After years of inaction on the border crisis, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is another step closer to facing impeachment. On Thursday, all 18 House Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee voted to begin impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas in the House of Representatives.
The decision will be fraught with controversy and backlash from Democrats, and highlights the growing conflict over immigration policy and border security. The committee released a statement explaining its decision.
After our nearly year-long investigation and subsequent impeachment proceedings, and having exhausted all other options to hold him accountable, it is unmistakably clear to all of us—and to the American people—that Congress must exercise its constitutional duty and impeach Secretary Mayorkas. The Secretary has consistently willfully and systemically refused to follow the laws passed by Congress, abused his authority, and breached the trust of Congress and the American people on numerous occasions. The result of his failure to fulfill his oath of office has been a border crisis that is unprecedented in American history—a crisis that has cost the lives of thousands of Secretary Mayorkas’ fellow Americans.
In a press release, the committee said that members “heard testimony from parents who have lost children from the fentanyl flowing across the Southwest border, and from crimes perpetrated by those coming here illegally on Secretary Mayorkas’ watch”--and “[a]ll agreed that, in addition to the crisis wreaking havoc in their states, they believed Secretary Mayorkas’ actions rise to the level of impeachable offenses.”
The committee began considering impeachment earlier in January, citing his mishandling of the border crisis as the primary impetus behind the move.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is about to face articles of impeachment. According to a new report, members of the House Homeland Security Committee, which ostensibly has oversight over Mayorkas, concluded their investigation in December and found grounds to move forward. Hearings will now start in mid-January with an official vote to occur after that.
The House Homeland Security Committee is formally moving ahead with impeachment proceedings against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The first hearing will take place on Jan. 10, with a possible second hearing to be held the following week.
Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) said the conclusion of the panel’s investigation in December has provided House Republicans with enough evidence to impeach Mayorkas. Green accused Mayorkas of misusing taxpayer dollars and purposefully ignoring border security measures
“Our investigation made clear that this crisis finds its foundation in Secretary Mayorkas’ decision-making and refusal to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and that his failure to fulfill his oath of office demands accountability,” Green told us in a statement. “The bipartisan House vote in November to refer articles of impeachment to my Committee only served to highlight the importance of our taking up the impeachment process – which is what we will begin doing next Wednesday.”
Secretary Mayorkas’ failure to find a solution to the border crisis has been a lightning rod for criticism, especially from those who favor stricter immigration policies and more robust border security measures. About 10 million illegal immigrants and asylum seekers have entered the country since President Joe Biden took office; Biden also reversed most of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.