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For three years, we have experienced an unprecedented and completely avoidable crisis at our border, intentionally created by Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas.
This is a crisis of epic proportions. From February 1, 2021 to November 2023, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded more than 8.1 million undocumented alien encounters at borders nationwide; includes more than 6.7 million cases on the southwest border alone.
More than 1.8 million known fugitives have evaded Border Patrol agents and are currently on the loose in communities across the United States. This is approximately the population of West Virginia. To make matters worse, CBP knows nothing about these individuals, including their potential criminal history or malicious intent.
These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. Secretary Mayorkas has demonstrated through his words and actions that he has failed to honor his oath of office and his duty to protect the security of his homeland.
There is no longer any question that articles of impeachment should be considered.
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This evidence is convincing. As broadly described in the House Homeland Security Committee's investigative reports issued throughout 2023, the historic crisis was exacerbated by Secretary Mayorkas' refusal to comply with laws passed by Congress and his warnings. This can be traced back to the deliberate termination of a border security policy that was nevertheless highly effective. The result is that he has instead introduced operationally unsound policies that blatantly ignore the laws passed by Congress. Moreover, he has actively misled Congress and the American people about the causes and consequences of the crisis on multiple occasions since his inauguration.
Three years later, I can't draw any other conclusion. This is intentional.
These reports also document how Secretary Mayorkas' policies provided criminal cartels with an opportunity to seize control of the southwest border and reap huge profits from expanding drug and human body smuggling operations. ing. His policies are the goose that lays golden eggs for the cartels and the goose that lays rotten eggs for the American people. This caused crime and disorder to spread to all states of the country.
Mayorkas impeachment hearings: State lawmakers set to testify on immigration crisis and impact of Biden-era policies
The human cost of this crisis is immeasurable. Fentanyl flowing across the Southwest border is killing Americans in record numbers. Overwhelmed CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials told anyone who would listen, including the DHS inspector general, that morale was low and that the director's policies were to blame. To make matters worse, the Secretary publicly accused our brave Border Patrol agents of “illegal conduct” that we know never happened. A record number of foreign criminals are being apprehended by Border Patrol agents and are likely to enter our communities. Because more bad actors will try to take advantage of these lax policies. At the same time, however, the number of criminal alien arrests by DHS has decreased dramatically. Meanwhile, record numbers of migrants are suffering and dying on the perilous journey north, even within the continental United States.
And don't forget the financial implications. From Brownsville, Texas, to New York City, communities are under tremendous economic strain as they deal with a record influx of illegal immigrants and cuts to police and other essential services for Americans. ing. One study even found that the annual cost of the border crisis overseen by the Secretary could exceed $451 billion.
In November, 201 House Democrats voted to refer articles of impeachment to my committee, and we intend to act on that mandate. But unlike recent impeachment proceedings, this committee will provide the American people with an unvarnished, holistic view of why the Secretary should be held accountable.
These proceedings will not only examine the chaos and devastation wrought by this historic crisis at the border, but also a deeper investigation into the decisions and actions that led us here, and the dishonesty displayed by Secretary Mayorkas. It will be. This is serious, and it is not a partisan spectacle, even though many people across the aisle have changed the solemn process of impeachment in recent memory.
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No, the American people will see us maintain the power of impeachment, as our Founding Fathers intended. Solemnity, sobriety, and an unflinching determination to ensure that the people we represent understand that Secretary Mayorkas has failed to fulfill his oath of office, abused his office, neglected the oath of office, and abused his power. With. He was disloyal to Congress and the American people.
It is critical that Secretary Mayorkas be held accountable for his reckless decision-making and blatant misconduct. This would be another important step in undoing the damage done by the past three years of morally reprehensible policies that ignored Congressional law. But there's more at stake than that.
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)
The Supreme Court told the states last year that given the consequences of the chief justice's duties, the only recourse the states could take was for Congress to use its political powers, the most important of which was impeachment.
In a constitutional republic built on the separation of powers, Congress must uphold that separation and ensure that the other two branches abide by the laws passed by Congress. If we fail to hold the line, our republic faces perhaps the most existential threat of all.
Mayorkas has a rough-and-ready attitude toward the rule of law, and he has lost power in the face of policy failures, questionable legality, and rhetorical duplicity.
That is why this Committee will not be deterred from initiating impeachment proceedings against him.
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