ICE and Border Patrol officials testify at House hearing on Homeland Security budget

[0:00] of scheduling we are doing all the ice agencies today the first panel with you three gentlemen [0:05] is this morning and the second one is this afternoon and so we're going to do one round [0:10] of questioning uh for the panel um in an attempt to to get through this meaningfully and so i know [0:18] you guys are thinking oh great man i hope they ask the other two guys all the questions um because [0:25] we're compressed and because the committee's work product is is you know do when it's due i want to [0:32] say this we are going to you know the standard stuff where if anybody has any additional questions [0:39] please let uh the agencies know for for uh we will let we will let the minority know when worse [0:46] what questions we've sent in and we would ask that you give us some indication of what's out there so [0:52] we can track the tickle file i know everybody's fully employed but we're going to ask for your [0:56] responses in 48 hours from when they're received and you're like holy mackerel we got plenty to do [1:02] if you can't get it done in 48 hours then we want a response in 48 hours saying we can get it done [1:08] and here's why and here's when we'll have it to you time and date certain not my first pick on how to [1:15] operate but i've got the situation that i've got um so uh and and and if it's like if if somebody's [1:24] like it it disappears and it's crickets then we're going to be aggressively following up saying what the [1:31] heck we need the answer to that um i also i also would note that there was a request that went out [1:39] mr lyons it was for a contract at the montana facility and it came out from from the committee [1:46] staff and i believe it was mrs escobar that did it we don't have anything and so if you guys think [1:54] there's some reason why it shouldn't be given to us i want to know that in writing by the end of the [1:59] day and if there isn't then we want to copy the contract in 48 hours so it can be evaluated for [2:08] whatever purposes are appropriate i'm unaware of anything that makes that uh classified or anything [2:15] like that so please and thank you in advance uh we're in order um i've already done my my cry thing [2:26] about the compressed schedule uh and and i think everybody here is well aware of what's going on [2:32] with dhs and in the different uh talking points and all that so i won't bore you with that um i'm just [2:40] going to uh turn to uh to my distinguished ranking member mr quayor for his opening comments [2:46] uh mr chairman thank you so much uh for holding this hearing and welcome to the uh three witnesses [2:52] that we have here well i'm happy that we kick off the fy 2027 hearing season for the department [2:59] doing so under circumstances of a government shutdown uh it's something that we need to recognize [3:05] i recognize the department has been shut down for over two months now while utilizing funds from the [3:11] reconciliation to support pay for personnel uh work on fy 26 still remains unfinished i know there's a [3:19] lot of ideas on how best to fund the department for the remainder of this year and next but i will be [3:25] remiss that uh that if i did not express my opposition to the approach that but that abandons [3:32] the funding for the department annually the work we do on this committee is critical to national security [3:39] but no two fiscal years are alike and challenges that the agencies face are always evolving limiting [3:47] our ability to respond and demonstrate oversight over federal funding for the department on a annual [3:53] basis not only abandons our article one obligations but it will be irresponsible to the taxpayer the [4:01] collective budget for this three agencies before us this morning make over almost half of the [4:06] department's discretionary funding their underlying missions are at the heart of immigration policy [4:13] a debate that congress has wrestled for over uh several dead case uh these policies that impact [4:21] lives our economy and our community at large they're important what we do up here in washington [4:26] as a member from a border state and actually i live just about a mile away from the border [4:30] we know that these three agencies play a very important role in my backyard and a critical role [4:37] in uh to the constituents in everyday lives the board is not just the place that i visit but it is a home [4:44] the men and women of cbp ice uscis are my neighbors uh and as a ranking member i recognize the toughest [4:52] parts of this bill rest in finding an agreement on how best to address the funding and adjacent policy [4:58] changes across cbp ice and uscis earlier this year when two american citizens were killed during the [5:06] federal immigration enforcement operations in minnesota i brought many questions to the forefront [5:11] for the american people not only how this happened but what comes next what comes next and at [5:18] at that time i demanded a independent investigation to be done into this event but it remains unclear what [5:25] if any progress has been made on this front i don't think it's possible for us to recognize that this [5:30] events are the reason why fy 2026 dhs bill remains uh unfinished again absent a final bill for fy 2026 we [5:40] also must recognize the funding windfall for cbp ice uscis received during the reconciliation through both [5:49] direct funding and fee adjustments i suspect we will have many questions about how this funding [5:55] uh specifically the 75 billion appropriated for ice uh how that's been executed i also think it's [6:03] important that we recognize who did not benefit from reconciliation such as the men and women [6:08] homeland security investigation at hsi within ice the role that they play in criminal investigations and [6:16] fighting drug trafficking human child pornographers and all that is critical to our national security [6:22] uh moving on when we talk about border we must focus on immigration and security there's no doubt that [6:29] it's important but we often forget about how important the border is to our economy uh and our livelihoods [6:35] trying to find the balance between security trade and tourism is important especially to our border [6:43] communities uh so i look forward to talking about some of these issues that we're seeing at the ports of [6:48] entry checkpoints that we're seeing and finally uh uscis i hope we're able to discuss the utility of this new law [6:56] enforcement uh arm that's involving uh that involves hiring training maintaining 200 new law enforcement [7:05] something that uscis has never done before and how this would not be duplicative of the work that ice is [7:12] doing already there is a uh a lot of things that we need to cover today uh i want to thank uh the [7:19] witnesses for being here look forward to i think i've talked to uh most of y'all uh and look forward to [7:26] spending a little bit of time after this committee so with that i want to say to all the three witnesses [7:31] thank you mr chairman thank you so much for holding this meeting thank you to the gentleman from texas the [7:36] gentlelady from connecticut is recognized for her opening statement thank you very much mr chairman and [7:46] ranking member cuellar uh and i want to welcome our uh witnesses this morning and thank you for for [7:51] being here uh i want to begin by noting the absurdity of holding a hearing on funding for these agencies [7:58] when republican leadership has openly decided to pursue a partisan funding process outside of the [8:07] appropriations committee slush funding the government through a series of partisan budget bills that are [8:15] written in back rooms by republican leadership driven only by political interest is a recipe for [8:21] catastrophe will the gentlelady suspend i will we're getting mood music somewhere okay the floor is yours [8:29] again thank you thank you i'm going to repeat that slush funding the government through a series of [8:36] bipartisan budget bills that are written in back rooms by republican leadership driven only by political [8:42] interest is a recipe for catastrophe my colleagues across the aisle have loudly hailed the work that we [8:49] were able to accomplish in passing 11 of the 12 appropriations bills they are right to do so it is [8:57] important and yes it is difficult work of governing that's what governing is about but the very fact that it is [9:04] difficult ensures that it will endure abandoning the appropriations process in favor of partisan [9:13] reconciliation bills will come back to haunt this institution if we go down this road there is a cliff [9:21] at the end and i strongly encourage my colleagues not to do this the most direct reason that the entire [9:28] department of homeland security still shut down after more than 60 days is because republican leadership [9:34] refused to pass the bill that the united states senate unanimously passed twice they agreed to this we [9:43] have a the the congress both house and senate you get unanimous consent we can't get unanimous consent to [9:51] say that the sky is blue but you had twice vote in the senate on unanimous consent basis and they have [9:58] passed it twice it is now still being blocked they're blocking this bill because they will [10:04] not allow any funding any funding for the department of homeland security to move forward unless it also [10:09] includes funding for ice and cbp without any new protections against the misconduct that the american [10:19] people are demanding they are demanding these protections these agencies are in dire need of [10:27] serious reform to build back public trust that has been lost we all have seen the footage [10:33] of the brutal and senseless killings of renee nicole good and alex preddy we have seen our cities [10:41] terrorized communities afraid and terrorized by ice and cbp 44 detainees have died in ice custody since [10:51] president trump took office including 25 in this fiscal year alone that is 20 year high for an agency [10:58] that was only formed in 20 uh in 2003 in january of this year ice violated nearly 100 federal court orders [11:08] which the chief federal judge in the state of minnesota estimated was more violations than some [11:12] federal agencies have committed during their entire existence law enforcement in minnesota is investigating [11:19] two ice officers for kidnapping false imprisonment after they kicked in the door of an american citizen [11:25] without a warrant forced him outside at gunpoint threw him in the back of their car and then drove [11:30] him around until they realized they had nothing to charge him with ice officers in minnesota tear [11:37] gassed a family on their way home from a basketball game which caused their six-month-old daughter's [11:42] heart to stop beating before she was rushed to the hospital a detention officer in a nice facility [11:47] recently pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a detainee over the course of several months in 2025. [11:54] there was an ongoing investigation into two immigration officers for potentially lying under [11:59] oath after they shot a venezuelan man in the leg a cuban man died by homicide due to excessive force at [12:06] a nice run facility in el paso i could go on but i trust i've made my point it is abundantly clear [12:15] that significant reforms are needed i have been very clear on my own position we need border security i do not [12:25] favor abolishing ice but significant reforms are needed this is the united states of america officers [12:34] should be required to get a warrant from a judge before they kick in someone's door agents should [12:39] not be able to hide their faces and conceal their identities from the public to evade accountability [12:45] for misconduct american citizens should not be detained and deported and when there are cases [12:54] of misconduct there should be mandatory independent investigations i understand that reforming these [13:02] agencies will be the product of lengthy negotiations i understand that negotiating is hard work i understand [13:12] that it can be tempting to just try and to just give up to try to go it alone but i promise you that is [13:19] not a sustainable or responsible way to govern i encourage republican leadership stop blocking the bill [13:26] that passed the senate unanimously twice so we can fund the vast majority of the department of homeland [13:33] security fema tsa coast guard cyber security secret service and while we continue to negotiate with [13:41] regard to ice i encourage my republican colleagues to join us in the difficult work of forging agreements [13:48] rather than abandoning the process in favor of a strictly bipartisan path i thank the chair and [13:54] ranking member and i yield back without objection the witness's full written testimony will be [13:59] entered into the record with that in mind we would ask you to please summarize your opening statements [14:05] in five minutes mr scott the floor is yours chairman nominee frankie member queer members of the committee [14:15] thank you very much for the opportunity to appear here before you today to discuss the president's [14:19] fiscal year 2027 budget for u.s customs and border protection as america's unified border agency [14:26] cbp is responsible for knowing and controlling everything and everyone that crosses our international [14:31] borders cbp serves americans every day by keeping bad things and bad people out of our homeland and for [14:39] protecting our international supply chains to empower our economy i'm incredibly proud to represent more [14:45] than 68 000 dedicated men and women of cbp who continue to perform this vital mission every day even [14:51] though they can't count on even being paid right now it's bewildering to me that we are here today [14:56] discussing a fiscal budget for 2027 when congress has yet to enact a budget for 2026 seven months into [15:04] the fiscal year cbp has been shut