WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) issued the following statement regarding a Washington Examiner report confirming Mexican cartels are abusing the CBP One app for their human smuggling operations by selling the use of a virtual private network (VPN) to hide the location of aliens, often advertised on social media.

“The Biden administration has continuously shown violent cartels that they may operate as they please at our Southwest border. As I warned earlier this year, the cause of this humanitarian crisis is simple: migrants tested the system, called home, and millions came once they received confirmation of Secretary Mayorkas’ catch-and-release practices. According to this week’s bombshell report, drug cartels have seized on the newest iteration. This is further proof that the Biden administration’s use of the CBP One app is reckless and made a mockery of our homeland security—plain and simple. 
 
“These reports come on the heels of Secretary Mayorkas’ testimony before the House Judiciary Committee last week during which he assured that the ‘CBP One app cuts out the smuggling organizations that impose such tragedy and trauma on vulnerable individuals purely for the sake of profit.’ The dichotomy of these two events would be comical if not so terrifying that the person tasked with securing our homeland is so out of touch. President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have provided cartel organizations more innovative ways to evade our laws, rake in money from human and drug trafficking, and wreak havoc in our country.

“Homeland Republicans will be looking into these recent developments, and Secretary Mayorkas’ continued, willful ignorance of cartel strategies, in our ongoing investigation.”

For more information on Secretary Mayorkas’ shell game, click here. For a factsheet on the most recent monthly border apprehension and encounter numbers from CBP, click here.

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