(NewsInsights.org) – House Republicans have made no secret of their disappointment over immigration issues affecting the nation. They place much of the blame squarely on the shoulders of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his failures to uphold laws made by Congress. Although House leaders initially discussed the possibility of impeaching President Joe Biden for unrelated issues, they have changed their focus to Mayorkas, raising his impeachment and the Southern Border as high-profile election issues.
On Sunday, January 28, House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN) introduced a draft of Articles of Impeachment for Mayorkas. On Tuesday, January 30, the committee began refining the language, preparing for a committee vote as a test run ahead of a full House vote, as promised by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). The committee then voted 18-15 to advance the articles.
If the House impeaches Mayorkas, it would mark the first time Congress has impeached a Cabinet member in nearly 150 years. However, the GOP only has a two-vote margin in the Lower Chamber. Determining where moderate Republican party members stand has fallen to House Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN). He claimed he found no House caucus members who disagreed with the impending impeachment.
Some critics, including Republican pundits, have argued the charges against Mayorkas don’t meet the standard of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Tulane law professor Ross Garber told CNN the charges more closely resemble “maladministration.” Michael Chertoff, who served as Homeland Security Secretary under George W. Bush, said House Republicans were missing the mark and “failed to put forth evidence that meets the bar” in a Wall Street Journal op/ed that he penned Sunday.
Yet, Green outlined several instances in which Mayorkas exercised a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with” laws enacted by Congress or mischaracterized his agency’s control over the border or immigrants. In his articles of impeachment, he laid issues of crime and proliferation of drugs at Mayorkas’ feet because DHS has failed to control the border or the operation of cartels.
Still, even if the House impeaches Mayorkas, the Senate, where Democrats hold a majority, would likely decline to prosecute or simply acquit. Mayorkas has called on Congress to craft legislative solutions to “the problems with our broken and outdated immigration system” and praised bipartisan Senate factions for their work.
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