US immigration chief unveils border plan as crisis worsens
US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday defended the Biden administration’s handling of immigration, amid a surge at the Mexico border that is expected to grow when pandemic limits are dropped. “We inherited a broken and dismantled system that is already under strain,” Mr Mayorkas told the House appropriations homeland security subcommittee. “It is not built to manage the current levels and types of migratory flows.” He urged Congress to pass long-term reforms. His testimony came as the administration locked horns with a federal court in Louisiana that granted a request by Republican-controlled states to temporarily halt their planning to wind down Title 42. The order prevents the government from taking any action before a hearing on May 13 to determine whether Title 42 can be lifted. Mr Mayorkas set out a blueprint to boost border personnel, strike at people smugglers, speed up processing and increase holding capacity, as he warned the worst was yet to come...