encounters between ports of entry along the Southwest border: a 42% decrease from May 2023. Total Southwest border encounters in June, including individuals who presented at ports of entry with or without a CBP OneTM appointment, were 144,607, a 30% decrease from May 2023. These are the lowest monthly Southwest border encounter numbers since February 2021.” [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Press Release, 7/18/23]
- U.S. Customs And Border Protection Recorded A 15 Percent Decrease In Individuals Presented At Ports Of Entry Without An Appointment From May 2022 To May 2023. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection: “In May 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 169,244 encounters between ports of entry along the Southwest border, a decrease of 25% from May 2022. The Office of Field Operations recorded 35,317 encounters at Southwest border ports of entry, including 28,696 individuals who presented with CBP One appointments. CBP’s total encounters along the Southwest border in May were 204,561, a decrease of 15% from May 2022.” [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Press Release, 7/18/23]
Instead, They’re Calling For The DHS Secretary’s Impeachment – Even Though They Don’t Even Agree Among Themselves About It
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS ARE DIVIDED ON WHETHER THEY SHOULD IMPEACH THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
HEADLINE: “We Don’t Have The Votes’: House GOP Takes Step Toward Mayorkas Impeachment As Supporters Lobby Key Holdouts.” [CNN, 6/14/23]
House Judiciary Committee Members Reps. Tom McClintock, Ken Buck, And Tom Tiffany Were Reportedly Skeptical Of Other House Republican Efforts To Impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “House Republicans took their most concrete and public step this week toward pursuing the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. But behind the scenes, supporters of the effort are still working to convince key holdouts to get on board with the potentially divisive plan. […] Among the Republican skeptics on the Judiciary Committee are Reps. Tom McClintock of California, Ken Buck of Colorado and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin.” [CNN, 6/14/23]
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE DEMANDED THE IMPEACHMENT OF A BIDEN OFFICIAL IN EXCHANGE FOR NOT LETTING THE ECONOMY COLLAPSE
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Said She Would Vote For The Bipartisan Compromise On The Debt Ceiling, Which She Called A “Shit Sandwich,” If She Could Get The Impeachment Of A Biden Official As Her “Beautiful Dessert.” “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that she’s inclined to support the bipartisan debt ceiling proposal set to hit the House floor Wednesday, but she first wants to secure a commitment from GOP leaders to move several other proposals in the future, including the impeachment of President Biden or a top cabinet official. ‘If you have to eat a shit sandwich, you want to have sides, OK? It makes it much better,’ Greene told reporters just outside the Capitol office of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). ‘So what I’m looking for is, I’m looking for some sides and some desserts.’ […] Then she named her ‘beautiful dessert.’ ‘Somebody needs to be impeached,’ Greene said. She singled out Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Homeland Security Department, as ‘the lowest hanging fruit’ in the eyes of Republicans for his handling of the migrant crisis at the southern border.” [The Hill, 5/30/23]
- 5/31/23: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Voted In Favor Of Passing The Fiscal Responsibility Act. According to the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene voted “aye” on passage of H.R. 3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. [U.S. House Floor, H.R. 3746, Vote 243, 5/31/23]
THE LAST TIME A HOUSE REPUBLICAN MADE AN IMPEACHMENT PUSH AROUND IMMIGRATION IT FAILED SPECTACULARLY
HEADLINE: “Boebert Fails To Impeach Biden, Succeeds In Embarrassing GOP.” [New York Magazine, 6/22/23]
HEADLINE: “Politically Dumb’: House Republicans Fume After Lauren Boebert Goes ‘Rogue’ On Biden Impeachment.” [Salon, 6/22/23]
HEADLINE: “Republicans Bash Boebert For Forcing Biden Impeachment Vote: ‘Frivolous’.” [Hill, 6/21/23]
HEADLINE: “House GOP Fumes As The Right Goes ‘Rogue’ On Impeachment.” [Axios, 6/21/23]
Republicans’ Immigration Rhetoric Could Actually Be Making Things Worse
HEADLINE: “How the Right’s “Open Borders” Myth Might Be Fueling the Migration Crisis” [Vanity Fair, 3/24/23]
TIME Magazine Reported That Lawsuits Challenging Biden Administration Immigration Policies Have Caused “Peak Confusion” At The Border. “The type and number of people arriving, coupled with a record-high immigration court backlog, complicate DHS’s ability to handle the increase of people. Meanwhile DHS’s executive actions aimed at either undoing some of Trump’s border policies or managing who can legally enter the country to make a claim for asylum have been met with lawsuits, blocked, reinstated, and expanded in a trend that has caused ‘peak confusion’ at the border, as Theresa Cardinal Brown, managing director of Immigration and Cross-Border Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonpartisan Washington think tank, told TIME in April.” [TIME Magazine, 12/8/22]
