The House of Representatives impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday over what they allege is a failure to reign in illegal immigration and stop America’s ongoing “border crisis.”
Context: The impeachment vote would be the second attempt to impeach Mayorkas, with house republicans managing to succeed on the second attempt. Mayorkas impeachment would prove to be historic, as the last Cabinet impeachment took place in 1876.
The Conversation: GOP House speaker Mike Johnson attacked Mayorkas for his role in “fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history.”
- “[Mayorkas] deserves to be impeached, and Congress has a constitutional obligation to do so…Next to a declaration of war, impeachment is arguably the most serious authority given to the House and we have treated this matter accordingly,” said Johnson in a statement.
A spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security said the allegations against Mayorkas were a “false smear.”
- “Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country.”
- “Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe,” the spokesperson said.
The Vote: According to reports, the articles of impeachment presented against Mayorkas had passed 214 to 213. The majority was made up of only Republicans, while three Republicans broke ranks and voted with house democrats against the impeachment.
The next step in the impeachment will take place in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority vote will be needed to remove Mayorkas from office. Democrats are expected to reject the articles.
Big Picture: Mayorkas alleged failure to control the southern border has so far led to the introduction of thousands of non-White migrants into the United States, according to his critics. Resources, programs, and public assistance set up to provide for so-called “asylum seekers,” have become stretched thin in major cities all across America, leading some to worry about the future of the nation’s stability.
Mayorkas is believed to be no stranger to assisting non-White peoples in their journey into the United States. Before assuming his position in the Biden Cabinet, Mayorkas once sat on the board of the infamous Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), an NGO that regularly assists US-bound migrant caravans from South and Central America.
- “We at HIAS have been so blessed to have Ali Mayorkas on our board of directors, and are thrilled to have him nominated to be the next Secretary of Homeland Security…Ali has consistently demonstrated that he is not only a strong and highly respected leader, but an empathetic one who knows the heart of the stranger, as the child of a Holocaust survivor, as a Latino, and as a refugee and immigrant himself. Ali is uniquely suited to rebuild public trust in the Department of Homeland Security as he knows that America is at its greatest when we build bridges, not walls,” said HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield in a statement.