down more than we've been open one obvious impact of this funding [15:10] lapse is the thousands of personnel that have gone without pay for extended periods of time [15:15] and until congress acts i can't even promise them when they're going to get their next paycheck [15:20] but the damage goes beyond the missing wages and it cannot be fixed by merely doing a back pay [15:26] restoration today many of the services or the service providers that we use have not been paid in plain [15:34] terms that means aircraft patrol boats patrol vehicles that need service they're being parked [15:40] border surveillance equipment that requires maintenance is offline until funding is appropriated [15:45] our confidential human sources are not being paid and we're at risk of losing some of our [15:50] intelligence tools that help us secure the border as world cup approaches cbp is unable to provide [15:57] our personnel the advanced training that we had planned for this event the negative impacts are [16:03] not limited to border security many of our contractors are small family-run businesses and now they face the [16:09] prospect of laying off their employees or going out of business because we can't pay them as we had [16:15] promised the problems will compound until this body takes action and funds dhs sorry i've talked about [16:23] some of the bad stuff our current challenges let me talk about some of the amazing things that we've done over the [16:28] last year because of president trump's leadership and the support from congress through the working [16:33] families tax cut act and the commitment of our personnel cdp has fundamentally transformed the border [16:41] and we have shut down and we have stopped the open borders of the past as a result illegal entries [16:47] between the ports of entry are at record lows and we have reclaimed control of our borders the president's [16:54] budget is designed to build on that progress it prioritizes critical investments in our personnel [17:00] advances in technology additional assets and it strengthens our frontline operations including [17:07] our counter narcotics efforts our adversaries though are increasingly using sophisticated methods [17:13] like drones to coordinate smuggling of dangerous contraband into the u.s our budget provides critical [17:20] funding for counter unmanned aircraft systems to detect and mitigate these drone threats it also invests in [17:26] vital port hardening measures and the modernization of our labs to to so that we can trace fentanyl [17:33] and we can do scientific analysis of other contraband cbp's automated commercial environment or ace is the [17:40] backbone of u.s import and export processing this budget invests in upgrading ace to significantly improve [17:47] efficiency transparency and enforcement cbp's workforce though is our greatest strength building on a year of [17:56] substantial advances in recruitment and hiring the president's budget reinforces our commitment [18:01] sorry to attracting the most qualified candidates we can for cbp the budget sustains our workforce care [18:08] programs so that we can take care of the personnel that are under immense pressure and the demands of [18:13] their job and closing president's the president's fiscal 2027 budget clearly recognizes the challenges [18:20] confronting cbp in our nation and it provides the resources we need to address them it builds on historic [18:27] investments allowing cbp to enhance vital operations and pursue new initiatives that support the safety [18:33] of this great nation however the impacts of the continued dhs shutdown are real and they're compounding [18:39] the longer this continues the more those impacts will cascade across our operations our workforce and [18:45] the american public despite these challenges cbp will never forget that we were formed out of the ashes [18:52] of 9-11 and we remain steadfast in our commitment to secure the borders of the united states [18:57] i implore congress to do the same pass the senate dhs funding bill and work expeditiously to enact [19:04] a second reconciliation measure by june 1st and provide cbp and ice the funding that we desperately [19:10] need thank you for your continued support of our mission and our personnel and i look forward to [19:15] your questions thank you mr lyons the floor is yours for your opening statement thank you sir good morning [19:22] chairman amaday rank member quayar and distinguished members of the committee i want to thank you for the [19:28] opportunity to testify today and to discuss the vital work of ice as well as the importance of [19:33] sustained funding for our agency i am deeply proud to stand alongside the dedicated men and women of ice [19:38] who work tirelessly every day to enforce our nation's immigration laws and safeguard our communities [19:43] our officers and agents are being villainized for simply upholding and enforcing law but the bottom [19:49] line is that they risk their lives every day to serve our nation and protect our families friends and [19:53] neighbors in recognition of their service and sacrifice one of my top priorities is to ensure [19:58] that ice operates efficient efficiently i can do that by working with you to ensure we have the [20:04] resources we need to keep our workforce safe keep the promises made by president trump and meet our [20:09] obligations to the american people the ice workforce is depending on you and i to secure those resources [20:16] ice is at a pivotal moment the working families tax cut act has fundamentally transformed our agency's [20:22] approach to immigration enforcement this historic bill enabled ice to hire a thousand new personnel [20:27] expand our detention removal capabilities and invest in the tools necessary to meet the [20:32] administration's ambitious goals these upfront large-scale investors investments allow us to surge [20:38] our operations today and lay the groundwork for more efficient and effective processes in the future [20:44] while this funding is transformational it's not a substitute for annual appropriations the limitations [20:49] congress placed on these funds preclude ice from using reconciliation funding for basic needs such as [20:55] paying non-law enforcement personnel operating basic services within ice and conducting criminal [21:00] criminal investigations into human trafficking child exploitation and more therefore the annual budget [21:06] process remains critical to sustaining ice base operations and ensuring we meet the emergenting [21:12] challenges the reconciliation funding does not authorize us to do under president trump's administration [21:19] we've significantly increased our operational tempo since january 20th we've arrested nearly 457 000 [21:26] aliens including 281 000 aliens with criminal histories 8 400 suspected gang members and over 1 600 known [21:36] suspected terrorists we've removed roughly 7 570 individuals this result is because of your support with [21:43] annual appropriations combined with the surge capabilities afforded by the working families tax cut act [21:48] therefore to achieve the president's objectives we request your support for the 5.4 billion for [21:54] enforcement removal operations in the fy 27 budget as we expand our operations we remain steadfast in our [22:02] commitment to detainee safety and well-being ice ensures all individuals in our custody are housed in safe secure and [22:09] humane conditions our office of professional responsibility conducts regular compliance inspections and oversight to ensure that our [22:17] facilities meet the higher standards and that we remain fully compliant with our legal and policy requirements [22:22] this oversight is funded through the event of the annual appropriations process not the big beautiful bill [22:30] in fy25 homeland security investigations has conducted more has conducted more than 4 800 arrests related to child [22:38] exploitation and rescued nearly 1500 child victims from ongoing sexual abuse they've also dismantled more than [22:47] 2 400 human smuggling operations including 3 100 convictions the fy 27 budget will provide 2.6 billion to [22:55] continue hsi's critical investigations equally important is the training and professionalism our workforce [23:02] officer training is and always will be that most important to ice we have implemented rigorous training [23:08] programs to focus on our use of force de-escalation and detainee care our officers and agents are well trained [23:14] well equipped and deeply committed to carry out their duties with integrity and respect of the law [23:19] our attorneys are also working around the clock to preserve the rule of law in fy25 ice attorneys [23:24] represented dhs and more than 2 million removal hearings they've managed more than 1 900 human [23:30] rights violation cases and over 4 000 national security cases nationwide the fy 27 budget includes 8.7 [23:39] million to address the workload administrative needs ice is also looking for 1.6 billion for our [23:45] mission support staff these dedicated professionals maintain our infrastructure ensure our workforce [23:50] has the support they need and our stewards of all ice resources in closing i'm sitting before you today [23:56] asking for your support for our fy 27 budget the combined resources provided in the working family tax cut [24:04] act and our annual appropriations are essential to ensuring ice is capable of executing its critical [24:09] mission both now and the future again thank you for allowing me this time to speak with you today i look [24:13] forward to your questions thank you mr edlow the floor is yours for your opening statement thank you [24:19] mr chairman chairman amaday ranking member queer and members of the subcommittee thank you for the [24:25] opportunity to discuss the fiscal year 2027 budget request for u.s citizenship and immigration services [24:32] i am honored to represent the dedicated men and women of uscis and appreciate your partnership as we [24:38] work to protect american citizens uphold the rule of law and safeguard our homeland under president trump's [24:44] leadership uscis has made historic progress in restoring accountability and security to our legal immigration [24:51] system excuse me over the past year we have focused on combating fraud ending exploitation of [24:59] immigration programs upholding the integrity of the naturalization process and protecting american [25:05] communities and workers i'm thrilled to continue this work with secretary mullen at the helm of the department now [25:12] uscis's fiscal health is strong in fiscal year 2025 we collected 7.5 billion dollars in fee revenue [25:20] exceeding forecasts and our carryover balance is well above targeted levels we continue to manage [25:26] resources responsibly ensuring uninterrupted operations and supporting mission critical programs [25:32] a key component of these efforts is e-verify which helps employers nationwide confirm work eligibility [25:39] and support national security e-verify has more than 1.4 million employers enrolled and nearly 44 million [25:47] cases were run through the system last year alone in fiscal year 2025 it prevented fraudulent use of over [25:54] 10 000 social security numbers and issued 25 000 not employed authorized confirmations employer satisfaction [26:01] remains high and we are requesting 113 million to maintain and enhance this essential system we have also [26:09] implemented the working families tax cut act signed into law by president trump in july 2025. this [26:15] legislation introduced new fees and provisions to strengthen the integrity of our legal immigration [26:20] system through its implementation uscis has closed loopholes limited improper fee waivers and reinforced [26:27] accountability in closing our commitment to integrity security and service remains unwavering [26:33] but i would be remiss if i did not mention that as the longest shutdown in history continues [26:38] uscis strongly asked the house to pass the senate dhs funding bill and work expeditiously to enact a [26:45] second reconciliation measure by june 1st to provide sustained funding to our partners at ice and cbp [26:51] we are dedicated to deterring and disrupting fraud optimizing resources and strictly adhering to [26:58] immigration law i thank the committee for its attention to our mission and for its ongoing support of [27:03] uscis on a personal note i want to thank mr chairman you for your uh work and your support [27:09] to the nation and to uscis and congratulate you on your upcoming retirement i welcome your questions [27:15] and look forward to continued collaboration thank you mr edlow let me translate that you guys are [27:22] happier in hell to see me in the rearview mirror but at this point i don't have any feelings or any pride left so [27:28] can't do anything to me huh i'm going to turn to mr quayar for his questioning initially but but but [27:35] i do want to put this little footnote in since i'm sure there are other people watching i know the [27:39] omb language where people who are the agencies most directly affected saying please pass a bill that has [27:45] a zero in front of your agency and your agency and pass a reconciliation bill which has no oversight [27:53] reforms for the lessons that we've learned from the last one is phenomenally interesting from my part [28:00] not personally directed at any of you but i hope somebody's you know listening on on the interweb [28:06] or whatever the heck you knew people call that stuff mr quayar the floor is yours thank you mr chairman [28:13] mr scott first of all thank you for your service and your men and women that work for y'all i have a [28:18] couple questions uh dealing with a border wall uh back under what i call trump one i was able to get [28:25] about six exceptions uh down there for a border wall now uh you know i'm also suggesting that we add [28:32] certain exceptions to the laredo area to the zapata area and to big ben i understand that y'all put a [28:39] pause and uh but there are certain