Human Smugglers Reportedly Frequently Promote “Open Borders” To Drive Up Business From Migrants Looking Desperately For A Way Into The United States. “Just how this misinformation is reaching migrants is not entirely clear. But it’s well known that human smugglers, who ferry migrants across the border for a fee, have widely promoted the “open borders” lie as a way of driving business, according to Dylan Corbett, executive director of the Hope Border Institute, a nonprofit that works with migrants. ‘Smugglers are constantly peddling that type of misinformation because they’re looking to feed their bottom line,’ he said, noting that traffickers falsely advertise ‘open’ crossings to migrants desperate for a way into the US.” [Vanity Fair, 3/24/23]
Executive Director Of America’s Voice, Vanessa Cardenas, Accused The GOP Of Being The Best Open Border “Propaganda Machine” And Said The Impact Of Disinformation On Migrants Provided Smugglers The Ability To Recruit And Encourage Irregular Migration. “Vanessa Cardenas, the executive director of America’s Voice, said that she, too, has heard accounts of migrants receiving misinformation about the porousness of the border from social media and smugglers. “The best ‘open border’ propaganda machine is, in fact, the GOP,” she said in an interview. “We know the impact this disinformation has on migrants, who largely get information through online platforms. And we know that smugglers take this information and use it for their own purposes––to recruit and encourage irregular migration.” [Vanity Fair, 3/24/23]
FACT CHECKERS FOUND GOP CLAIMS THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN DISMANTLED BORDER SECURITY AND PROMOTED OPEN BORDERS WERE “FALSE”
HEADLINE: “Joe Biden Doesn’t Have An ‘Open Border’ Policy, So Why Do Republicans Say Otherwise?” [Newsweek, 1/24/22]
Politifact Rated A Republican Claim That “Biden And Democrats Have Dismantled Border Security” As “False.” “Laxalt claimed, ‘Biden and Democrats have dismantled border security.’ Immigrant encounters have drastically increased over the past two years, but not because of funding or staffing cuts. The budgets for border security under the Biden administration are comparable to those under Trump. Border Patrol staffing has remained fairly consistent despite long-term hiring and retention challenges. And border laws and policies to prevent immigrants from remaining in the U.S. continue to be enforced under Biden’s presidency. The Biden administration stopped building additional miles of barriers at the southwest border; however, Biden did not order a dismantling of the barriers built under Trump or other administrations. Biden’s administration has used previously appropriated funds to repair barriers and close gaps that have become popular areas for immigrants to cross into the U.S. We rate this claim False.” [Politifact, 11/3/22]
Politifact Found Conservative Claim That The U.S. Southern Border Was “Now Open To Anyone From Anywhere In The World” After Biden Became President As “False.” “Pirro said the southern U.S. border ‘is now open to anyone from anywhere in the world who wishes to enter our country.’ That’s wrong. Large numbers of migrants are attempting to cross the border, but it is not open to anyone who wants to enter the U.S., regardless of their background. Most of the encounters that CBP recorded at the border in February resulted in quick expulsions under the same public health-related authority that was invoked under the Trump administration. We rate this statement False.” [Politifact, 3/23/21]
Republicans Fearmonger About Immigration So They Can Use It As A Campaign Talking Point
NATIONAL REPUBLICANS USED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE FAKE IMAGES OF MIGRANTS AT THE BORDER TO FEARMONGER ABOUT A SECOND BIDEN TERM
May 2023: The Republican National Committee Released A 30-Second Ad Responding To President Joe Biden’s Announcement That He Would Seek Reelection In 2024. “Now, a transformative and largely untested technology looks set to revolutionize political campaigning: artificial intelligence. But the computer-generated content, which blurs the line between fact and fiction, is raising concerns ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The Republican National Committee threw down the gauntlet last week when it released a 30-second advertisement responding to President Joe Biden’s official announcement that he would seek reelection in 2024.” [CNN, 5/2/23]
- The Ad Used AI Technology To Create Fake Foreboding Images Of Migrants Flooding Across The US Border. “The ad, uploaded to YouTube, imagined a dystopian United States after the reelection of the 46th president, presenting stark images of migrants flooding across the US border, a city on lockdown with soldiers on the streets, and Chinese jets raining bombs on Taiwan. But none of the foreboding images in the video were real – they were all created using AI technology.” [CNN, 5/2/23]
House Republicans Praise Cruel Political Stunts That Take Advantage Of Vulnerable Migrants
