WASHINGTON— Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas issued the following statement on President Biden’s State of the Union address:

“Tonight, President Biden recognized the incredible work the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security do every day, often at great personal risk, to help keep the American people safe and secure. We have made historic efforts to seize more fentanyl and bring more smugglers to justice than ever before. To further those efforts and save more lives, this Administration worked across party lines to negotiate the strongest border security bill in decades.

“I join President Biden and urge Congress to bring this bill to a vote. Only Congress can address our desperate need to hire more Border Patrol Agents and Officers and equip them with state-of-the-art security technology. Only Congress can provide the funds necessary to hire more asylum officers and immigration judges, charter more removal flights, and build more facilities.

“Congress must put partisan politics aside and work with this Administration to pass common-sense, effective solutions to the challenges at our border and across our country.”