Ex-DHS secretaries from both parties say they oppose Mayorkas impeachment

In a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), three former heads of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), spanning Democratic and Republican administrations, seek to impeach current Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the House of Representatives. He expressed opposition to the Republican effort.

“We have differing views on the policies promoted by President Biden and implemented by Secretary Mayorkas. However, we unanimously agree that policy differences are not a constitutionally permissible impeachable offense. Rather, it is an issue that should be resolved through laws and elections.” letterHe said former secretaries Michael Chertoff, Janet Napolitano and Jae Charles Johnson signed the letter.

Chertoff served as DHS secretary for former President George W. Bush. Mr. Napolitano worked for former President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, and Mr. Johnson worked for the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017.

The House is scheduled to vote on articles of impeachment against Mayorkas on Tuesday. He has become a symbol of what many Republicans say is the Biden administration’s failure to secure the southern border.

The former chiefs said during their respective terms that if lawmakers disagreed with the policies of their administrations, they would hold public hearings and consider new legislation, insisting that was “the way our political system works.” There is.

“Alternatively, allowing ministers to be impeached over political disagreements would jeopardize our national security. Cabinet-level positions would be more difficult to fill under future administrations. and undermines the ability of future officials to fulfill their important missions,” the letter said.

The letter emphasized the fact that “the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for more than managing our immigration system.”

They argued that impeaching Mayorkas would undermine the department’s mission, including efforts to stop terrorism.

Commissioners have issued a warning to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Johnson has publicly opposed the border deal, which has been in the works for months and is backed by Biden. After looking at the text of the bill, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was “even worse than we expected” and insisted it would be “killed on arrival” in the House of Commons.

“If we need solutions to strengthen border security, and those solutions are desperately needed, we encourage you to work together on the bipartisan bill introduced by the Senate,” the letter said. ing. “Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas solves nothing and leaves our outdated immigration system exactly as it is: broken.”