Is Alejandro Mayorkas the right person to handle border security and immigration?

Is Alejandro Mayorkas the right person to handle border security and immigration?

It’s a legitimate question.

And not just because Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and other Republicans want him gone as the Homeland Security secretary.

Mayorkas has a big job overseeing everything from counterterrorism to cyber and border security to aviation and enforcing immigration laws.

But it is security at the 2,000-mile border with Mexico that has come to define him, and so far, his job performance is dubious at best.

Border agents' complaints were music to GOP ears

“I’m calling on Mayorkas to step down and step aside,” Ducey demanded after Border Patrol agents in Yuma reportedly gave Mayorkas an earful and questioned Biden’s immigration policies.

“From what I hear, the Border Patrol Agents were honest with Mayorkas about what’s happening at our southern border,” Ducey said on Twitter. “And the truth hurts.”

Border Patrol agents are hawkish and usually balk at Democratic humanistic policies. Apparently, the agents are upset that they’re processing immigrants seeking asylum instead of securing the U.S.-Mexico border.

The sentiment of Border Patrol agents is in sync with Republicans like Ducey and those who are seeking to replace him or running for U.S. Senate, who are using border crossers as political scapegoats.

Just scan social media or watch TV and you’ll get bombarded with campaign ads selling voters the idea that America is under attack from border-jumping invaders.

It’s hard to discern what’s real amid that war for power, where exaggerations or outright lies are splashed everywhere.

Mayorkas leaves both sides scratching their heads

But Mayorkas’ ability – or lack thereof – to carry out President Biden’s policies has left many across the political spectrum scratching their heads.

Mayorkas isn’t the only one responsible for the spike of border crossers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures show 1.7 million encounters just during the calendar year that ended on Sept. 30 and has since broke new records.

The new spike of asylum seekers was expected because Biden ended many of Trump’s restrictive immigration policies.

But everything is a mess under Mayorkas, and his confusing messaging over immigration and border security isn’t helping.

Is he taking a hard line on immigration or not?

Two recent examples:

1. In audio snippets of this week’s Yuma meeting published by the conservative website Townhall, Mayorkas is heard saying:

“We are going to close the gaps along the wall. We are going to do anything that we can both to stop the flows, to interdict the flows, to return when we can.”

“Close the gaps along the wall?”

That to me means building, fixing or reenforcing the wall along the southern border, exactly what Republicans are clamoring in their scare-tactic politicking and which Democrats have fiercely criticized.

Is that really what Mayorkas means? If so, he and Biden should say it clearly and loudly. No more speaking from both sides of their mouth, depending the audience in front of them.

2. Earlier this month, Mayorkas made a jaw-dropping plea to mayors when he asked for their cooperation on immigration enforcement.

Mayorkas again failed to explain. Does he really mean the kind of help that led the likes of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to racially profile Latinos and which cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars?

If so, Mayorkas needs to explain why he needs local authorities everywhere – not just along the southern border – to help him enforce immigration laws.

Everything seems to be backlogged

The immigration system is broken. It’s been broken for years and both Republicans and Democrats have failed to fix it.

But Mayorkas is in charge now.

And he appears to be doing everything wrong. He has failed to address huge backlogs of work permits for essential workers, remains slow to process asylum seekers and has failed to clearly articulate Biden’s immigration policies.

As Homeland Security secretary, Mayorkas is tasked with advising the president and carrying out his boss’ directives. And so far, he’s either not been frank, or he’s a terrible communicator.

We may disagree about those actual policies, like keeping the Trump-invoked health rule known as Title 42 that allows Border Patrol to immediately expel migrants.

But we don’t know exactly why and how many are summarily expelled at any given week, who is being allowed and how he’s protecting the border from drug traffickers.

Transparency is a problem.

We need a better adviser and communicator

Mayorkas told mayors that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) “is not the agency of the past,” presumably suggesting that he’s taking a gentler approach to immigration enforcement.

That’s not going to cut it.

A gentler approach doesn’t by itself result in sound policy. Pro-immigrant advocates are furious over these inconsistencies while Republicans are quick to seize the immigrant surge to drive the “open borders” message to voters.

Is it time for Mayorkas to go?

Perhaps. It’s true that Biden sets policy, and that’s unlikely to change with a new border hawk. But the president and the country deserve a sound policy adviser on immigration and a great communicator.

Mayorkas is neither.

Elvia Díaz is an editorial columnist for The Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maybe Alejandro Mayorkas is not the best Homeland Security secretary