DHS Mayorkas Brags 95% Drop Border Encounters; Lankford We Both Know Total Numbers Continue To Go Up

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) challenged DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during April 2023 congressional testimony on his touted 95% drop in border encounters from the four parole program countries — noting that while those specific numbers had dropped, “total numbers continue to go up.” Lankford specifically cited that “for just the six months of this fiscal year, it’s about 160,000 higher than last year” — exposing the partial nature of the administration’s success claims.

The 95% Drop Claim

Four-country program: Four-country parole program.
Encounter reduction: Encounter reduction.
Specific metric: Specific metric.
Administration success: Administration success claim.
Mayorkas boasting: Mayorkas boasting.

The Model Framework

“Lawful pathways”: “Lawful pathways” building.
“Consequences”: Consequences delivery.
Combined approach: Combined approach.
Policy model: Policy model.
Successful framework: Successful framework.

Lankford’s Challenge

Total numbers: Total numbers increase.
Comprehensive view: Comprehensive view.
Full picture: Full picture.
Context demand: Context demand.
Challenge technique: Challenge technique.

The Numerical Reality

Fiscal year 2023: Fiscal year 2023.
Six months data: Six months data.
160,000 increase: 160,000 increase.
Previous comparison: Previous year comparison.
Trend continuation: Trend continuation.

The Historical Context

Year-over-year: Year-over-year increases.
Million higher: Million higher previous year.
Sustained trends: Sustained trends.
Historical records: Historical records.
Pattern recognition: Pattern recognition.

The Circumvention Regulation

Circumvention policy: Circumvention policy.
Implementation timeline: Implementation timeline.
Administrative rulemaking: Administrative rulemaking.
Legal framework: Legal framework.
Policy evolution: Policy evolution.

The “Model That Has Worked”

Administrative claim: Administrative claim.
Building on success: Building on success.
Pattern replication: Pattern replication.
Policy expansion: Policy expansion.
Success assumption: Success assumption.

The Four-Country Model

Venezuela: Venezuela program.
Nicaragua: Nicaragua program.
Cuba: Cuba program.
Haiti: Haiti program.
30,000 monthly: 30,000 monthly cap.

The Mayorkas Defense

Specific metric: Specific metric focus.
Program success: Program success claim.
Model validation: Model validation.
Implementation plans: Implementation plans.
Administrative confidence: Administrative confidence.

The Broader Reality

Total border encounters: Total border encounters.
Diverse origins: Diverse migrant origins.
Global migration: Global migration patterns.
Administrative pressure: Administrative pressure.
Resource strain: Resource strain.

The Policy Implementation

New regulations: New regulations.
Legal challenges: Legal challenges potential.
Court rulings: Court rulings.
Implementation timeline: Implementation timeline.
Political pressure: Political pressure.

The Selective Success

Partial metrics: Partial metric selection.
Full picture: Full picture needed.
Overall assessment: Overall assessment.
Policy effectiveness: Policy effectiveness.
Comprehensive evaluation: Comprehensive evaluation.

The Congressional Oversight

Oversight function: Oversight function.
Accurate assessment: Accurate assessment.
Policy evaluation: Policy evaluation.
Democratic accountability: Democratic accountability.
Professional inquiry: Professional inquiry.

The Administrative Strategy

Success highlighting: Success highlighting.
Selective statistics: Selective statistics.
Positive framing: Positive framing.
Policy defense: Policy defense.
Messaging discipline: Messaging discipline.

The Title 42 Context

Upcoming expiration: Upcoming expiration.
Policy changes: Policy changes.
Processing adjustments: Processing adjustments.
Implementation challenges: Implementation challenges.
Political pressure: Political pressure.

The CBP One App

Technology tool: Technology tool.
Processing mechanism: Processing mechanism.
Scheduling system: Scheduling system.
Capacity limitations: Capacity limitations.
Access concerns: Access concerns.

The Policy Framework

Comprehensive reform: Comprehensive reform.
Administrative approach: Administrative approach.
Legal framework: Legal framework.
International cooperation: International cooperation.
Domestic policy: Domestic policy.

The Border Security

Enforcement priorities: Enforcement priorities.
Resource allocation: Resource allocation.
Processing capacity: Processing capacity.
Detention space: Detention space.
Deportation policy: Deportation policy.

The Political Implications

Republican criticism: Republican criticism.
Democratic pressure: Democratic pressure.
Electoral concerns: Electoral concerns.
Public polling: Public polling.
Policy reform demands: Policy reform demands.

The Long-term Trends

Migration patterns: Migration patterns.
Regional instability: Regional instability.
Economic factors: Economic factors.
Climate concerns: Climate concerns.
Political violence: Political violence.

The Historical Records

Year comparisons: Year comparisons.
Apprehension patterns: Apprehension patterns.
Processing capacity: Processing capacity.
Policy evolution: Policy evolution.
Administrative response: Administrative response.

Key Takeaways

Sen. Lankford challenged Mayorkas on the 95% drop claim for four-country parole program.
He noted “total numbers continue to go up” despite specific country decreases.
Lankford cited 160,000 higher numbers for six months of fiscal year 2023 vs previous year.
Previous year was “a million more higher than the year before.”
Mayorkas defended the four-country program as “model that has worked.”
The exchange exposed selective success metrics in administration claims.

Transcript Highlights

The following quotations are drawn from an AI-generated Whisper transcript of the hearing and should be considered unverified pending official transcript release.

“A more than 95% drop in the number of encounters of individuals from those four countries at our southern border.” — Secretary Mayorkas
“So that is a model of building lawful pathways as well as delivering consequences.” — Secretary Mayorkas
“As you and I both know, the numbers continue to climb total numbers.” — Sen. Lankford
“For this fiscal year, for just the six months of this fiscal year, it’s about 160,000 higher than last year, last year was a million more higher than the year before.” — Sen. Lankford
“That’s the model that has worked in the past that we intend to build upon and we are indeed building upon.” — Secretary Mayorkas
“Do you expect this 95% reduction that you’ve seen in those identified countries after it’s implemented?” — Sen. Lankford

Full transcript: 177 words transcribed via Whisper AI.