Republicans are accusing the Biden administration of conducting a cover-up by not releasing an annual report from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
President Joe Bidenâs âopen border agenda has caused and exacerbated the worst Border crisis weâve ever seen and Biden is doing everything he can to cover it up,â Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas said, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
The Free Beacon reported this week that for the first time since 2011, ICE did not issue an annual report, which among other information would have included the number of deportations carried out by the agency.
Biden came into office pledging to reduce deportations and sought to revise policies to achieve that goal.
A spokeswoman for ICE said there is no targeted release date for the report.
Jackson said the Biden administrationâs failure to publish the report was âshameful.â
Withholding the information âis nothing more than a calculated attempt to minimize transparency and cover up their wrongdoings,â he said.
Not sharing the facts about what has happened on Bidenâs watch emphasizes âa lack of seriousness for the crisis they created at our southern border,â according to Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas.
âICEâs interior enforcement is critical in protecting our communities from bad actors who slip through initial detection,â he said. âWith the crisis at the southern border, ICEâs presence is needed now more than ever to enforce our Immigration laws.â
Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas said the administration can try to hide the facts, but the American people know what has been taking place.
âThe Biden administration is trying to hide their failure, but the American people are waking up,â Nehls said. âThey know we have a crisis at the southern border, they know this crisis is a direct result of President Bidenâs policies, and they will voice their concern at the polls in 2022.â
Nehls said Bidenâs presidency has been a disaster for Border security.
âBefore President Biden was even inaugurated, he was inviting people to swarm the southern border,â he said.
âOn day one of his presidency he dismantled President Trumpâs highly successful policies and look at the results: nearly two million illegal crossings from over 100 different countries, more fentanyl deaths than car crashes, and rampant crime across the country.â
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said ICE âintentionally hiding their annual report from the publicâ is a clear indication that âit shows failure.â
âItâs absolutely shocking that the release of the ICE report hasnât happened,â former ICE chief of staff Jon Feere said. âI assumed, at worst, theyâd put it out on New Yearâs Eve when nobody is paying attention, but even that didnât happen.â
âI canât imagine the outcry if we had not produced this report under the Trump administration,â Feere said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
