By Summer Concepcion —
NBC News
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, assured this Sunday that he is focused on obtaining the support of Congress to fix the "broken immigration system", while the Government of Joe Biden prepares for what is expected to be a record increase in migration across the southern border, after the end on May 11 of the restrictions due to COVID-19 known as Title 42, and when there is already a lack of space in detention centers and federal funds to deal with the crisis.
Asked by NBC News' Chuck Todd in an exclusive interview on
Meet the Press
about the support the Administration needs to enforce the law at the border before pandemic restrictions are lifted next month, Mayorkas He said: "We need resources for everything."
[Biden will open migrant processing centers in Central and South America to relieve pressure on the southern border]
“Remember, the resources will allow us to move faster, more efficiently within a broken immigration system,” Mayorkas said, as he called for legislative reform to help the Administration's efforts to secure the border.
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“So I just want to make it clear that we are working with significant limitations.
We need staff.
We need technology.
We need facilities.
We need means of transportation.
All the necessary elements to face the needs of a large population of people who arrive irregularly at our southern border”, he pointed out.
The Biden administration and its border officials are bracing for a massive wave of immigrants when COVID-19 restrictions, known as Title 42, end on May 11.
Federal immigration authorities said last week that local officials already lack the money and space to serve immigrants.
The Border Patrol union has previously criticized Mayorkas, calling for his removal over his alleged failures to address the situation at the border.
Mayorkas said Sunday that his mission is to get congressional support to help agents along the border: “I look at their needs.
I try to meet your needs.
We go to Congress and seek support.”
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And he added: “You know, this is the first Administration since 2011 that has reinforced the border patrol with more agents.
Our petition to Congress for fiscal year 2024 is for another 350 Border Patrol agents.
That hasn't happened in over 12 years."
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Troy Miller testified before Congress this month that he expects about 10,000 migrants to cross the border daily when the ban ends, doubling the current flow.
Two DHS officials previously told NBC News that the current immigration system at the US border would be stretched to the limit if the number exceeds 10,000, leaving Border Patrol and shelters unable to accommodate all undocumented immigrants. in temporary custody and prosecute them.