areas that are very sensitive and by that i'm talking about you know we [28:45] do know that the numbers went down and congratulations 96 percent uh gone down laredo before that was the [28:52] second lowest crossing that we had uh during those high numbers uh so the numbers went down and all that [28:58] happened without a single foot of border wall or even a buoy uh it was policy repercussions at the [29:06] border that helped and working with our partners now that we're looking at 46.5 billion dollars of border wall [29:12] money uh i do have uh certain concerns you know first of all the waivers that were saying late like [29:18] last year they used buying era my uh migration stats for their justification not current ones but [29:26] vast numbers with you know i disagree i don't uh did not approve of open borders i was very strong [29:32] against it now my communities are concerned about the construction and the potential flood risk [29:38] impact to drinking water and threats to public lands that we have uh mr chairman uh with uh with [29:44] your i would ask for unanimous uh support to enter uh into the record the executive summary report by [29:51] dr mark uh tomkins uh released on march 10th uh 2026 which analyzes the the threat to human life [29:59] property critical um infrastructure by the proposed wall and buoy system to the laredo and the communities [30:06] along the zapata area i would ask for unanimous support seeing no objection so order thank you mr chairman [30:15] so a couple things one uh i don't know if you all have seen that report i would ask if you can work [30:20] with your partners uh international boundary water commission the army corps and get us a respond [30:26] uh to that if you disagree that there is no threats uh to it uh tell us why on that and then the other [30:33] thing i would ask uh mr god is um what is the current operational justification for a border wall in laredo [30:42] and zapata even big ben also uh when congress can see and when can we expect to see an updated border [30:50] security improvement plan as you know and there are other times we used to go on what you all wanted [30:56] uh i would ask for for that also and then more importantly uh would ask if you would commit working [31:03] with myself i know there's a gentleman i think his name is paul enriquez i don't know if i've met him [31:08] before but he's doing a lot of it we just want some input uh with it uh like i said last time i asked [31:14] for certain exceptions we got them uh under what i call trump one and uh even spacex uh got an exception [31:21] to that as uh also so i just want to uh ask you if you can commit with us uh to sit down and i know you [31:29] very hands-on and i appreciate your relationship and ron's relationship and look forward working with the uh [31:36] on those border wall i won't call them exceptions but concerns that we have well first and foremost [31:43] thank you for your willingness to communicate and work with us over the last i don't know how many [31:48] years those partnerships have and those conversations have added a lot of value and i'm fully committed to [31:53] continuing that going on going forward and we do work with the local communities we look at the [31:58] environment we work with the agencies you just mentioned and even more as a matter of fact after this [32:04] hearing later today i'm flying down to the border to have some of these specific types conversations [32:08] not in laredo but another specific border area i'm firmly committed to making sure that we continue [32:14] that going forward i do i would be remiss though if i didn't highlight that border security is an [32:19] endearing and enduring requirement the illegal immigration ebbs and flows but the foreign terrorist [32:26] organizations just south of our border that are bringing threats into this country constantly [32:30] use illegal immigration to create gaps to bring people into the united states that border wall [32:35] going back into the 90s cbp border patrol has worked on it perfected it that is critical because [32:41] the reason the numbers have gone down now it is a lot of it is policy but we have almost 11 000 [32:47] department of war personnel on the border helping us create a level of deterrence and that is not a [32:52] sustainable model that the personnel salaries that's the most expensive part of the border security [32:59] building the border wall is actually an investment that saves american taxpayers money but we're [33:04] going to do it smartly and i commit to having conversations with you and others and how we do [33:08] that thank you uh by the way where are the border patrol agents are they still doing interior [33:14] enforcement because i've talked to a lot of them they want to be border patrol not interior i would [33:20] assume those folks are back uh in the at the border so border security as you know it's a team sport we [33:27] have to have consequences you can't just let somebody run across the river and then get away so we [33:31] continue to work with ice and our other partners but our those are targeted enforcement operations the [33:36] vast majority of cbp personnel or border and border patrol agents are actually on the border and or [33:41] airports at ports of entry but we still do support ice operations in targeted uh manner yes and uh we'll [33:49] talk about how many numbers are still away from the border at a later time uh the other thing uh i have before [33:55] i go to uh mr lions is the um the questions on um uh checkpoints i know you know the checkpoint in [34:03] laredo i know there's money there and we're going to work on that we did talk to your team a couple [34:08] things i said you know if they don't put enough commercial lanes there that that checkpoint would [34:14] be the fourth largest port in the whole country i know there's an expansion there's money there i want [34:19] to work with you but the only thing i ask and you know this very well you got to get um the risk [34:25] analysis the the equipment that are used at the ports of entry border patrol has a different [34:31] mindset but the more we can do that and we talk to your team i would ask you uh to do that because [34:36] as we expand the world trade bridge from eight lanes commercial lanes to 18 lanes in colombia from [34:42] 8 to 16 we're the largest port of entry 18 000 trailers so you can put all the trucks from el paso [34:49] down to brownsville they don't even match what they do in laredo uh we would ask you to just do this [34:54] once in a generation checkpoint and we'll follow up i don't want to go i just want to get your [34:59] commitment that you will work with us on that all right you have my commitment sir all right thank you [35:03] and uh i'm glad you got ron with you also he's a good one too i like career people uh mr lyons again [35:11] thank you uh for your men and women i also don't believe in them funding uh ice but i think we need to [35:16] have some uh some reforms and we talked about it yesterday uh first of all i want to thank you uh chairman [35:24] you and your staff and myself we sat down with some of the ice folks when we brought the south texas [35:28] builders uh mario guerrero and the other folks that came in uh we want to thank you because it looks [35:33] like now instead of focusing the work site uh right now in south texas and other areas like laredo [35:40] you're focusing on criminals and criminal elements so i want to say that because that affected [35:45] the housing uh situation in laredo so i want to start off with uh thank you so much um the other [35:51] thing i want to bring up is what we talked about is uh and i know i don't know what term to use uh you [35:57] don't like ice warehouses but i do have one that's coming up or they're looking at san antonio and [36:03] another one maybe in mccallen um you know what we need i just need a commitment that you will work with [36:10] us in the local community because you got to have local community you know in laredo we're building a [36:17] 280 million dollar um immigration processing center and the community has worked with us [36:24] but in other other areas san antonio the mayor the county judge everybody the county commissioner [36:30] are all up in arms uh same thing in mccallen i need your commitment that you'll work with us [36:35] uh to address those uh immigration i won't call them ice i'll still call them ice warehouses but [36:42] whatever term you all might want to use yes sir no yeah you have my commitment and first let me just [36:46] say thank you again for the partnership on the with the south texas builders um you know working with [36:52] yourself and your office that able to expand the hsi image program to ensure that uh builders and you [36:59] know business owners are hiring their correct people and also helping us identify criminal organizations has [37:04] been huge for south texas uh in regards to the san antonio facility we did purchase one it's actually [37:10] not a detention center it's a processing center so it's only going to be housed uh hold up to 500 to [37:15] a thousand people scalable so it's not going to be a long-term detention center it's going to be a [37:19] processing center that'll just have uh processing stations availability to have immigration court there [37:25] etc we are going to we are working with local and state now unfortunately a lot of the people that [37:32] have been working with us those elected officials and the uh buyers and sellers they're also having [37:37] threat stocks we've had several sites that have already been uh you know offline because of arson [37:43] and things like that um and in regards to laredo secretary mullins taking a direct approach and [37:49] looking at all options so you mean uh mccallum but i'm sorry mccallum um so we are we're doing that uh [37:55] processing center and it's we're good right we're good on that yeah no mccallum so um secretary mullins is [38:01] looking over the whole detention plan and he's going to make a informed decision of where he [38:05] wants to move forward in locations but we have purchased that one in san antonio yes sir okay [38:10] thank you i know my time's over i'll just ask one question um sir why you know we've hired a whole [38:17] bunch of ice agents hsi border patrol over the years that i supported uh hiring more of those agents [38:25] why do we need 200 agents specifically for your agency what is it that ice uh or other folks uh [38:34] are telling you know that you feel there's a need to create a new law enforcement part of it in your [38:41] agency thank you uh mr cuellar no one's telling us no but uh with all due respect to my to my colleague [38:48] mr lyons uh hsi has a very large portfolio what i am trying to create here is a very narrow uh criminal [38:57] investigation branch that is going to focus specifically on immigration fraud uh and and [39:04] entitlement fraud that falls within our purview it is specific for criminal investigators it's to build [39:11] up that relationship with u.s attorneys we have for the amount of immigration fraud that that we have [39:17] seen that we have uncovered that i know has been in the system for many many years uh there is a very [39:23] small number uh hardly any prosecutions we've ever seen this is to to to really focus on that it's very [39:30] very narrow well and i know my time and i want to thank the chairman uh could you follow up because [39:36] we're concerned about training uh we're concerned uh you know we don't want the same thing you know [39:42] where we left some of the training there's a lot of questions that we have and and my time's up [39:47] and i want to thank the chairman uh but i do want to follow up with some of those mr quayar i'm happy [39:51] to follow up i will just say very briefly on training every special agent that we will be [39:56] hiring will either have gone or is presently going through the criminal investigator training program [40:01] which every special agent in the federal government goes through and then we have a i don't want to get [40:06] the number of weeks wrong i think it's about a nine week special agent training specific to the work [40:11] that's going to be done at uscis so there is uh yeah but i'm happy to follow up with you follow up [40:16] thank you uh three gentlemen thank you there anything else mr quayra no sir well i i do have a [40:25] so so in full disclosure mr quayra just used miss deloro's time and since i didn't ask any questions [40:33] he used about half of mine too and so he said before pardon me you're not recognized he says before hey [40:42] since we're only doing run around can i have an extra minute and i'm like sure you know henry [40:46] whatever you want and so because he's a leader by the way you guys need to work on the end of your [40:53] testimony thank you again for pretending like you're sorry to see me go we're only going to do one round [41:00] still um but everybody's going to get eight minutes for the round now i know if i did that before mr quay [41:07] our talk that'd be a 20-minute deal so sheriff you're recognized for questions thank you mr chairman [41:14] i'll make this quick uh first i want to set the record straight um the the reason we are here [41:22] talking about the 26 budget is not because of the house of representatives we passed 12 appropriation [41:29] this body passed 12 appropriation bills uh before the end of the year uh and then sent it to the [41:37] senate the senate was unable to do their job because we couldn't find seven democrats in the [41:45] senate that would vote to overcome the cloture rule of needing 60 votes in the senate to pass a bill [41:52] that's why dhs is unfunded not because of this body we passed a bipartisan bill across the house floor [42:01] to fund you all and the men and women that work for you and to protect this country particularly looking [42:08] at the upcoming year with fifa uh the american 250 celebrations are going to be going on all of [42:16] these events that they are going to be that you all