On Sunday, two articles of impeachment were lodged against Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. House Republicans pledge to promptly dismiss the Cabinet member due to his ineptitude in managing the ongoing border situation.
Republicans accuse Mayorkas of “high crimes and misdemeanors” including a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” on immigration, as well as a “breach of public trust.” They argue that impeachment is “Congress’s only viable option.”
“Alejandro N. Mayorkas willfully and systemically refused to comply with the immigration laws, failed to control the border to the detriment of national security, compromised public safety, and violated the rule of law and separation of powers in the Constitution, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States,” the impeachment resolution says.
As per the initial article of impeachment, Mayorkas made the decision to not enforce the law, which specifies that individuals seeking asylum who illegally cross the border must be held in custody until their status is determined. The release of such individuals into the interior of the United States is only allowed on a case-by-case basis.
Last month, Mayorkas stated that 85% of individuals who unlawfully enter the United States are being released to await judicial decisions. In addition to a previously established program, which allows 30,000 asylum applicants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the US through designated ports of entry while their cases are being resolved, this amount is being provided.
The second article of impeachment accuses Mayorkas of perjury before Congress on the border’s “security” and of noncompliance with requests for documents.
If Mayorkas, who previously served in prominent positions within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during Barack Obama’s presidency, is impeached by the House, he may be subjected to a Senate trial. This would draw significant attention to the border debate, particularly given that it is an election year.
The House Homeland Security Committee is scheduled to vote on the articles of impeachment on Tuesday, with the objective of transmitting them to the entire House for deliberation. Representative Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, has stated that the House will vote as soon as possible following that.
Passage requires only a majority in the House. The Senate would initiate a trial, and securing a conviction would require a two-thirds majority, a highly unlikely outcome given the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Nevertheless, the potential impeachment of DHS Secretary Mayorkas may provide a significant challenge for Democratic Senate candidates engaged in closely contested races, especially in states along the border.
