U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) accused Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of lying under oath, citing comments made by the bureaucrat to the House Judiciary Committee about the border.

Mayorkas appeared on July 26 before the committee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee had already accused Mayorkas of intentionally neglecting his duty to implement a "radical open-borders agenda." 

Mayorkas told the committee that aliens are screened and vetted by the DHS at the U.S.-Mexico border when encountered and that individuals on the terrorist watchlist encountered at the border are "detained and are a priority for removal." 

Following reports of a foreign national with ties to ISIS helping smuggle over 120 immigrants into the United States through the southern border, the House Judiciary Committee addressed a letter to Mayorkas on Wednesday asking him to provide data and information pertaining to the incident. 

"These foreign nationals reportedly arrived at the border, claimed asylum, and were released into the country by the Biden Administration," the letter read. "These reports seem to directly contradict your testimony under oath that all aliens encountered at the border who pose national security threats are detained and removed. Even if the national security threat was not apparent when these aliens were screened, the Aminsitration's open-border policies still has created a national security threat to all Americans."

"Mayorkas suggested to [The House Judiciary Committee] that migrants who present a national security threat are detained and prioritized for removal," Moore tweeted on Wednesday morning, sharing a copy of the letter. "How can that be true when a smuggler with ISIS ties managed to get 120 foreign nationals released into our country?"

Though Republicans branded Mayorkas' handling of the U.S.-Mexico border crisis an "open borders" policy, the administration rejected the label. 

Nevertheless, GOP lawmakers cited Mayorkas' cancellation of Trump-era policies, such as the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, Title 42 and the Migrant Protection Protocols, as evidence of their claim. 

Under Mayorkas, the DHS has also narrowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidance and increased the release of migrants into the United States using legal asylum pathways and catch-and-release.

To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email will.blakely@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.

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