are going to be responsible for protecting us from [42:22] along with secret service tsa coast guard the whole dhs so i want to make sure we understand that [42:32] that's where the responsibility for this lies is in the senate and and i call on uh senator thune [42:39] to jettison that 60 vote cloture rule and just take up our appropriations bill and vote it across with [42:46] a simple majority that's what we need to do we need to quit playing this filibuster uh game that they [42:53] play over there in the senate they could have passed a what we passed here which was a a bipartisan [43:01] appropriation bill in fact we passed it four times now uh the idea that we're going to leverage public [43:09] safety uh and defund ice and in uh ice and cbp and tsa and others um so that we can negotiate on ice uh [43:25] policy and procedures is atrocious to me as a former law enforcement agent uh officer now one thing that i [43:34] am very happy about mr lyons uh i i know you all have gone full bore into the 287g program and and i [43:43] want to make this point 287g which i ran when i had a uh you know i not only had the police side of the [43:50] organization but i had the correction side we had a great jail enforcement program under 287g we safely [43:59] took individuals off of our streets and handed them over to ice for deportation in jacksonville florida [44:07] it's a great program all so we didn't have to have ice officers out in the community being confronted by [44:16] not the not the uh immigrant the illegal immigrants that they're going after but by these paid provocateurs [44:23] i don't even call them protesters they're paid provocateurs [44:26] they're going out there and causing all this disruption 39 states you guys are in now over [44:34] 1600 agencies that are working with you and guess what no violence problems in those areas and so [44:42] i want to make that point that this is a great program in fact one of your predecessors actually [44:47] said it was the best thing since sliced bread so my question is i want to make sure that we have [44:53] the funding that we need to continue i ice 287g processes or can you talk a little bit about that [45:02] and what do you think you're going to need in 27 well sir first off i just want to say thank you for [45:08] recognizing the 287g program because like you said it is a force multiplier and we would much rather have [45:13] individuals arrested detained taken into custody inside a safe security location with the help of our [45:18] federal partners and the jail enforcement model does exactly that so for under appropriations for [45:26] with ob3 funding we had approximately 1.1 billion for 287g a lot of that does go for staffing right [45:34] we're able to assist a lot of the small jurisdictions small municipalities and sheriffs that have budget [45:41] shortfalls in their area we can provide them with overtime funding for new officers as well as vehicles [45:47] and equipment which is a huge piece of that partnership is the fact that since they are taking [45:52] the steps to work with ice and help us work in the community then we're going to make sure that [45:56] they're whole as well so we've been able to do that for the obligated for year to date we're at [46:02] 305 million now so we are doing good for 287g but one thing really sort of highlights the fact that [46:08] that we're up over 1088 percent increased um mous that have been signed with local jurisdictions [46:16] um and if if we've learned anything it's that the cooperation with state and local agencies is [46:21] a game changer to your point locations that don't have any protests or problems it's because we have [46:28] the local cooperation we don't have to be on the street they're out there in the jails absolutely [46:32] thank you and and i want to follow up on that with the the idea of the detention facilities um [46:42] i want to know what the mix is between facility and permanent structures that we're building and [46:48] scalable what what i think is a scalable program that that you all have which is accessing local jails [46:56] uh in state prisons for these folks um to to house them instead of building big permanent structures [47:07] uh because we're we're not always going to have this problem eventually we will uh deport the majority [47:15] of the illegals and we'll get back to normal needs and so i think it's more important that we have [47:21] something that's scalable versus building a big infrastructure that uh to take care of the millions [47:29] and millions of illegals that we now have in the country uh once we've gotten rid of them deported them [47:37] uh we need something scalable i i i think and so can can you tell me what the mix is on that and [47:46] where do you where do you see this going in the future yes sir well the very first thing on that [47:50] is the beginning of your statement was the fact that we rely heavily upon our sheriffs and local [47:54] jurisdictions that do support us in those uh cooperative areas so we're going to continue [47:59] to keep those um 27g partners to include uh intergovernment intergovernmental agency agreements with [48:06] them um the reason for the larger scale of infrastructure for the attention was the fact that [48:12] there are so many jurisdictions like in new york and new jersey we don't have any partnerships [48:17] and it's not because local leadership doesn't want to engage with ice it's the fact that a lot of [48:22] times by state law they're not allowed to work with us the new facilities that are being built are [48:27] actually so these are sanctuary states yes sir so the the new facilities that are being built are [48:31] actually scalable they're not fixed we have the ability to bring them down or bring them back up [48:36] dependent on the action but one of the when i was here testifying last year one of the commitments [48:41] i had was to reduce the footprint when it came to the amount of exorbitant contracts that we have out [48:45] there right now with a lot of our private facilities and what we're looking for is a more sensible approach when it [48:51] comes to being self-sufficient and being able to control our own standards within that but control [48:58] the price point and unfortunately a lot of the um smaller sheriffs um i'm sure someone told you to [49:04] come up to ice standard it's just too expensive for them to retrofit their facilities that were built in [49:10] the 80s and 90s so through the um the larger program we're going to be able to scale those down based on [49:15] what the actual needs are okay and those and those dollars are the reconciliation dollars are they [49:22] being used for this program as well we use the we use the reconciliation ob3 funding to for the initial [49:28] front load startup but then for what we're asking for in fy 27 is be funded for 41 500 beds and that [49:35] we'll be able to scale up and down with the detention facilities okay and we're keeping up we're keeping up [49:43] with adp you know average daily population needs now yes sir so uh we're actually in a surplus right [49:49] now because we've uh our partners at the department of state have been really helpful with us on expediting [49:54] removals especially when it comes to recalcitrant countries where we have problems with travel documents [49:59] so our removal process and our increase uh in our removal proceedings have led to that um no longer [50:07] having a shortfall on beds but have it up a stockpile thank you and if i could very briefly uh mr edlow uh [50:16] uscis back in october we we had delays in getting h2a uh workers into the country and we had crops that [50:26] were literally being uh turned under in the field because we didn't have people to pick them uh and i know [50:34] that was a labor backup because of the shutdown and then that backed you up and um have we resolved [50:42] that uh now the the the backlog congressman excuse me i'm not aware of any backlog at uscis with regard [50:51] to h2a my understanding is processing time remains around five to seven days once we get the information [51:00] from labor and the application is filed with us we turn it around within five to seven days if you're [51:05] hearing something else please let me know and we'd love to work with you on it okay thank you i'll get [51:10] get with you with that mr chairman i yield back the gentlelady from texas ms escobar the floor is yours [51:17] thank you mr chairman thank you ranking member and thanks to our witnesses for being here today [51:24] before um i get into my questions i would be remiss if i didn't say that i am very glad that christy [51:32] gnome corey lewandowski and greg bovino are no longer a part of the department of homeland security [51:40] the way that they engaged in our communities has been an abomination and it is my hope that [51:48] the wreckage which they created which is immeasurable can be addressed and that we can go [51:57] forward in a different way um so i i had to get that off my chest um mr scott i've asked for a meeting [52:08] with you and i know this is a tough week but i really would appreciate a one-on-one meeting with you [52:15] my team your team can we make that happen in the next week or so yes ma'am within this next week [52:22] i'll be out of town after this meeting until tuesday but i'll get with you yes and we're happy to work [52:27] with you um just would really appreciate the opportunity to sit down with you of course thank [52:32] you acting director lions i want to thank you for the time that you gave me and my team yesterday [52:39] um i i think it was a productive and fruitful conversation and um much of what we talked [52:47] about is camp east montana it is the largest immigration detention facility in the country [52:54] it is privately run it's 1.24 billion dollars and i have been sounding the alarm about that facility and [53:03] that contractor for some time now i'm i am glad that acquisition logistics will no longer be the [53:10] contractor going forward we are hoping to continue our oversight our work on oversight as the new [53:19] contractor situates itself um and to the chairman's point um thank you for committing to get us the [53:27] contract with acquisition logistics i'd like it if if the chair the ranking member and i could have [53:33] the contract the new contract with omentum please yes ma'am 100 okay and um just yeah we're committed [53:40] to making sure that we get you that um that contract will be fully in place by april 17th okay fully [53:46] funded staffed um but just to uh the original statement of work we inherited that from the uh department [53:52] of war uh and unfortunately under the fair uh the far act part two there was they had listed proprietary [53:59] information so i just would refer any questions on the original contract back to the department of war [54:05] was the reason for the delay on the original well if i if i might if you want to redact it we're not [54:13] going to the pentagon to get answers about ice stuff we'll take care of that okay yes sir thank you [54:18] thank you chairman will there be a there i'm assuming there will not be a similar similar issue with [54:24] the omentum contract no ma'am okay and we can get that in a timely manner yes ma'am okay thank you [54:31] and we have started to receive the answers to our letters from last fall and earlier this year [54:38] so i appreciate that we're we're starting to get those answers but as we continue our oversight [54:43] responsibilities and have more questions can we expect responses to our questions in a more timely manner [54:50] uh than existed under secretary gnome yes ma'am uh it was uh and i think yesterday as we talked i think [54:58] my team was actually sending over responses in real time so we have increased our legislative fair staff [55:04] and we are expediting answering and getting those all back in a more timely fashion so you do have the [55:10] commitment that you'll receive those answers okay i appreciate that and as i mentioned um both on the [55:16] phone in my letters to members of this committee to the chairman to the ranking member the the issues [55:23] at camp east montana have been horrific and frequently staff on the ground is very dismissive when i raise [55:33] those issues directly with them and we have an obligation to treat people in a humane manner and to [55:43] make sure that we are living up to federal standards and the the challenges with camp east montana have [55:50] been laid out by our own federal oversight agencies so i am not the only one who has seen these issues [55:59] and who has sounded the alarm um but we now have in my community another set of ice facilities that are [56:10] going up the department of homeland security has purchased three warehouses in the city of socorro texas [56:19] a population of 36 000 people those three warehouses are going to house 8 500 human beings those [56:30] structures are meant to hold goods those structures are meant to held hold things not people [56:39] and the city of socorro has their city council has passed a moratorium on any dhs facilities they do not [56:49] have the water infrastructure the wastewater infrastructure the emergency services infrastructure [56:56] they don't have enough for their own community but now to have facilities potentially have facilities [57:05] for 8 600 human beings and staff they are very alarmed there were hundreds of of members of their [57:13] community who attended the city council meeting to oppose these new facilities local leaders are uniformly [57:21] opposed to any new facilities and mr lyons the county of el paso has struggled to get any information [57:30] from ice they've had to sue in order to try to get information is ice or dhs still planning on proceeding [57:40] with the the three warehouses well ma'am uh secretary mullen is like i said in my uh statement before he is [57:49] looking at our whole detention plan we're making decisions based on if we're going to move forward those [57:54] locations um but what i can tell you is and