'I haven't looked at that specific question': Incoming Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas refuses to say whether he will tear down Trump's wall
Incoming Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wouldn't say if he had plans to tear down portions of President Donald Trump's border wall.
'I haven't looked at that specific question,' Mayorkas told members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee during his Tuesday confirmation hearing.
Mayorkas was asked by Nebraska Republican Sen. James Lankford if he recommended 'any of the physical barriers along our southern border be dismantled or removed.'
President-elect Joe Biden's pick for Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, told members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee Tuesday that he hadn't 'looked into the specific question' of tearing down portions of President Donald Trump's border wall
DHS Secretary nominee Alejandro Mayorkas said he prescribed to the same thinking on the border as the late Sen. John McCain, explaining that he believed it was a 'varied and diverse challenge' and didn't need a 'monolithic answer' such as a wall everywhere
President Donald Trump's last official trip was last Tuesday to a section of the border wall in Alamo, Texas. Trump had more than 450 miles of wall constructed during his four-year term, however most of it was replacing existing barriers
After saying that he hadn't explored that specific issue, he aligned his border theory with that of a former Republican senator.
'I will share with you the fact that I agree with the approach that then-Sen. McCain - an American hero in my family and in this country - that Sen. McCain took to the border, which is, it's not a monolithic challenge,' Mayorkas replied.
'The border is varied depending on the geography, depending on the specific venue and depending on the conduct of individuals around it,' he continued.
'And we don't need, nor should we have, a monolithic answer to that varied and diverse challenge,' he added.
Lankford seemed to agree with Mayorkas' thinking, pointing out that certain terrain works as a natural border.
He then told the incoming Biden administration official why he believed the border wall had been successful in some places - as it 'slows people down' and 'pushes people toward the point of entry.'
Mayorkas said during the hearing that he was told by Border Patrol officials that they needed a combination of barriers, additional staff, as well as technology and equipment.
'What I heard is we need a diverse approach to border security,' Mayorkas said.
He told lawmakers that President-elect Joe Biden was committed to halting Trump's wall project, but he would have to study the costs and benefits of actually tearing sections down.
In his four years in office, Trump had about 450 miles of border wall constructed, but the vast majority of it replaced existing barriers.
Trump's last official trip as president was last Tuesday when he visited a section of his border wall in Alamo, Texas.
As a candidate, Trump promised to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and make Mexico pay for it.
He never delivered on the latter part of his promise.
Lankford also asked Biden's DHS nominee if he supported defunding ICE, a rallying cry on the progressive left.
'No,' Mayorkas answered.
He also didn't commit to giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement additional resources.
'That requires my study,' Mayorkas said.