Chris Wallace Confronts DHS Sec. Mayorkas About Lack of Media Access at Border: Invoking Covid ‘Sounds Like an Excuse’

Fox News’ Chris Wallace confronted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Sunday over media access at the border.

Last week NBC News reported that “the Biden administration is restricting the information Border Patrol agents and sector chiefs can share with the media” amid the current surge at the border.

Wallace showed Mayorkas video of President Joe Biden talking about transparency on January 21st before bringing up that media access issue.

“Why has the Biden administration refused to allow reporters to see for themselves and to record what the conditions are under which these minors are being housed?” he asked. “Why, in fact, did you — when you went to the border on Friday and led a congressional delegation — why did you refuse to allow reporters to see the conditions under which these minors are being held?”

Mayorkas started by saying “we’re in the midst of a pandemic” and told Wallace, “We are focused on our operations, executing our operations, in a crowded border patrol facility where hundreds of vulnerable migrant children are located.”

He added, “We’re working on providing footage so that the American public can see the border patrol stations.”

Wallace challenged him on the first point and said, “Respectfully, sir, I think that there is a safe condition under which a pool reporter and a pool camera crew could go into some of these facilities — this has been going on for two months now — and record the conditions under which these minors are being held. It seems to me to say it’s impossible to do because of covid sounds like an excuse.”

“We’re working on providing access,” Mayorkas responded. “And certainly reporters can see the Department of Health and Human Services facilities in which children are sheltered for a longer period of time.”

You can watch above, via Fox News Sunday.