HOUSE REPUBLICANS PRAISED FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS AND TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT FOR USING VULNERABLE MIGRANTS IN POLITICAL STUNTS
Rep. Andy Biggs Tweeted In Support Of Migrants Being Flown To Martha’s Vineyard And The U.S. Naval Observatory. “The pictures are hard to look at. Images of bewildered looking men and women and children, even, shipped off to posh Martha’s Vineyard and dropped off outside the gates of the U.S. Naval Observatory that is home to Vice President Kamala Harris. […] The stunt was all the rage on Fox News and the subject of high fives among Republicans from sea to shining sea. Red-state governors, sticking it to those liberal elitists. ‘If they refuse to go to the border, bring the border to them,’ Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs tweeted.” [Arizona Central, 9/15/22]
- Andy Biggs Tweeted “Busing” Of Migrants “Had To Happen” As Country Faces “An Invasion.” On Biggs’ Twitter he posted: “Busing illegal aliens to Barack Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard and Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington had to happen. Democrat leaders must step down from their ivory towers and get with reality. Our nation is facing an invasion and it requires acknowledgment and action.” [Twitter, Andy Biggs, 9/15/22]
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Called Ron DeSantis’ Migrant Flights “Funny.” “The far-right Georgia Republican’s remarks to a local GOP group were published Thursday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. GOP Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida have been applauded by their conservative bases for relocating migrants to liberal enclaves, while critics denounced their efforts as cruel stunts carried out for political gain. Greene said she opposed the transportation of migrants across the country for other reasons, but said that the situation was still ‘funny.’” [Newsweek, 10/27/22]
- Marjorie Taylor Greene Said Migrant Drop Offs Made “Great Headlines.” ‘“Now, I know it makes great headlines on Fox News, and we laugh about it and it’s funny when we see busloads get dropped off, like in Martha’s Vineyard, we’re, like, ‘Ha ha ha.’ You know?’ Greene said at the Whitfield County Republican Party headquarters in rural northwest Georgia. ‘Or we see them dropped off in front of Kamala Harris’ house, and we’re like, ‘Oh, the border czar, should she care now.’” [Newsweek, 10/27/22]
Rep. Byron Donalds Said He Was Glad Ron DeSantis Flew Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard To Show How “Simple” Democrats Are. In a Fox News Interview Donalds said, “No, hypocrisy has been happening the whole time whether it was New York or D.C. That hypocrisy has been there. I think what’s made it ten times more interesting is that Martha’s Vineyard is literally the Democrats’ elite enclave. That’s like their place. And so to see how even the people who their policies, that come into this country, that they don’t want them there, that they’re quick to ship them off, as soon as they possibly can, of course it’s a hypocrisy, Guess what? I’m glad Ron DeSantis did it because now people are starting to see that the Democrats are very very simple actually. ‘They say all the nice things. They say all the things that make you feel good. But in the back door, when the world is shut off from you, they don’t want to deal with the consequences of their policy. It’s that simple.”’ [Fox News, 9/21/22]
Rep. Chip Roy Called Flying Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard A “Good Move” After Seeing The Nation’s Reaction. “People talk about ‘Oh, Gov. Abbott and Gov. DeSantis, they’re using humans as political pawns by sending people to D.C. and New York and Martha’s Vineyard,’” the Republican told attendees at the luncheon. “And I gotta be honest, I kind of thought those things were a little gimmicky when it first occurred. But I saw the reaction to it and I was like, it’s a good move, because it woke up the country to what we’re experiencing every day in Texas,” said Roy, who faces Democrat Claudia Andreana Zapata in the Nov. 8 general in his bid for a third term.” [San Antonio Report, 10/7/22]
RON DESANTIS IS FACING LEGAL TROUBLE OVER HIS IMMIGRATION STUNT
HEADLINE: “DeSantis Defends Martha’s Vineyard Migrant Flights After Texas Investigation Opens” [NPR, 9/20/22]
HEADLINE: “Sheriff Files Criminal Charges Over Florida’s Transport Of Migrants From San Antonio To Massachusetts”
- June 2023: The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Filed Several Counts Of Unlawful Restraint With The Local District Attorney Following Its Investigation Into Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Flight Of Migrants From Texas To Martha’s Vineyard. “The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office says it has completed its investigation into the transport of 49 migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard last September by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and filed criminal charges with the local district attorney. A statement from the sheriff’s office says it has filed several counts of unlawful restraint, both misdemeanors and felonies. The sheriff’s office didn’t name any individual suspects and didn’t specify when the investigation was turned over to the Bexar County district attorney.” [Texas Tribune, 6/5/23]
