{"id":558231,"date":"2023-03-01T22:56:59","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T19:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/gop-senators-grill-garland-on-border-security-weaponization-of-law-enforcement\/"},"modified":"2023-03-01T22:56:59","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T19:56:59","slug":"gop-senators-grill-garland-on-border-security-weaponization-of-law-enforcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gop-senators-grill-garland-on-border-security-weaponization-of-law-enforcement\/","title":{"rendered":"#GOP senators grill Garland on border security, weaponization of law enforcement\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a415573db99f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a415573db99f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gop-senators-grill-garland-on-border-security-weaponization-of-law-enforcement\/#GOP_senators_grill_Garland_on_border_security_weaponization_of_law_enforcement\" >GOP senators grill Garland on border security, weaponization of law enforcement\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"GOP_senators_grill_Garland_on_border_security_weaponization_of_law_enforcement\"><\/span>GOP senators grill Garland on border security, weaponization of law enforcement\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/garlandmerrick_030123gn06_w.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Senior Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Merrick Garland on Wednesday about the nation\u2019s fentanyl crisis, the flow of drugs and migrants over the U.S.-Mexico border and the Justice Department\u2019s stance on mandatory minimum sentences.<\/p>\n<p>The moments of drama came during the panel\u2019s first oversight hearing of the Justice Department in the 118th Congress.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) challenged Garland over a Justice Department memo recommending that prosecutors not seek mandatory minimum sentences in some drug cases.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn pointed out that drug-related deaths in the United States have become so frequent that the daily death toll is equivalent to a passenger jet crashing and killing everyone on board every day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have been just astonished at the lack of sense of urgency to deal with this issue,\u201d he said, blaming the flow of drugs across the border on the Biden administration\u2019s law enforcement and asylum policies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He then zeroed in on a Garland memo that argued the proliferation of mandatory-minimum sentencing guidelines had caused too many disproportionately severe sentences.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Garland responded that \u201cit\u2019s a question of the resources,\u201d adding \u201cwe don\u2019t have money, we don\u2019t have enough jails, we don\u2019t have enough judges.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That answer didn\u2019t sit well with Cornyn, who replied sternly: \u201cYou\u2019ve arrogated to yourself the decision to make policy.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re telling prosecutors don\u2019t charge those if they involve a mandatory-minimum sentence,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When Garland countered that his memo didn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ly in violent crime or drug trafficking, Cornyn accused him of \u201ccherry-picking which cases you will charge with a mandatory-minimum sentence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) demanded the nation\u2019s top law enforcement officer explain the discrepancy between the number of prosecutions of counselors and activists who oppose abortion rights and those who support those rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The hearing grew heated when Cruz accused the Justice Department of showing little urgency in protecting Supreme Court justices from protesters after a decision last summer overturning Roe v. Wade. The Texas senator repeatedly interrupted Garland until Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) stepped in to enforce the limit on Cruz\u2019s time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou spent 20 years as a judge and you\u2019re perfectly content with justices being afraid for their children\u2019s lives, and you did nothing to prosecute it,\u201d Cruz said.<\/p>\n<p>The exchange was one of the few times Garland raised his voice during the hearing, with the attorney general noting the Dobbs decision prompted the first time in history that U.S. Marshals were asked to provide 24\/7 security at the homes of Supreme Court justices. It was up to agents themselves, however, whether to arrest anyone who approached justices\u2019 homes.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cSenator, you asked me whether I sat on my hands and [it was] quite the opposite, I sent 70 United States Marshals to defend [their homes],\u201d Garland said before being cut off by Cruz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe marshals on scene \u2013 they do make the decision over whether to make an arrest,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The fallout of the Dobbs decision, including responses to protestors, was a running theme throughout the hearing, with multiple lawmakers accusing the department of anti-Catholic bias following the leak of an FBI memo detailing growing overlap between white nationalist groups and \u201cRadical-Traditionalist Catholics\u201d which it identifies as a small minority within the church.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Garland condemned the memo, telling Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) that \u201cI saw the document you have, it\u2019s appalling, it\u2019s appalling. I am in complete agreement with you. I understand the FBI has withdrawn it and is now looking into how this ever could have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hawley also pushed Garland on issues related to abortion, asking, without evidence, \u201chow many informants do you have in Catholic churches across America?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t believe we have any informants aimed at Catholic churches. We have rules against investigations based on first amendment activity and Catholic churches are obviously first amendment activity,\u201d Garland said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) quizzed Garland about the murder rates in the home countries of migrants seeking asylum and expressed surprise the attorney general didn\u2019t have those stats at his fingertips.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He then pointed out that murder rates are higher in major U.S. cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShould American citizens in places like New Orleans and Baltimore and St. Louis begin to seek asylum in countries like Honduras and Guatemala under your asylum principles?\u201d Cotton asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Garland replied that his department\u2019s asylum policies are guided by threats faced by individuals in countries where the local governments are unwilling or unable to protect them, not just on murder rates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Cotton also hit Garland over the selective pursuit of mandatory-minimum sentences by federal prosecutors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said to Sen. Conryn this is about allocating resources,\u201d he said incredulously. \u201cWhat resources are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cotton pointed out the number of federal inmates has dropped from 219,000 to 158,000 over the past ten years and demanded: \u201cDo you need more prisons?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Garland said many senators have complained that jails are overcrowded and that has made it difficult to protect guards and prisoners from violence.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the ranking member of the Judiciary panel, pressed Garland on designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Garland said he had no objection but cautioned that such a decision is up to the State Department and he would defer to its authority.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The attorney general said the Mexican government is \u201chelping us\u201d in trying to interdict fentanyl shipments but conceded \u201cthey could do much more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Asked whether U.S. drug policies are working, Garland acknowledged \u201cthey are not stopping fentanyl from killing Americans\u201d but emphasized \u201cwe are putting all the resources that Congress provides to us into\u201d fighting drug smuggling.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/national-security\/3879646-gop-senators-grill-garland-on-border-security-weaponization-of-law-enforcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GOP senators grill Garland on border security, weaponization of law enforcement\u00a0 Senior Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday about the nation\u2019s fentanyl crisis, the flow of drugs and migrants over the U.S.-Mexico border and the Justice Department\u2019s stance on mandatory minimum sentences. The moments of drama came&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":558232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/garlandmerrick_030123gn06_w.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[16450,134420,90482,71525,115,134345,4965],"class_list":["post-558231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-equality","tag-equilibrium-sustainability","tag-house","tag-national-security","tag-news","tag-state-watch","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}