Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) tried his best to get Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland to explain his thoughts about the criminality of illegal immigration during Monday’s confirmation hearing, but Biden’s pick decided to play ignorant instead of directly answering the question.
“I’d like to talk a little bit more about the law enforcement challenges at the border, which I know a number of other members have brought up with you,” Hawley said. “Just a fundamental question: Do you believe that illegal entry at America’s borders should remain a crime?”
“Well, I haven’t thought about that question,” Garland replied. “I just haven’t thought about that question. I think, you know, the president has made clear that we are a country of, with borders, and with a concern about national security. I don’t know of a proposal to decriminalize, but still make it unlawful to enter. I just don’t know the answer to that question. I haven’t thought about it.”
“Will you continue to prosecute on unlawful border crossings?” Hawley asked.
“Well, this is again, a question of allocation of resources,” Garland said. “We will, the department will prevent unlawful crossing. I don’t know. I you know, I have to admit I just don’t know exactly what the conditions are and how this is done. I think if I don’t know what the current program even is with respect to this, if there, so I assume that the answer would be yes, but I don’t know what the issues around surrounding it are.”
We’re in a pretty sad state of affairs when the guy most likely to become the next U.S. Attorney General can’t say for sure if illegal immigration is a crime. Hey Merrick! There’s a clue right in the name!
Oh right, right, we’re supposed to call it undocumented travel or some such nonsense.
But while you can accuse Garland of playing coy with the Senate, you can’t accuse him of failing to know where his bread is buttered.
“With the left in control of the U.S. Senate, the Biden administration has a Congress available to rubber-stamp its most radical immigration agenda items,” reads a recent report from the Heritage Foundation. “And make no mistake: The left will not waste this political opportunity. Its leaders understand that mass immigration historically transfers into more leftist voters.”
Yes, they do. And Biden has made it clear from Day One that illegal immigrants are one of his top priorities. Mass amnesty, paths to citizenship, the end of the wall, and a complete cessation of deportations; all of this and more is on the agenda. Where, in all of this, is there room for the Justice Department to prosecute illegal border crossings?
It’s telling, though, that Garland wouldn’t just come out and say it.
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