HEADLINE: “With Migrant Flights, DeSantis Shows Stoking Outrage Is The Point” [New York Times, 6/7/23]
HEADLINE: “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Promises To Keep Busing Migrants To Democratic Cities” [NBC News, 5/1/23]
MAGA Republicans Use The Border To Advance Their Own Political Ends
THE HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY GOP’S BORDER REPORT TOUTED HOUSE SPEAKER MCCARTHY’S PHOTO-OP AT THE BORDER WHERE HE CALLED TO REMOVE DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS
HEADLINE: “GOP’s McCarthy Threatens To Impeach Mayorkas Over Border” [Associated Press, 11/22/22]
The House Homeland Security Republicans’ Report Highlighted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Calling On DHS Secretary Mayorkas To Resign While Doing A Photo-Op At The Border. “On. Nov. 22, 2022, then-incoming Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Mayorkas to resign over his handling of the border or face the full weight of congressional oversight. ‘If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action, and every failure to determine whether we can begin an impeachment inquiry,’ he declared at a press conference in El Paso, Texas.” [U.S. Committee on Homeland Security Republicans, Report, 6/14/23]
HOUSE REPUBLICAN BORDER PHOTO-OPS SHOWCASE THE MYTH THAT THEY WANT BORDER SECURITY
Washington Post’s Paul Waldman: “It’s A Myth That MAGA Republicans Want ‘Border Security’ That Is Genuinely Achievable Or See The Border As A Policy Problem To Be Solved In Any Meaningful Sense.” “The fantasy that the border is constantly in chaos has become a marker of MAGA identity. It’s a myth that MAGA Republicans want ‘border security’ that is genuinely achievable or see the border as a policy problem to be solved in any meaningful sense. The border crisis, or at least the version that Greene and her cohorts keep invoking, exists largely in the collective MAGA imagination.” [Washington Post, Paul Waldman, 5/19/23]
- HEADLINE: “Some In Border Communities ‘Tired Of Photo Ops’ Ahead Of Congressional Visit” [KENS 5, 3/25/21]
- HEADLINE: “House Republicans Turn Southern Border Into Second Campus” [The Hill, 2/17/23]
America’s Voice: “Instead Of Actually Legislating, The Speaker Is Doing Yet Another Border Photo Op To Send A Message To His MAGA Critics That He’s Opposed To Immigration As Much As They Are And Get Himself On Fox News.” “Douglas Rivlin, director of communications for immigration advocacy group America’s Voice, argues the GOP border visits serve largely as dog whistles to what he calls MAGA Republican extremism. ‘So instead of actually legislating, the speaker is doing yet another border photo op to send a message to his MAGA critics that he’s opposed to immigration as much as they are and get himself on Fox News,’ said Rivlin, a former Democratic congressional staffer. ‘Nativism has become the heart of MAGA Republicanism and the speaker and the Republican Party are in their grips.’” [NPR, 2/16/23]
Washington Post’s Paul Waldman: “Unlike Media Events That Bring Useful Attention To An Issue, When Politicians Prance Around At The Border It Makes Actual Reform Less Likely, Not More.” “House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s trip to the border on Tuesday was a reminder: No stage outside of Washington is more regularly ascended by costumed congressmembers than the southern border. But unlike media events that bring useful attention to an issue, when politicians prance around at the border it makes actual reform less likely, not more.” Washington Post, Paul Waldman, 11/23/22]
- Washington Post’s Paul Waldman: “If A Politician Preens On The Border And No One Records It, It Makes No Sound.” “If you are a member of Congress headed to the United States’ southern border, you will need a few things. A camera crew, of course — if a politician preens on the border and no one records it, it makes no sound. Comfortable shoes are a must, since you might climb down to the shore of the Rio Grande to gaze determinedly into Mexico, and you don’t want to slip in your wingtips.” [Washington Post, Paul Waldman, 11/23/22]
HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE CHAIR JAMES COMER EVEN SUGGESTED STARTING A WAR WITH MEXICO AS A SOLUTION TO THE FENTANYL CRISIS
HEADLINE: “These Republicans Want Drone Strikes on Mexico” [Daily Beast, 3/17/23]
Rep. James Comer Claimed Not Bombing Fentanyl And Crystal Meth Labs Across The Southern Border “Was A Mistake” And Did Not Understand Why The Military Didn’t Let President Trump Do It. “Pompeo claimed to have lobbied for drone strikes on America’s neighbor during the Trump administration. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican, also bemoaned on Fox News last week that the Trump administration had not bombed drug labs across the border. ‘One of the things we learned post-Trump presidency is that he had ordered a bombing of a couple of fentanyl labs, crystal meth labs, in Mexico, just across the border, and for whatever reason the military didn’t do it,’ Comer said on Tuesday. ‘I think that was a mistake.’” [Daily Beast, 3/18/23]