Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are threatening to try to force Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to cough up the government files on more than a dozen migrants allegedly connected to serious crimes.
Panel Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) requested some of the Department of Homeland Security files as far back as October and accused Mayorkas’s agency of dragging its feet in turning them over.
The committee is now considering moves including the issuing of subpoenaes to get its hands on the information on migrants ranging from accused murderers to alleged NYPD cop attackers.
“DHS’s failure to provide the Committee with the requested documents is unacceptable and prevents the Committee from fulfilling its constitutional oversight obligations,” Jordan and two subcommittee chairs wrote in a letter to Mayorkas.
“The Committee may be forced to resort to compulsory process if these requests remain outstanding.”
One of the requests involves Diego Ibarra, a Venezuelan who is related to José Ibarra — the man accused of murdering 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley earlier this year.
Diego Ibarra had been allegedly tangled up in other criminal activities such as shoplifting. Republicans are seeking his “A-file” and other material related to his immigration case.
A-files contain information about interactions between illegal immigrants and US Customs and Border Patrol.
Republicans also are seeking information on the four migrants accused of brutally assaulting two New York Police Department officers in February.
They also have demanded details on Daniel Hernandez Martinez, who allegedly attacked multiple people in New York City not long after entering the US.
Other targeted migrants include: Roberto Emilio Vasquez-Santamaria, who is accused of murder; Pierre Lucard Emile, who is suspected of harming a disabled person; Bechir Lehbeib, who allegedly stole an Israeli flag and beat a man while spewing antisemitism epithets; the alleged perpetrators of a Chicago train robbery; Renzo Mendoza Montes as well as Angel Matias Castellanos-Orellana, both of whom allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old girl; Carlos Obed Yepez-Bedoya, who was allegedly on the terrorist watch list; Cory Alvarez, who is accused of being connected to the beating of a 15-year-old, and Awet Hagos, who was charged with assaulting a public official.
Jordan and the two subcommittee chairs — Reps. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) and Ben Cline (R-Va.) — gave the DHS a deadline of 5 p.m. April 25 to furnish the material requested.
A Homeland Security rep told The Post on Monday in a statement, “DHS responds to congressional correspondence directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight.”
Jordan and other House Republicans have repeatedly clashed with Mayorkas over document requests.
In September, Jordan took aim at the DHS over reports about the cutting of razor wire at the border.
A few months later, the GOP-led House voted to impeach Mayorkas on two counts.
The first article of impeachment alleges that Mayorkas chose not to enforce border laws, and the second accuses him of lying to Congress about the border being “secure” as well as failing to comply with document requests.
House Republicans are expected to send those articles of impeachment to the Senate at some point this week. The date has changed repeatedly.