hopefully when we do go on our trip down to camp east [58:00] uh to take the opportunity to show you exactly what those facilities will be um i know uh i've said [58:08] i don't like when people use the term warehouse but it's if you once you see what the layout will be [58:13] it's not going to be any type of cages in it that's actually to be retrofitted to become a detention [58:18] facility one that will actually be proud of one that actually have standards within held in a humane way [58:24] so i welcome the chance when we go down there to show you exactly what we actually plan to do [58:30] mr lyons i am going to urge you to reconsider the community is uniformly opposed to this as i [58:40] mentioned a city of 36 000 people does not have the infrastructure for a facility of the magnitude that dhs [58:51] is wanting to build and there has been zero community consultation zero community involvement community [58:59] engagement before there are any um before there's any forward movement would you commit to meeting [59:08] with local leaders to hear directly from them yes ma'am and secretary malone's committed to ensuring that [59:13] we have um not only interaction with yourself and other members of this committee but local leadership on [59:20] the ground state local municipality level to have that community engagement to have those discussions i [59:24] appreciate that i'm eager to see that happen one last question there have been multiple deaths at camp [59:31] east montana one of those deaths heraldo lunas campos died in ice custody on january 3rd of this year [59:39] the el paso county medical examiner determined that was a homicide i've read the details of the report [59:46] it's pretty horrific what is the status of that investigation so ma'am once we had that information provided [59:54] to us we went ahead and referred that case that case now is with the fbi so i can't speak to an [59:58] ethnic investigation but the fbi is investigating that okay so it's no longer at opr it's with it's [1:00:04] with the fbi ma'am okay and um the the i hope that you will evaluate the fact as as you are thinking [1:00:12] through these facilities and how they are privately run that the staff on site lied initially about the [1:00:19] accounts of that and there really needs to be um i'd like to engage in a conversation with you about [1:00:26] that yes ma'am mr chairman i know my my time is up thank you i appreciate it i yield back you're welcome [1:00:32] and your time wasn't as far up as mr quairs was so you're you're being a leader on that mr newhouse the [1:00:39] floor is yours yeah thank you mr chairman and thanks for your generosity and allowing people to go for [1:00:44] time it's very important stuff gentlemen thank you mr scott mr lyons mr edlow thanks for being here [1:00:49] and uh appearing before this committee but also and before the american public to talk about some [1:00:56] very important issues that everybody's thinking about mr edlow welcome back to the house it's good [1:01:01] to have you here um my first question i would ask direct to you director at the end of fiscal year [1:01:08] in 2025 uscis reported a net backlog of 6.29 million cases an increase of more than 65 percent from the [1:01:19] previous year with expectations of additional enhanced screening requirements for all visa applicants [1:01:26] may further strain processing times and this is a concern particularly as it relates to our american [1:01:33] farmers and businesses that rely on foreign workers to work during peak seasons to fill their labor [1:01:39] needs so a couple questions there if i may what assessments did dhs make before implementing these [1:01:46] policies about the likely impact on visa processing times and seasonal labor flows could you describe what [1:01:54] resources uscis is allocating to address this potential backlog and ensure timely processing of visa [1:02:03] applications and then on top of that do you have plans to review and utilize authorities available to your [1:02:10] agency to streamline visa processing such as waving in-person interviews for returning workers could [1:02:17] could you briefly touch on what you've done to date to help uh expedite visa processing certainly mr newhausen [1:02:24] thank you so much um when i got back to uscis this time around the asylum backlog if i may was 1.5 million cases when [1:02:36] i had left in 2020 at the end of trump one uh i thought we had a bad backlog at about 400 and 400 000 cases so the [1:02:45] increase on the backlog over the time that the biden administration and is something that we are still [1:02:51] trying to deal with but also trying to address understanding who these individuals were and and [1:02:57] kind of making sure that we have all that done we are utilizing new uh screening and vetting through [1:03:03] technology we're working on some ai tools as well as other things in order to better streamline the [1:03:09] screening and vetting i will say in with the asylum backlog i know it's not exactly what you asked but [1:03:14] with the asylum backlog while it was 1.5 when i got here it is now 1.4 so we have actually made some [1:03:22] progress in the last year it's a little but um as far as the uh the workers especially the farm workers [1:03:29] as i said to mr rutherford i am not tracking a backlog in that group at all in fact we are processing uh h2a [1:03:38] visas within a five to seven day window from the time that the application is filed um and as i said if [1:03:43] you're hearing something else please let me know so that we can address that but ultimately my my charge [1:03:52] here is to make sure that we are not cutting corners that we are taking the uh the adjudication seriously [1:03:58] and not getting i've made it very clear i believe there was a get to yes policy before run to the bottom [1:04:05] my policy is not get to yes it's not get to know it's get to the right decision with all of the facts [1:04:12] that we have in front of us and so we are absolutely taking uh into consideration the the needs of [1:04:20] those that are petitioning as well as um the the general economic needs of what you're what you're [1:04:26] describing but at the end of the day screening and vetting will be the primary focus of what we're doing [1:04:33] i don't see that as incompatible with getting these applications done timely i agree application times [1:04:39] processing times on certain applications have gone up over the last uh fiscal year what i would say [1:04:46] and i've been saying it a lot recently is i consider this to be short-term pain which is going to [1:04:51] really lead to long-term gain in the in the fair and proper processing of immigration i appreciate that [1:04:59] we're not asking you to cut corners and i do look forward to working with your office as we have [1:05:03] heard of some instances where there's been what seem to be unduly delays let's discuss it after this i'm [1:05:08] happy to talk to you thank you thank you um turning to mr lyons mr scott the what i would characterize [1:05:16] the previous administration's disastrous border policies exacerbated the fentanyl crisis that's [1:05:22] plagued the united states including communities in my district in central washington we know that the [1:05:29] agencies at the department of homeland security including cbp and ice and the coast guard played a [1:05:36] critical role in seizing illicit fentanyl and cracking down on drug traffic and trafficking [1:05:42] organizations so commissioner scott and director lions are acting director lions to be precise your [1:05:49] your respective testimonies highlighted that cbp seized i believe it was 721 000 pounds of illicit drugs [1:05:57] i seized nearly a million pounds of fentanyl and precursor chemicals in the last year [1:06:02] and this is just phenomenal work and i applaud you i stand ready to work with you to help your agency [1:06:10] to continue this kind of successful effort but the question i have could you briefly speak further to [1:06:16] how your budget request will enhance initiatives so to keep our communities safe from fentanyl and other [1:06:25] illicit drugs i'll go first yeah i'll touch on it real quickly part of that the actual weight is [1:06:36] almost irrelevant we're talking about keeping it off the streets so it shouldn't be the higher the [1:06:41] number the more success what we're looking at is improving our inspections and we have the reduction in [1:06:47] illegal immigration has resulted in tens of thousands probably hundreds of thousands by now [1:06:52] of increased hours of enforcement time the border wall that we're building out allows every single agent [1:06:57] to be more effective and it allows us to shift personnel to the coast to look for tunnels and to take [1:07:02] out the drones that are coming across we want to prevent illegal narcotics from getting into the [1:07:07] united states not just seize them when they come and i would argue just if you look at our ports of [1:07:11] entry our inspection the percentage of vehicles and baggage and commercial vehicles that we're inspecting [1:07:17] is increasing on a daily basis and that's a win for america great just real quickly mr lions i got one [1:07:22] more thing i want to ask sir uh just really quickly if you look um again mr scott said earlier that it's [1:07:28] a team sport um cbp secured the border so it allows hsi homeless security investigations to really work [1:07:34] with our international partners and that's what we're focused on especially states like yours in [1:07:38] california we do see the impact of the flow of precursor drugs coming from the indo-pacific region [1:07:44] and we're committed with the countries of australia and new zealand to really focus on that [1:07:48] specifically on job working with the coast guard to intercept those uh before they even get to the [1:07:55] port so what we're looking for is that you know having a robust homeland security task force which [1:08:00] we've now established in almost every state working with state local partners and streamlining that to [1:08:05] make sure we focus not only just here domestically but internationally with our partners where we [1:08:09] know where that's coming from well thank you uh if i could get to one more question mr chairman um [1:08:16] yes mr quayor please proceed just following precedent um so as many of us on this committee are aware [1:08:24] uh beyond immigration enforcement uh ice also serves as a critical federal asset to detecting and [1:08:31] dismantling the transnational criminal networks targeting narcotics smuggling human trafficking gang [1:08:38] violence and cyber financial crimes is homeland security investigations operations also have been [1:08:46] a leading agency target targeting child exploitation which according to your testimony director has led to [1:08:53] more than i think almost 5 000 arrests related to child expectations nearly 1500 child victims rescued and [1:09:02] over 3100 convictions related to human trafficking so uh as a shutdown director impacted your operations in in [1:09:13] detecting uh dismantling arresting convicting um the bad actors involved in this heinous operation of [1:09:21] child trafficking and exploitation yes sir it does and there's a there's a misinformation that with [1:09:26] the big beautiful bill ice is completely funded but they're specifically uh through regulation that can [1:09:32] only be used for certain tasks it doesn't involve homeland security investigations um everything from having [1:09:38] vehicles with gas in the vehicles to deploying agents tdy that's an impact because we just don't have that [1:09:43] funding on top of that our critical intelligence network uh is a lot of contract based and we're just [1:09:50] not able to pay for those contracts right now our victim advocates victim specialists we just don't have that [1:09:55] so while we always hear that ice is flush with money maybe for detention and removal but not for the [1:10:02] critical things that have actually protected americans every day and one of the most vital uh things we [1:10:07] do is child exploitation yeah appreciate that i think we'll do what we can to help you thank you mr [1:10:12] chairman yield back the balance of my you don't have any to yield back but thank you anyhow the gentle [1:10:19] lady from illinois floor is yours thank you mr chairman i'm so glad that we're finally having this [1:10:24] oversight hearing because the american people need to understand what's going on at dhs so i'll jump right [1:10:29] in mr lyons how many people have died in ice custody on your watch uh 44 ma'am 25 this fiscal year [1:10:38] okay um we understand that ice records list 45 under your leadership and 49 total since president trump [1:10:45] took office i would encourage you to remain current on those uh lists and how does that death rate on [1:10:51] your watch compare to your predecessors so ma'am it's to your point it is the highest because we do have [1:10:58] the highest amount in detention that isis ever had since its inception in 2003. okay so what i hear [1:11:03] you testifying before your committee is before this committee is that isis never had a deadlier year [1:11:09] um since 2025. and more people are dying than ever before and with the death rate so far this year [1:11:17] you're in track to break that record um and yet we've not had a real explanation in the congress or the [1:11:25] american people why more people are dying just simply saying that there's more detainees i mean [1:11:30] you have more officers you have more resources and so that's not in my opinion a valid rationale [1:11:37] for why the death rate would be increasing so the san francisco chronicle really recently worked [1:11:42] with medical experts to review the deaths and found that quote people routinely died in custody [1:11:48] without ever being seen by doctors even as they begged for help mr lyons does ice have any specific [1:11:54] internal goals or policies regarding death in custody yes ma'am we do and ice alone has