House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan has given specific instructions to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to keep their records as they relate to the crisis at the border.
The Ohio Republican representative wants the records preserved before the administration leaves in January as President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, Just The News reported.
Jordan expressed concerns that the two men and their departments would eradicate the records before they left office in January.
“This letter serves as a formal request to preserve all existing and future records and materials related to the Biden-Harris Administration’s enforcement of federal immigration law,” the Ohio representative said in both letters.
“You should construe this preservation notice as an instruction to take all reasonable steps to prevent the destruction or alteration, whether intentionally or negligently, of all documents, communications, and other information … that are or may be responsive to this congressional inquiry,” he said.
Federal law requires Cabinet members and political appointees to preserve all of their records.
The Biden administration is moving swiftly and discreetly to implement new policies aimed at easing restrictions on migrants who entered the U.S. illegally in a last-minute effort to counter President-elect Donald Trump’s planned immigration crackdowns and mass deportations, sources told the New York Post.
And New York City is set to be the focal point of these changes, the outlet added.
The outgoing administration plans to introduce an ICE Portal app in early December, specifically in New York City. The app will enable migrants to complete check-ins with ICE remotely, eliminating the need for in-person visits to local ICE offices.
Homeland Security sources told The Post that the app could make it easier for migrants to evade authorities, citing concerns over its reliability and noting that glitches have plagued the software, the outlet further noted.
“Even when it’s working correctly, the new app doesn’t check for past arrests or outstanding warrants — something the current system tied to in-person appointments does,” The Post reported, citing its sources. “Up to 100,000 migrants will be enrolled in the first wave of the program, sources said.”
