U.S. Rep. Dale Strong is increasing pressure at the federal level over the visible uptick in the presence of migrants across his district. In a letter addressed to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, he demanded accountability and answers regarding the steady flow of migrants into North Alabama.
According to Strong (R-Monrovia), Mayoraks’ agency has presided over an unmitigated disaster by implementing asylum and mass parole processes.
Today, I sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, to ask questions about the country's current immigration policies and express concerns over an influx of migrants into Alabama’s Fifth District. We deserve answers from this… pic.twitter.com/ZzzWFS2nVa
— Dale W. Strong (@RepDaleStrong) August 14, 2024
“Communities in my district, like Athens, Alabama, are facing an influx of migrants who are overwhelming public resources and utilizing critical bed space in our regional emergency rooms,” Strong wrote in the letter. “During this time, my office has fielded hundreds of constituent concerns expressing this very sentiment.”
“The Department of Homeland Security under your leadership, has implemented a systemic abuse of the asylum and parole processes, resulting in millions of migrants entering the United States.”
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The Congressman also expressed his dissatisfaction with the number of permits and programs available to unvetted migrants.
“Once provided parole, migrants are eligible for work permits and provided access to federally funded entitlement programs like Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).”
“A Committee on Homeland Security investigation into the Administration’s failure to implement immigration laws, found that these programs alone have resulted in the mass release of more than 462,100 inadmissible aliens into the United States.”
The Biden Administration maintains several specific parole programs pertaining to Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrants. In total, the Department of Homeland Security has recorded at least 2 million parolees.
Strong also voted in February to impeach Mayorkas over his handling of the parole system at the Southern border.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten