In the first week of the new GOP-led House, a Texas Republican filed articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Representative Pat Fallon, in a document filed Monday night, accused Mayorkas of «crimes and serious misdemeanors» in his role as head of National Security. The articles have since been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
Congressional Republicans have made immigration and increased border crossings a top issue since President Joe Biden took office. The administration has faced criticism from the Republican Party for taking steps to end Trump-era policies such as the «Remain in Mexico» policy, aimed at restricting immigration at the southern border, and Title 42, a policy implemented near the beginning of the Covid pandemic that allowed US authorities to turn away asylum seekers at the border.
“It is unfortunate that we have reached this point, but it is necessary,” Fallon said in a statement. “The possible dismissal of Secretary Mayorkas is not an accident. He has deliberately abdicated his duties as Secretary of Homeland Security and has actively misled Congress and the American people. To make any progress on our southern border, he must go.»
In response to a request for comment on the impeachment process, DHS spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa said lawmakers “can do better than point the finger at someone else; They should come to the table and work on fixes for our broken system and outdated laws, which they haven’t updated in over 40 years.»
The impeachment filing comes after then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in November called on Mayorkas to resign, saying he had failed to secure the southern border. Appearing with other Republican lawmakers in El Paso, Texas, McCarthy warned at the time that House Republicans would launch an investigation if Mayorkas refused to resign and would consider impeachment proceedings.
asked during a ABC news interview on Sunday if he was prepared for any GOP-led investigation, Mayorkas said: «I am. I will be. And I will continue to do my job throughout them.»
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., first archived articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in August 2021. The effort did not advance in the Democratic-led House.
On Sunday, Biden made his first trip to the border as president. He traveled to El Paso to assess enforcement operations just days after his administration announced new restrictions on asylum seekers amid record numbers of migrants trying to cross into the US.
The number of undocumented immigrant crossings at the Southwest border for fiscal year 2022 topped 2.76 million, surpassing a previous record by more than 1 million, according to Customs and Border Protection Data. CBP said in a declaration when the data was released in October, Covid restrictions led to «multiple attempts to cross the border.»
Mayorkas was sworn in as Homeland Security secretary after he was confirmed by the Senate in a 56-43 vote in February 2021. Six Republicans voted with Democrats to confirm him.