spent [1:12:00] almost half a billion dollars last fiscal year that this committee has given us to ensure that [1:12:05] people have the proper medical care everyone has a complete physical within 14 days and is seen by a [1:12:11] medical profession in the first 24 hours right that's about medical treatment my question is about [1:12:15] policies or goals regarding deaths well as far as what ma'am we do invite do you have any internal [1:12:22] policies or goals regarding the number of deaths in custody yeah well we don't know death is what we [1:12:28] want we don't want anyone to die of ice to know and die in custody i hope that's a policy of anyone [1:12:34] that has to be tasked with detaining somebody's not a policy i'm just asking are there any policies in [1:12:39] your agency no okay so that's something that perhaps we can work on together because i believe [1:12:45] particularly given the death rate that that should be codified maybe a memorandum from your office to all [1:12:52] ice employees maybe a memorandum to your grantees you know core civic and the geo group you know what [1:12:57] i mean that we are seeing significant numbers coming out of those contracted ice facilities [1:13:01] and that should be something that's communicated from you as ice leadership to those under your watch [1:13:06] we're familiar with nbc news reporting from this week calling out the decreased transparency regarding [1:13:12] circumstances of immigrant deaths in custody nbc news reports that ice has chosen not to report [1:13:18] details on deaths in custody since mid-february what specifically is stopping you from continuing [1:13:23] to report during a shutdown no ma'am we are reporting um we are working on that timeline we are reporting [1:13:30] up to uh congress and as well as to put it on our public website when we are okay so when's the most [1:13:38] recent report that you're aware of i'll give it to staff and get to that ma'am okay because as you [1:13:43] can tell this committee is only aware of the nbc news reporting which on the public website lists mid [1:13:49] mid-february and in my opinion it is unacceptable that this transparency is being deemed non-essential [1:13:56] when an nbc news reporter asked why you had stopped posting information about your investigations [1:14:02] into deaths in custody a department spokesperson said that the delay was in quote due to non-essential [1:14:08] reporting mr lyons is there a legal basis for that claim that investigating deaths in custody is not [1:14:15] essential no ma'am okay um let's work together to change that and to update that public reporting [1:14:23] as soon as possible perhaps by the end of the week okay excellent now one man died when his hiv [1:14:29] was left untreated for months another man died after detention staff saw him have seizures yet waited [1:14:36] over an hour to call an ambulance mr chairman i asked unanimous consent to enter into the record [1:14:41] the san francisco chronicle article titled in ice custody medical delays drive record deaths thank you [1:14:50] thank you we understand that under the trump administration uh detention watchdog agencies have [1:14:56] been gutted how many staff are employed at isis office of detention oversight i can get you that [1:15:02] specific number ma'am one thing that we have increased though is we haven't gone back [1:15:07] to increasing what are we have for our detention standards so if i could go back to mr action [1:15:13] director yes um we are familiar with the detention standards those have been widely publicized what is [1:15:20] not publicized is what's going on at the watchdog agencies who are in charge of enforcing said standards [1:15:26] and listen if the office exists on paper and there are no staff well then we know that that accountability [1:15:33] is not being provided to the officers um and so please do get back that information and our [1:15:38] office would be delighted to offer the american people that transparency okay so perhaps you [1:15:44] might just want to put out a press release with that information okay so um the san francisco [1:15:48] chronicles analysis confirms what we've witnessed firsthand on my oversight visits a few months ago [1:15:54] i went to the miami correctional facility in bunker hill indiana where i met individuals who told me [1:15:59] it took months to receive medication refills including life-threatening illnesses like diabetes others [1:16:05] reported being left unattended with infected boils and others really serious conditions mr lyons these [1:16:11] are things that we saw with our own eyes and as a nurse i know what medical negligence looks like i was [1:16:17] devastated but i wasn't surprised when i learned that a detainee at that facility died shortly after [1:16:21] my visit and ice is not the only dhs agency with chilling disregard for human life so mr scott your border [1:16:29] patrol agents abandoned a nearly blind refugee alone on the street in the middle of winter in upstate new [1:16:33] york and a medical examiner ruled his death a homicide mr scott has cbp or border patrol launched [1:16:40] any internal investigation of the actions of these border patrol officers implicated in this homicide [1:16:45] i'm aware of that incident uh the facts are a little bit in dispute but yes that is being [1:16:51] investigated i believe by opr and i believe oig but i'll have to get back to you on the oig so so the oig [1:16:57] is the department i believe so okay but nothing internally within cbp no that's opr i'm sorry [1:17:02] office of professional responsibilities is cbp they will always do the administrative procedural [1:17:08] investigation piece but anything criminal uh goes to oig or homicide would be criminal correct [1:17:14] okay but the fbi is not involved as mr lyons testified with respect to their alleged homicide [1:17:21] so for this case i can't state on what he's what he testified to i'm just telling you that [1:17:27] internally it's opr yes and in this case i believe it's oig but i'm not going to testify on behalf of oig so [1:17:32] i'll have to get back with you okay but you're saying that to your knowledge the fbi is not [1:17:35] involved in the cbp in this specific case i do not believe that excellent um well actually at the [1:17:43] end of the day it is clear that the american people american citizens are not safe from your [1:17:48] agents during operation midway blitz which happened in my home state of illinois cbp deployed specialized [1:17:54] tactical units called bortac and borstar into residential areas in illinois these units are equipped [1:18:00] for military style counterterrorism operations they're untrained and totally unfit for civilian [1:18:06] law enforcement in densely populated areas with families schools and churches and your agents use tear [1:18:12] gas pepper balls tasers and physical force against civilians including protesters journalists [1:18:18] and clergy dozens of people including u.s citizens like renee good and alex preddy have been [1:18:23] shot or killed by ice and border patrol agents since you both took office and in many cases body cam [1:18:28] footage and other forensic evidence often contradicts your agency's versions of events and over and [1:18:35] over we've seen no consequences you can't or won't rein in your agents and you are obstructing state and [1:18:44] local investigations from record-breaking deaths in custody to the killing of u.s citizens at the [1:18:50] hands of federal agents it could not possibly be clearer that your agencies are out of control [1:18:55] the patterns of reckless incompetent cruel illegal corrupt and unconstitutional behavior across your [1:19:03] agencies and the total lack of accountability to congress the american people and the constitution [1:19:09] in my opinion these are leadership problems not funding problems last summer your agency's got 140 [1:19:14] billion dollars in the big ugly bill and you're obviously not using it to surge any kind of basic [1:19:21] medical care to detainees or adequate training to your agents meanwhile i'm still waiting for answers [1:19:28] to basic questions i asked both of you in january two months ago about the cost of operation midway blitz [1:19:34] why would we appropriate more funding to a department that can't even tell us where the money's going [1:19:40] now you're here with your handout asking the american taxpayers for even more money enough is enough [1:19:45] this committee cannot keep bankrolling these atrocities not another penny and i yield back mr guest [1:19:54] the floor is yours thank you mr chairman uh to our witnesses uh thank you for being here uh thank you for [1:20:01] the men and women that serve under your command uh thank you for your dedication uh during uh a very [1:20:10] difficult time uh and let me apologize to you uh for the dysfunction of congress let me apologize for the [1:20:19] fact that my friends on the other side of the aisle refused to vote to support the funding of dhs [1:20:25] that they refused to recognize the important mission that you serve that they refuse to support the [1:20:32] men and women of law enforcement who stand watch on that wall each and every day protecting the american [1:20:39] citizens uh and so i just personally want you to know uh that there are people in congress there are [1:20:45] people across this country who view what you do as admirable they view what you do as heroic [1:20:52] uh they thank you for your service and so i would ask that when you leave here when you return uh to the [1:21:01] men and women that you serve with uh you please express on my behalf uh and the constituents of the third [1:21:09] congressional district of mississippi uh how much we appreciate what they do uh mr scott want to ask you [1:21:15] a question uh as it relates to budget reconciliation um you know was proud in the budget reconciliation [1:21:22] package that that we made what i believe was a generational a generational investment in border [1:21:27] security um two things in particular wall and barriers construction uh and then technology uh those [1:21:34] are areas that i think will continue to pay dividends uh long after those monies are expended [1:21:40] and long after we are no longer in congress and so i just want to talk to you very briefly about [1:21:46] where we are on the rollout of some of those first as it relates to barrier wall construction um can you [1:21:53] talk a little bit about the progress uh that your agency uh has made uh knowing that there are um i'm [1:22:04] going to have to say challenges at times sometimes court challenges uh sometimes environmental challenges [1:22:11] can you kind of walk me through and walk the committee through uh where we are uh as it relates to [1:22:16] wall and barrier construction yes sir thank you for that question i'm going to say something that you [1:22:21] rarely hear in these hearings or anywhere in the federal government and as far as the border wall [1:22:25] construction goes we're ahead of schedule and we're below budget amen it we're doing a great job [1:22:31] and i'll just give you healing back next question i'll give you today's numbers uh we're at about [1:22:37] almost 50 miles of new construction of primary border wall about 5.5 of buoy barrier and we're at about 13.2 [1:22:46] of secondary barrier but the important thing there the big difference is we put a team together that [1:22:51] had done this before so a lot of the issues that we dealt with during trump 45 land acquisition different [1:22:57] challenges we we know how to get past those now which the team is basically a high speed low drag team [1:23:03] and it's not just cbp it's working with department of war it's working with department of justice [1:23:09] and we're we're doing a lot of good every foot of that border wall system and it's a smart wall it's not [1:23:13] just a barrier i think a lot of people miss that has technology built into it so we know when somebody [1:23:19] approaches it it maximizes the use of our most valuable resources which is our agents and our [1:23:24] personnel and i want to talk you talk a little bit about the the technology uh and um the fact that it's [1:23:32] not necessarily just completely a physical barrier you know one of the things that there was money uh [1:23:37] in the reconciliation bill was for for towers uh and uh towers equipped to help detect uh individuals [1:23:46] approaching the border uh and part of the provision that we as congress placed in that uh was we wanted [1:23:54] those systems to be autonomous uh to be able to maximize the resources that you have uh to be able to [1:24:04] alert uh someone who could then um serve as a force multiplier so you wouldn't have an agent sitting [1:24:10] there looking at a screen all day that we could uh use uh the technology that exists and is being rolled [1:24:17] out uh to make that more efficient uh and so i think there was about 1.2 billion dollars if i'm not [1:24:24] mistaken uh that we put in there for uh the the tower system and so my question as it relates to the tower [1:24:31] system is one can you talk a little bit about the testing and the vetting process for uh potential [1:24:39] vendors of this uh and then second can you also give me a little bit of information if you have it [1:24:46] about when we would expect the majority of those funds to be put to contract sure so the the autonomy [1:24:53] piece it goes beyond the towers so we're building that into the ports of entry into the scans but we're [1:24:59] leveraging ai and thank you for writing it into the bill but we are doing it anyway because it's the [1:25:03] right thing to do so the towers themselves uh a little bit like the border wall competition is [1:25:10] actually driving dramatic improvements in the capabilities and it's driving the the cost point [1:25:15] down trump 45 we had one vendor we have five vendors i'm sorry we have four vendors now that have [1:25:21] passed the autonomy test they provided us equipment we've used the agents we articulated