Republicans Slam Biden, Mayorkas After More Border Wall Contracts Ended

Republicans in Congress have spoken out after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday that they were canceling a slate of Trump-era border wall contracts in Texas.

In a statement by the DHS, the agency said that they were canceling remaining border contracts in the U.S. Border Patrol's (USBP) Laredo and Rio Grande Sectors.

Among the high-profile GOP members who reacted in anger was Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) calling for DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to face impeachment.

"DHS Secretary Mayorkas, during a border crisis, is canceling border wall contracts. Impeach Mayorkas," he tweeted.

In a separate tweet, Crenshaw referred to the decision as a dereliction of duty, and referred to large numbers of migrants crossing over the U.S.-Mexico border.

"The RGV [Rio Grande Valley] is always the hardest hit, regularly dealing with more than 10,000 encounters per week," he said.

Additionally, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also posted a message on Twitter, stating that the cancellation of border wall contracts would "not solve the Biden border crisis."

Republicans in Congress have objected to the DHS' actions along the nation's southern border since President Joe Biden first paused construction of the border wall upon taking office in January, and called for border-related projects to undergo a review.

In place of the border wall construction in Texas, the government will begin coordinating activities that, per DHS, "include additional biological, cultural and natural resource surveys for project areas where no data has been previously collected."

These actions, the agency said, were consistent with the National Environmental Protection Act standards in regards to border wall areas.

The Biden Administration also reiterated its call to Congress to cancel all of the remaining border wall contracts, and "instead fund smarter border security measures, like border technology and modernization of land ports of entry, that are proven to be more effective at improving safety and security at the border."

The topic of beefing up border security has become a hot topic as thousands of migrants from Haiti have arrived at the southern border recently. The majority made the decision to seek refuge after being forced out of Haiti by a slate of political instability, natural disasters and the assassination of the Haitian president.

In particular, critics of President Biden's border policy have pointed to the continued practice of Title 42 expulsions. An emergency order initiated by former President Donald Trump in relation to COVID, Title 42 allows U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to immediately expel border crossers without the chance to plead their case in immigration court.

The continuing practice of Title 42 removals has generated controversy, with opponents of the order deriding it as unethical. The Biden Administration has defended its use in court as recently as September.

Newsweek has reached out to DHS Secretary Mayorkas' office for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.