DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas REFUSES to reveal how many migrant 'gotaways' have flooded the U.S, but admits immigration system is 'fundamentally broken' as he is grilled on his request for $108 BILLION

Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas testified Wednesday that the U.S. immigration system is 'fundamentally broken' and the migrant rush could be considered a 'crisis' while refusing to provide lawmakers with the number of known illegal 'gotaways.'

The admission came as the embattled secretary is testifying in both the House and Senate Wednesday to make the case for why the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should receive more money than last year. 

DHS's 2025 budget totals $108 billion, a four percent increase from the year before. 

'Our immigration system ... is fundamentally broken, including our asylum system that so significantly impacts the security of our borders and the processes we administer at it,' Mayorkas said in his opening remarks in the House. 

'Only Congress can fix our broken and out dated system and only Congress can address our need for more border patrol agents, asylum officers and immigration judges,' he continued.

DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas is expected to testify before House and Senate appropriators today explaining why his agency needs $108 billion

His plea for cash comes while record illegal immigration has thrown his agency in turmoil 

Shortly after when pressed by Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, how many 'gotaways' have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration, Mayorkas could not come up with a number. 

'I don't have the number,' Mayorkas replied, saying he would provide that data to lawmakers later.

Hinson shot back '1.7 million gotaways.' 

She also pressed him on whether he would label the millions of migrants entering the U.S. under Biden illegally a 'crisis.'

'Yes, I would,' Mayorkas responded. 'And as a matter of fact, I work every single day with the Department of Homeland Security to only strengthen the security of our southern border as well as the northern border.' 

He also said that sanctuary cities - cities that disallow local law enforcement from collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain and deport illegal immigrants (ICE) - should work with with federal officials. 

'I believe that when an individual poses a threat to public safety or national security, their local or state jurisdiction should co-operate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the swift detention and removal of that individual,' Mayorkas said.

His rebuke of sanctuary cities is surprising given there are hundreds of them across the country and generally they are Democrat-led.

Mayorkas' budget request comes after the House voted to impeach him in February for high crimes and misdemeanors related to his handling of the southern border and for lying to lawmakers. 

Speaker Mike Johnson's office originally planned to send the articles over to the Senate Wednesday hoping to immediately begin a trial. 

But Tuesday afternoon GOP Senators asked that Johnson hold off on sending the articles to give the upper chamber more time.  

A spokesperson for Speaker Johnson said that 'to ensure the Senate has adequate time to perform its constitutional duty, the House will transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate next week.'

'There is no reason whatsoever for the Senate to abdicate its responsibility to hold an impeachment trial,' Taylor Haulsee told DailyMail.com. 

Mayorkas has overseen consecutive years of record illegal immigrant apprehensions 

Whether Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer actually decides to hold a trial, however, is up in the air. 

Some Republicans had concerns that Schumer would use the late Wednesday delivery to try and send senators home over the weekend without holding a trial at all. 

'Many House and Senate members think Johnson's timing is dumb, because a Wednesday night delivery [and] Thursday afternoon floor fight aren't enough time to win the news cycle and to hammer the fight in Washington,' a senior Senate aide told DailyMail.com earlier Tuesday. 

The two articles of impeachment accuse Mayorkas of failing to enforce immigration law and lying to Congress about the state of the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Mayorkas, 64, is now only the second cabinet secretary to be impeached and the first in nearly 150 years. 

The DHS chief has overseen consecutive record breaking years for migrant apprehensions. 

Apprehension records were set in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Last year alone, over 2.4 million migrants were apprehended while crossing into the U.S., according to Customs and Border Protection data, yet another record. 

'Our immigration system ... is fundamentally broken, including our asylum system that so significantly impacts the security of our borders and the processes we administer at it,' Mayorkas said in his opening remarks. 

'Only Congress can fix our broken and out dated system and only Congress can address our need for more border patrol agents, asylum officers and immigration judges,' he continued.

The White House, meanwhile, has called Republican-led impeachment effort a 'petty political' move, saying 'history will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship.'

Migrants mostly form Central America wait in line to cross the border at the Gateway International Bridge into the US from Matamoros, Mexico

House GOP Whip Tom Emmer told DailyMail.com that if Senate Democrats dismiss Mayorkas impeachment articles before even holding a trial, 'they will be defying their Constitutional duty to their constituents and betraying Americans who have suffered under the worst border crisis in our history.'

'Voters won't forget this dereliction of duty, and we will remind them of the Schumer Senate's negligence every day until Election Day.'

With impeachment on their mind, though, it is yet to be seen how lawmakers will receive Mayorkas' budget request.