This Tuesday, the House Homeland Security Committee is set to vote on articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The impending vote follows a five-phase investigation and two impeachment hearings laying out the Secretary’s blatant disregard for our immigration laws and betrayal of the American people.
Over the weekend, Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) released the text of the two articles of impeachment. Article I, which focuses on the Secretary’s willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law, details seven provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that Mayorkas has violated. Article I also sets forth the direct consequences of the Secretary’s violations of the law, including skyrocketing illegal border crossings, the creation of mass categorical parole programs, and an immigration case backlog of more than three million. Article II focuses on the Secretary’s breach of the public trust and lays out the numerous times that Mayorkas has knowingly lied to Congress and the American public. It continues to note that Mayorkas has willfully refused to fulfill his statutory duty to control our borders and guard against illegal entries. These articles of impeachment will be incorporated into H.R. 863 during the committee hearing.
In recent weeks, Committee and House leadership have signaled their support for impeaching Secretary Mayorkas, the first impeachment of a cabinet official since the Civil War era. According to Chairman Green, the Homeland Committee “conducted extensive oversight and passed historic legislation to secure the border. However, the final remedy for dealing directly with Secretary Mayorkas’ willful and systemic disregard for the rule of law is impeachment.” Speaking earlier this month, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) stated: “The Homeland Security Committee has laid out tremendous evidence for impeachment, they’ve been building a strong case for months now. And the case is overwhelming.”
Following the final impeachment hearing on January 18, all 18 Republican committee members released a statement emphasizing their support for Mayorkas’ removal. Members noted that after “having exhausted all other options to hold him accountable, it is unmistakably clear… that Congress must exercise its constitutional duty to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.” With the likelihood that impeachment articles will pass out of committee, many Republican members, as well as leadership, have also come out in support. In advance of the Committee’s vote, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent a letter last Friday to House Republicans in favor of the Secretary’s impeachment. In that letter, Speaker Johnson wrote that, “President Biden and his Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas have willfully ignored and actively undermined our nation’s immigration laws…A vote on the floor will be held as soon as possible.”
If the House votes in favor of impeachment, the articles will head to a trial in the Senate, where it takes a two-thirds vote to remove Mayorkas. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the Democratic-controlled Senate will move to convict him. Earlier this month, however, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) spearheaded a call for a vote of no confidence against Mayorkas. He was joined by Sens. Schmitt (R-Mo.), Scott (R-Fla.), Lee (R-Utah), Braun (R-Ind.) and Blackburn (R-Tenn.). In his remarks on the Senate floor, Marshall said, “We are here today because we take our oath seriously, and we will not stand idly by while Secretary Mayorkas threatens our national security and democracy. For the sake of America’s safety and security, we need to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.” While a vote on the resolution was blocked by Senate Democrats, the effort was an important display of support among Senate minority members.
After years of open borders and a complete lack of immigration enforcement, FAIR applauds the House Homeland Committee for taking the next step in impeaching Secretary Mayorkas. Mayorkas has ushered in an unprecedented disaster and refuses to take accountability or implement needed changes to stem the flood of illegal aliens. Instead, he has disregarded the law at every turn, lied to Congress and the American people, and jeopardized the safety of communities all over the country. The Secretary has left the Committee with no choice but to impeach him.
To learn more about the case against Secretary Mayorkas, click here.
