The House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday approved two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas along party lines, setting the stage for a floor vote next week to impeach the embattled Biden official. It is scheduled to take place.
The committee voted to reject the party line and approve two articles of impeachment. That provision accuses Mayorkas of “repeatedly violating the laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security” and “making false representations to Congress” that the border is secure and closed. DHS manages border operations. The article will now be sent to the House for a vote on the House floor.
The vote followed a lengthy and sometimes lengthy period in which Republicans laid out why Mayorkas should be removed from office over his alleged mishandling of the southern border crisis, and Democrats accused Republicans of downplaying the impeachment process for political purposes. This came after an intense public hearing.
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Chairman Mark Green said: “Today is a momentous day.” “We did not approach this day or this process lightly. Secretary Mayorkas’ actions have forced us to intervene. We cannot allow this border crisis to continue.”
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Eagle Pass, Texas, on January 8, 2024. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Republicans emphasized their case against Mayorkas during the hearing, pointing to record border crossings, including a monthly record for border crossings in December and a mass exodus of migrants into the interior as domestic enforcement rolls back. did. They accuse Mr. Mayorkas of failing to comply with immigration laws that require the detention of illegal immigrants and of failing to ensure border security.
“My colleagues across the aisle seem to be saying it’s acceptable that there were 10 million illegal crossings in three years and 300,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses. We are losing our country there, and the man in charge of implementing that policy is Alejandro Mayorkas,” said Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana).
Democrats have pushed back, first trying to hold off on raising prices, then Republicans trying to stage a “sham” impeachment to impeach Mr. Mayorkas based purely on political motivations and policy disputes. He cut into the Republican proceedings, accusing them of trying to sabotage the effort. To resolve the ongoing crisis.
“The extreme MAGA Republicans who run the House are very dishonest people. They don’t want progress. They don’t want solutions,” Ranking Member Bennie Thompson said. “They want a political issue, and most of all they want to please a disgraced former president.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene predicts Mayorkas articles of impeachment will pass Congress without Democratic support
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Greene (R-Tenn., Center) and ranking member Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the U.S.-Mexico crisis. Guarantee Committee Leads Motion Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at the Washington State Capitol. ((AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite))
“You have no right to disparage this institution, to disrespect the Constitution’s impeachment clause, to disrespect the Constitution’s impeachment standards, to not even write a legal memo supporting the impeachment clause. There is no right in history that exists. It doesn’t exist, and it doesn’t exist in the law,” said Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.).
The hearing comes after months of intense debate surrounding the process. Greene’s committee began investigating Mayorkas last year, and the House’s articles of impeachment were referred to the committee in November. The committee held two impeachment hearings earlier this month. Despite Mr. Mayorkas’ willingness to testify, he did not testify. There are voices of criticism between both sides over who should be responsible. But on Tuesday, he sent a lengthy letter condemning the legal process and defending his own tenure.
“I assure you that your false accusations will not sway me or distract me from the law enforcement and broader public service mission to which I have devoted and continue to dedicate most of my career,” Mayorkas said in a statement. I will.”
The Biden administration has repeatedly said the border crisis is not caused by policy, but is a hemispheric crisis combined with a “broken” immigration system that requires reform and comprehensive immigration reform. In his letter, Mr. Mayorkas declared, “The problems with our country’s broken and outdated immigration system are not new.”
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“The last time our immigration laws were completely overhauled was in 1996,” Mayorkas said. “Our immigration laws were not simply tailored to 21st century immigration patterns.”
He pointed to statistics that show there have been 500,000 deletions since May, nearly doubling the number of deletions per day from 2014 to 2019. He also said the clearance rate was 78%, the same as the previous administration, and removal flights within the Western Hemisphere had increased significantly.
He also pointed to increases in Border Patrol employment, anti-smuggling campaigns, and increased anti-fentanyl operations that have resulted in more seizures of the deadly drug.
“Instead, you are claiming that we have failed to enforce our immigration laws. That is false,” he said.
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He also pushed back against criticism the department has received for its alleged lack of response to oversight questions from Congress, arguing instead that it has responded to Congress with testimony, witnesses and documents.
“The allegations are baseless and inaccurate,” he said.
If the House votes to impeach Mayorkas, the case will be heard by the Senate.
FOX News’ Tyler Olson, Elizabeth Elkind and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
