As DHS Secretary Mayorkas was solemnly declaring that the southern border is closed, has always been closed, and will remain closed after Title 14 expires on May 11, Fox News Channel was showing migrants crossing into Texas via a live shot. That was a perfect example of how the Biden border crisis is going. There is denial from the administration and a sharp contrast on the ground. Reality bites.

Mayorkas, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris (the border czar) have been gaslighting Americans for three years. Historically high numbers of illegal aliens are flooding into border states, mostly Texas, and yet the administration denies the porous border with Mexico. Migrants began flocking to the border before Joe Biden was inaugurated because he campaigned on open borders and loosey-goosey immigration law enforcement. He said he would end deportations and welcome all who came to ask for asylum. So, all the migrants coming across the border ask for asylum when (if) they are apprehended by Border Patrol agents or other law enforcement. Few actually qualify for asylum, yet that is what they claim. Most are coming for jobs and a better way of life, not to avoid violence or life-threatening circumstances. Nonetheless, they know if they make it across the border and set foot on American soil, they will very likely be allowed to remain in the United States for however long it takes to process their asylum claim. At this point, it may take years for the process to be completed.

It was pretty ballsy of Mayorkas to show up in the Rio Grande Valley, the epicenter of the Biden border crisis, and outright lie to those listening to the speech that he delivered in front of the press corps traveling with him. He stated the obvious – “The situation at the border is a very serious one, a very challenging one and a very difficult one.” What he didn’t say was that it was all the doing of Biden’s policies and executive actions since coming into office.

Mayorkas, on his second day of a visit to the Rio Grande Valley, said smugglers were deceiving migrants and luring them on a dangerous journey. “The border is not open, it has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to May 11,” he said.

Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard echoed Mayorkas’ sentiment about smugglers spreading misinformation.

“We’re seeing a very significant flow (of migrants) in recent days on the basis of a hoax,” Ebrard said at a news conference. He said smugglers are saying, “’Hurry up to get to the United States by crossing Mexico because on May 11 they’re going to end Title 42.’”

“It’s a trick and they’re at risk,” Ebrard said.

Mayorkas is spreading misinformation, too. The border is porous and nothing has changed. The communities along the border are bracing for what is predicted to happen on May 11 when Title 42 expires. Thousands of migrants are waiting on the Mexican side of the border for that day to come. As it is, shelters and resources are overextended as some are coming across the border early, trying to jump the line. In El Paso, for example, a wave of Venezuelan migrants has flooded the city in the last two weeks so much so that the 1500 active duty soldiers being deployed to the border by the president will be sent to that city.

Illegal crossings tumbled after President Joe Biden announced asylum restrictions in January, but they have risen since mid-April. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said this week they have been hovering around 7,200 daily, up from about 5,200 in March.

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said 1,500 active-duty troops will be dispatched to El Paso, Texas, adding to 2,500 National Guard troops already positioned across the border. Ortiz said El Paso was chosen because it has been a busy corridor for illegal crossings over the last six months. The troop deployment was announced this week but not the location.

That brief slowdown in illegal immigration numbers was likely due to an annual seasonal slowdown, not necessarily due to Biden’s policy adjustment. The numbers are just as high now as they have been during Biden’s time in office.

Mayorkas insists the administration is working its plan.

“We have a plan, we are executing on that plan,” Mayorkas said. “Fundamentally, however, we are working within a broken immigration system that for decades has been in dire need of reform.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday that it is raising the number of people admitted to the country at land crossings with Mexico to 1,000 a day from 740 using a mobile app called CBPOne that was extended in January to asylum-seekers. Demand has far outweighed available slots.

The app has been fraught with problems and migrants find it hard to navigate. Mayorkas may be right that the immigration system is broken but the fact is that this administration doesn’t even enforce the laws already on the books. Laws don’t work if they aren’t enforced. The administration should get back to the rule of law and continue to work with lawmakers to find solutions to remaining problems. The truth is that both parties show little interest in finding solutions. It’s a hot-button subject that both parties like to keep as campaign issues.

ICE is trying to steer migrants away from smugglers. Drug cartels and human smugglers control parts of the southern border now.

Don’t risk potential criminal prosecution for unlawful reentry – use existing lawful pathways to #immigration: https://t.co/BzmEoE8hsz@DHSgov conducted more than 1.2 MILLION expulsions, removals, returns in the first half of FY23. pic.twitter.com/B49oCz3m6e

— ICE (@ICEgov) May 5, 2023

Who are you going to believe – Mayorkas or your lying eyes?

TX: I asked DHS Secretary Mayorkas why single adult males (traveling without family members) from Venezuela with no family here in the U.S. that entered the country between ports of entry without a CBP One app appointment or the proper documentation were not being removed under… pic.twitter.com/dxqOCSx36S

— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) May 5, 2023

At press conference in Brownsville, DHS Secretary Mayorkas once again touts the “success” of their parole program for Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians, & Nicaraguans, saying it reduced their crossings by over 90%.

It did, for a matter of weeks only. Venezuelans skyrocketing now.

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) May 5, 2023

May 11 is coming. Will Mayorkas be on the border then to see the havoc he and Joe Biden have created?