specific [1:25:27] requirements to be able to identify something uh a movement to classify it and then to continue to [1:25:33] track it and when i say that early in my career i thought it was great when somebody could call and [1:25:38] explain to me on a radio but what i mean now is that's going to a device that the agents have with [1:25:42] them in the field in real time if an agent wants to take over that tower they can but those are the [1:25:48] requirements we built in we're already fielding some of those we're going through a second testing [1:25:53] uh just in about a month or two that makes double check every one of those towers or those companies [1:25:59] can integrate into what we call a cop but basically they can integrate into a system that it doesn't [1:26:05] matter which tower it is it goes to that that system that phone if you will the atac so that the [1:26:10] agents can see it better i'll get back with you on the actual rollout of the timing because we're [1:26:15] rolling it out in three different phases and honestly right now it's not about signing the contract [1:26:20] it's about making sure that the vendors can buy and and get the equipment that they need to build [1:26:25] the towers and last question mr scott as it relates to um the the testing of these uh systems is that [1:26:32] something that that your agents are there as part of that testing process because what i want to make [1:26:39] sure is whatever contract uh that you ultimately decide to enter into uh that it is something that is [1:26:45] user friendly to your agents that we are providing them the information that they need often i've [1:26:51] seen i won't say often occasionally i've seen systems uh that aren't really operable and not in in [1:26:57] your agency particularly but not really optimal to what is needed by the men and women the boots on the [1:27:04] ground it's the system that's been provided to them and then they are forced to use that system but [1:27:09] what i want to make sure and uh since we are making what i consider to be a generational [1:27:15] hopefully once in a lifetime investment that the system that ultimately is chosen is a system that [1:27:21] your agents uh want that it meets their needs and that we are designing the system if you will around [1:27:29] them instead of telling them to perform their work around the system sure so the short answer is yes [1:27:36] i think you already know this but i'd highlight i get it i spent 30 years as a border patrol agent i [1:27:41] suffered through some of that the the tech sheet that the vendors gave us said it was the answer [1:27:45] to world hunger and we deployed it to the field it it was a joke we're leveraging those lessons and [1:27:52] again it's a lot of the same team from trump 45 that helped like build out some of these concepts [1:27:57] are looking at it now but we have not we have third party validators and more importantly we have [1:28:03] agents we're testing the stuff out in the field getting immediate feedback and that is built into the [1:28:08] test process i refuse to deploy anything to the field that the eight that doesn't help our agents [1:28:15] let alone waste taxpayer money doing it well thank you and i'll close with this quote as it relates to [1:28:20] working with vendors uh to provide what they say a quote from my favorite president of ronald reagan [1:28:26] uh trust but verify with that i yield back mr siskamani the floor is yours thank you mr chairman and uh [1:28:35] thank you all for being here you know when you sit this far down the table and the chairman is as [1:28:41] generous as he's been with the time for everyone it's one of those cases that um everything has been [1:28:45] said but not everybody has said it right so i my question some of my questions may seem a little [1:28:50] repetitive but i i do want to dig into a little more on some of the some of these issues i'm from arizona [1:28:57] sixth district this is the southeastern corner of the state this is a border district this has been a [1:29:02] a big issue for us uh from my from my first time for my first term here and i want to just looking at [1:29:10] where we were three years ago uh to today it's an amazing um it's amazing progress that we've made in [1:29:17] this area so i want to commend uh not not only the three of you for that work but all the men and women [1:29:23] in your department that have done that and you've uh made tremendous strides and even along the way and [1:29:29] adapting to the different demands that that uh this this approach has brought to all the people [1:29:35] involved uh the the order is tall in terms of having to um not even sure that we could ever undo what the [1:29:43] biden administration did in terms of an open border policy but uh really trying to uh rescue our nation [1:29:49] from what happened in those four years and trying to find people that um should be uh deported from this [1:29:56] country that are committing crimes here in the united states so i i want to thank you for that and [1:30:00] also uh my perspective is unique and i'll mention this as i get to my last question but i i'm a [1:30:06] naturalized citizen so i've gone through the process i i know what that is like so i've had some questions [1:30:11] for you here towards um the last part of it but uh the first one i would like to start with commissioner [1:30:16] scott in terms of um uh the the fentanyl and i think this was also brought up by one of my [1:30:22] colleagues when we look at what the the progress that we've made has been very much on the human [1:30:29] trafficking side and in the even in arizona you have different parts of the border and we saw [1:30:34] different traffic over on the west side in the yuma area was a lot of the family units coming in [1:30:39] over in the coches county area on the eastern side you saw a lot of the people that were avoiding law [1:30:43] enforcement uh overall in those biden years and then in the kind of like center you have the the [1:30:49] the santa cruz county nogales area where the the main port of entry is for the state and we know [1:30:55] that fentanyl was being crossed through uh all three but but really the ports of entry play a key [1:31:00] role in intercepting a lot of this so can you tell me and i have one question for each and and i would [1:31:05] rather not go over although that seems to be the popular thing to do but i if i if i could get away [1:31:11] with that uh i can you just uh tell me real quick on the fentanyl side and the port of entry what's [1:31:16] what's the latest there sure so i i would say that illegal immigration by the way is a distraction you [1:31:22] see it but the narcotic smuggling is always going on the ports of entry specifically thank you for [1:31:27] the funding in prior and going forward the nii equipment the non-intrusive equipment allows us [1:31:32] to improve the scanning but it's more than that we have a national targeting center here in dc and we [1:31:37] work with the homeland security task forces to make sure that when we have all the information we [1:31:42] possibly can about the smuggling networks about what they're doing so that we can actually aim [1:31:47] our personnel at the right target at the right time but all the the nii is a part of it but i want to [1:31:54] remind the committee too thank you for it but it always takes an officer or an agent at the end of the [1:31:58] day to decide what's there the technology just identifies an anomaly it's really working with the [1:32:04] homeland security task forces building the intelligence on these on these networks and then actually [1:32:09] putting an officer an agent on target and we're doing that more and more on a daily basis i i agree [1:32:13] with that and i think there is technology that we can continue to support nothing beats obviously the [1:32:18] the boots on the ground and the the men and women actually doing that job and the training for that [1:32:23] which comes with recruitment as well and challenges in that area so i'd love to talk to you more about [1:32:27] that um offline as well director lions you know what we've heard some of this here and uh regarding the the [1:32:35] the holding facilities that that with that you all have and i visited um one of my district and [1:32:43] you know i i saw a very different picture of them from what some of my colleagues on the other side of [1:32:47] the aisle like to pay these um apparently surprise visits and come out with new findings of all that's [1:32:55] going on in there that that they claim to be extremely alarming that's uh not what i saw when i was [1:33:01] when i was there and i made an appointment like people do and and i showed up and and and i got [1:33:06] um and i got a a view from from the inside and and i asked a lot of questions we spent hours there [1:33:13] so the can you just run through with me and for me what what is what is the status of of these [1:33:20] facilities and what are we seeing give me the the truth on that so sir first off just uh thank you [1:33:25] for saying that it uh you know i can tell you from my time as being a field office director in the field [1:33:30] i've had an occasion where i've hosted uh leadership congressional senate to come in and view our [1:33:35] facilities and um have it be a great trip great informal for the member and then they go out and [1:33:42] they say how horrible we are um what we took what we did with our reconciliation money is we are we are [1:33:51] revamping how we do detention you know for so long we've always heard that the cost of um ice's [1:33:58] contracting how much we're actually spending on these facilities that aren't isn't up to par if [1:34:03] you will we're totally game changing that so these new facilities they'll be scalable and the fact [1:34:08] that how many people we can actually put in the facility if we need it if we don't we can move it [1:34:12] back um it's going to be a cost saving to government because it's going to be a whole of dhs building [1:34:17] where we're going to have immigration courts cis border patrol needs space secret service tsa all in [1:34:23] one location so while we have while we knew we had a need to revamp and revitalize how we do long-term [1:34:30] retention we wanted to make sure that we use that money in a smart way to benefit all the partners [1:34:35] here at the table i appreciate that and yeah what i saw was obviously uh people living conditions there [1:34:42] were um outside recreational activities that were involved in there was uh i visited the medical [1:34:48] facility as well within the the facility and some people getting medical care so my my offline more [1:34:55] that i want to have with you as well is regarding uh additional training and and and what has changed [1:35:00] throughout this last year for for uh agents out in in the country conducting these operations we'll have [1:35:07] to have more on that but i want to close off with uh director edlow thank you for being here as well [1:35:12] as i stated earlier i'm uh a naturalized citizen uh became a citizen in 2006 this year i celebrated my [1:35:18] 20th year as a u.s citizen and i and i happen to be sitting here as a united states congressman uh in [1:35:23] this committee being able to to work with you on on this process you know i visit the the naturalization [1:35:29] ceremonies i think we naturalize close to a million people a year of becoming new citizens i know the [1:35:34] process well i know that it was long i know that it was somewhat uh bureaucratic and expensive to to go [1:35:40] through and and i am all for the the right vetting and and making sure that the right people are in [1:35:44] this country as they go through the naturalization process what what have you seen in terms of uh you [1:35:50] said there's the the the wait time for h1a visas uh is is five to seven days tell me a little more about [1:35:58] the the actual process of people receiving a permanent work permit or a green card and then uh citizenship as [1:36:05] well what's that process like and what resources do you need to improve uh that system well uh congressman [1:36:12] thank you and congratulations on the 20 years as a as a citizen you embody what it means to actually [1:36:18] take this uh this privilege and this honor seriously and so i'm thrilled to have you say that um in terms [1:36:24] of the process is very it's very case-by-case specific it depends on what the person and what the basis is [1:36:30] for them getting a visa whether it's through work or through uh through family member but the the wait [1:36:36] times have increased uh to get through that initial step to get the green card as well as then to get [1:36:43] after the five-year the three-year wait depending on the situation to get to the naturalization uh [1:36:48] naturalization times are also up slightly than they were previously but that is largely because i have [1:36:57] gone through the process now and have really determined that the last several years we saw a [1:37:04] cheapening i would say of the process and of the way that it was administered uh the way that the good [1:37:09] moral character questions were asked or truncated into one question uh is not acceptable we've had to [1:37:16] reestablish uh and reteach our adjudicators what good moral character is what attachment to the constitution [1:37:23] is what is exactly what was congress looking for in naturalization and that's what we're getting to [1:37:29] right now so yes times have increased but i think we are making sure that the people that are being [1:37:36] naturalized are in fact the ones who understand who appreciate and who are eligible for the privilege [1:37:42] of citizenship based on what congress has intended thank you last thing i'll say mr chairman is uh in [1:37:48] arizona about 10 years ago now we passed a law that um requires uh high school students to pass the [1:37:54] same citizenship test and u.s citizens have to pass in order to graduate high school and uh at that [1:37:59] time that we did that