Homeland Security Chief Mayorkas Dismisses Calling Border Security a ‘Crisis’: ‘I’m Not Spending Any Time on the Language’

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas dismissed the concern expressed by a member of Congress on Wednesday about the Biden administration’s hesitation to refer to border security as a “crisis,” saying he wasn’t “spending any time on the language that we use.”

“You said earlier … that the situation at the border is ‘undoubtedly difficult,'” Rep. John Katko (R-NY) noted in remarks to Mayorkas during a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee. “Given the tremendous rise and surge in individuals coming to the border, wouldn’t it be fair to call it a crisis? Because that’s what your agents are calling it.”

Mayorkas replied, “I’m not spending any time on the language that we use. I am spending time on operational response to the situation at the border. That’s what I’m focused on.”

President Joe Biden has declined to refer to the situation as a “crisis” to the dismay of congressional Republicans and some Democrats, including West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who said in an interview this week that Biden had been “interpreted the wrong way.” He added, “It’s a crisis — oh, it’s a crisis.”

Watch above via CSPAN.