not not a lot could pass that test uh but naturalized citizens we studied for [1:38:04] that test we passed that test and now high school students at least in arizona and many other states [1:38:08] since then uh has that test as well so thank you for that mr chairman i yield back a time that i don't have [1:38:14] miss henson the floor is yours thank you mr chairman um and to my colleague i'm sure members of congress [1:38:20] probably need to review some of us on uh on that test as well to our witnesses thank you so much for [1:38:24] being here um you all are leading the front lines in keeping our country safe and i know that it's been [1:38:29] a tumultuous time for you and i'd echo what my my colleague mr guest said about um you know it's a pity [1:38:35] that we're in this pickle and that congress has put you in this pickle but thank you for standing the line [1:38:39] and continuing this good work and reforming um a lot of these uh antiquated processes that that need [1:38:45] a new look um and need a new look to keep our country safe uh director adlow i want to start [1:38:49] with you um thank you for your testimony and i'm interested in your work combating fraud across [1:38:54] the system you talked a little bit about making sure we're making sure the right people are becoming [1:38:57] citizens but making sure we're holding people accountable when they're perpetuating fraud here [1:39:02] in the united states is critical and just last week uh uscis arrested a man from south korea [1:39:07] that had been living in california misuse of visas medical fraud more fraud with green card [1:39:13] applications uh fraud does nothing but waste those taxpayer dollars that are so precious and [1:39:18] we need to make sure that people who are applying for legal status the right way [1:39:22] get that process but it's just such a slap in the face to those who who are taking advantage of the [1:39:28] system so can you talk about the importance of full funding for fraud prevention specifically [1:39:32] and the detection account underneath your agency and the progress you've made in combating that fraud [1:39:36] well thank thank you congresswoman and uh now i appreciate what you're saying we are working very very [1:39:42] hard to look at every visa category that we administer to determine what changes need to be [1:39:48] done to really clamp down on the entitlement fraud on the visa fraud and that's why uh to the point that [1:39:55] i raised earlier with mr cuellar why it is so critical that we have a small dedicated group of [1:40:01] criminal investigators in our ranks to to dig into that in a different way and to bring those cases to the [1:40:09] u.s attorney's office so that people realize that it's not a free pass there is no entitlement and [1:40:13] you're right it does waste public benefits but it also it it's a uh it's a tax it's a drain on taxpayers [1:40:20] all all around uh in terms of the monies that we are using right now for it the fees that we take in [1:40:27] we are fairly fully funded when it comes to our immigration uh examination fee account and our fraud [1:40:34] accounts for the purpose of conducting fraud all of that has been considered as part of our our yearly [1:40:40] budget that we do as we as you know we don't get a yearly appropriation so our carryover has to include [1:40:45] that and we are in a very good spot for that but what i would say congresswoman is we can't look at the [1:40:51] immigration system as being in a vacuum so the work that i do at uscis and that our agents and officers [1:40:57] do at uscis directly is impacted by and impacts the work that mr lyons officers and agents do and [1:41:04] commissioner scott's we need the full immigration apparatus to be funded and working in order to [1:41:13] fully address the fraud the entitlement fraud the immigration visa fraud that we are seeing here and [1:41:20] yes we are making loads of progress and i would say the relationship i've been in immigration for a long [1:41:26] time uh the relationships that we have right now developed between the three agencies that you see [1:41:31] before you is the best relationship the best working relationship that these agencies have had in the [1:41:37] in my opinion since the founding of the department and you have to be working in tandem it's very very [1:41:41] clear and i think about um you know and ice being able to do its job as well in concert with what [1:41:46] you're doing director edlow and um director lyons i want to thank you for your leadership um i i followed [1:41:51] the the website the worst of the worst right and some of those people in iowa it's mortifying to me [1:41:55] that those people are allowed to to fester in our communities so we need to make sure you have [1:42:00] the resources to be able to to get these bad people out of our country and hold them accountable [1:42:05] um and i wanted to focus on uh some of the on the ground investigations through hsi specifically [1:42:11] i see that hsi has dismantled 350 major criminal organizations which is incredible the target was i [1:42:17] think 131 so it just blew that out of the water and undoubtedly that keeps americans safer than ever [1:42:23] before as we know that those dangerous cartels were pouring drugs into our communities trafficking [1:42:29] women and children and posing both physical and of course cyber threats as well so i'm focused on a [1:42:35] lot of these things especially tackling them related to the chinese communist party and knowing the work [1:42:40] that hsi has done to fight against the fentanyl trade and other illicit drugs can you talk to the [1:42:45] threat landscape a little bit and how bad actors like the ccp and others are involved here yes ma'am well thank [1:42:50] you for the support for homeland security investigations and unfortunately the great work of the special [1:42:55] agents and the men and women of hsi gets overlooked unfortunately because of that stigma of being a [1:43:00] part of immigration and customs enforcement but they play a huge portion in that especially in the [1:43:05] customs portion um what we've found is that it's key for hsi to have the ability to work international [1:43:12] and that is with our partnership again as i spoke earlier about in the in the indo-pacific region [1:43:17] that is key right now um the ccp is a huge threat as as well as their uh transnational criminal [1:43:25] organizations that have come over here um to just wreak havoc i'll give you an example hsi actually broke [1:43:33] the largest um gift card fraud case ever and it was from transnational gangs within the ccp that were [1:43:41] sending that back money back to uh military units in china and that all came from gift card fraud here [1:43:49] in the united states so we're literally funding our own adversaries yes through that fraud yes yeah and [1:43:54] it was unfortunately individual military-aged chinese males that entered under the last administration [1:43:59] through the poorest border that were able to go as something as simple as credit uh gift card fraud [1:44:04] um we're just supplying small amounts whether it be twenty dollars fifteen dollars back to the people [1:44:11] of the republic of china and that was huge and that's all coming from people who can afford at [1:44:15] the least right i've talked to some of these people who've been victims of fraud and it is [1:44:19] incredible what these transnational organizations are doing to take advantage of our most vulnerable [1:44:23] many of them senior citizens in places like iowa who are taking advantage of um commissioner scott [1:44:29] with the time i have left because i know i'm running out here and they've called votes um [1:44:32] we're we're really in a unique position here on the committee to to really um help with those historic [1:44:38] investments already made in the working families tax cut uh with the agency and we all want to make [1:44:42] sure that those are executed as efficiently as possible so can you talk about cbp's current status [1:44:47] of obligating the funds that you received through reconciliation and how a regular order uh in the cbp [1:44:53] operations can keep the agency running without delay sir so we're having a tremendous success in rolling out [1:45:00] and obligating the funds out of the big beautiful bill i'd be glad to get with you offline and give [1:45:05] you a a line by line uh as you know cbp got significant uh funding out of that 46.5 billion was [1:45:12] for the wall system but the rest of the the money that we got um i'd be very happy to share that with [1:45:18] you because it went everything from aircraft as we talked about the towers already some nii equipment all [1:45:24] the above all of which will play into it that is still going forward despite the fact that we're [1:45:32] not funded now so we are still having some significant challenges internally with everything else i'm [1:45:38] looking i can buy new aircraft right now but i can't pay to maintain the ones that i currently have [1:45:43] so it seems backwards right i mean it seems totally backwards you should be able to use those resources so [1:45:48] um i think that it goes without saying this committee has done its work we've gotten our bills through [1:45:53] our colleagues on the other side of the aisle need to make sure you all at cbp ice and uscis can [1:45:58] do your job thank you thank you i yield back mr chairman thank you ma'am uh listen folks uh first [1:46:06] of all thank you i appreciate it um the last year hasn't been great for for the dhs congressional [1:46:12] relationship it's not personal it's not individually directed we've got a new secretary former colleague [1:46:20] of course that was true the last one um so anyhow as far as i'm concerned we're going forward [1:46:25] but as we go forward we have learned some lessons and so uh information sharing to put it kindly [1:46:33] was terrible and so you know i remember saying all through the last round last year we won't surprise [1:46:40] you don't surprise us i might as well have been whistling dixie now i don't think it was because [1:46:46] any of you sat down and said i'm not answering those guys or whatever or talk to the hand because [1:46:51] the face isn't listening but we've learned things from that too and so um i i hope we have a better [1:46:58] relationship i'm not going to tell you i expect it because we're getting really good at okay if you [1:47:03] don't answer us then guess what you know and fill in the blank there's no reason we should we should be [1:47:08] at that point in time um we expect more prompt answers to legitimate questions now that we have new [1:47:17] leadership and i think some of the shackles have probably been taken off um for the get back questions i [1:47:23] already told you it's like listen 48 hours and you're like hey we got other stuff to do we can't [1:47:28] just stand down and answer then within 48 hours say here's what we're working on it here's what we [1:47:33] expect to give you here's when we think we'll get it crickets won't work um as you know there'll be [1:47:40] other questions and that sort of stuff and listen that's all just communication um so uh we're all on [1:47:49] a compressed timeline but i can give you a couple hints right now to take back to your folks voting for [1:47:56] anything no disrespect to the geniuses on the north side of the building that has goose eggs for you [1:48:01] and you that's good that dog's gonna find a real hard time hunting over here um i don't speak for [1:48:08] the speaker and i don't speak for chairman cole i'm just telling you that everybody learns from their [1:48:13] stuff leaving somebody behind on the battlefield and you guys were left we're sorry we passed your [1:48:20] bill we passed it off the floor job isn't done nobody say you know hang up that banner mission [1:48:26] accomplished but nonetheless when the omb says tell congress to pull their head out it's like [1:48:32] you you know what i'd say if i wasn't trying to imitate a mature young adult so having said that [1:48:40] and it's like okay reconciliation's the answer right now we're supposed to pass this bill out of the full [1:48:44] committee on june 10th you want to solve a lot of problems send this message back to your advisors down [1:48:52] the street a home a house homeland bill which will be passed on a partisan basis most likely [1:48:59] or a a mildly bipartisan basis is supposed to be done by june 10th but you know what that has that [1:49:06] has all the traditional stuff it doesn't have any zeros for anybody and it's got oh that thing that [1:49:10] maybe the the congress does once in a while which is called oversight and it's not like we broke [1:49:16] anybody's legs doing oversight lately that might be something that somebody ought to consider [1:49:22] because i can tell you that a reconciliation bill just here we're plugging in different numbers like [1:49:29] like two years ago or last year whenever it was um we've learned a few things in that and quite [1:49:35] frankly the track record maybe not at your levels but above your level on responding to that [1:49:41] has been non-robust how's that for us nicest see that makes you not feel too bad about saying i'm [1:49:51] still glad to see you go but you can go a little slower now so anyhow thank you folks very much [1:49:57] please pass that on um we're off to the races but you're going with us you know that we won't [1:50:05] surprise you things so we say hey we want answers from you we are going to be uh discussing with you [1:50:11] and secretary mullen okay what about this how about that how do we fix the deal i think you've already [1:50:16] fixed some of them you just need somebody to stand up for your fixes and you know like hey how do we [1:50:22] identify people well if there's a better mousetrap for how to identify agent xyz by number whatever [1:50:28] then we're happy to look at that so anyhow um thanks again i know you've had enough fun for a day [1:50:37] congratulations and enjoy the rest of your day