House Republicans’ attempt to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border crisis failed, with a 214-216 vote.
Three GOP lawmakers opposed the measure, citing concerns about the impeachment threshold and its potential use against future Republican administrations.
Rep. Tom McClintock said, “Secretary Mayorkas is guilty of maladministration of our immigration laws on a cosmic scale. But we know that’s not grounds for impeachment, because the American Founders specifically rejected it.”
“They didn’t want political disputes to become impeachment because that would shatter the separation of powers that vests the enforcement of the laws with the president, no matter how bad a job he does,” he continued.
Rep. Gallagher alleged that Mayorkas “has faithfully implemented President Biden’s open border policies and helped create the dangerous crisis at the southern border.”
“But the proponents of impeachment failed to make the argument as to how his stunning incompetence meets the impeachment threshold Republicans outlined while defending former President Trump,” continued his statement.
Rep. Buck wrote, “In effect, we are now doing what we rightfully said House Democrats were doing in 2019 and 2021: pushing a partisan impeachment not based on what the Constitution actually states.”
Mayorkas was accused of maladministration and implementing open border policies, but critics argued that the impeachment lacked constitutional basis.
DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said, “This baseless impeachment should never have moved forward; it faces bipartisan opposition and legal experts resoundingly say it is unconstitutional.”
“If House Republicans are serious about border security, they should abandon these political games and instead support the bipartisan national security agreement in the Senate to get DHS the enforcement resources we need,” she continued.
“Secretary Mayorkas remains focused on working across the aisle to promote real solutions at the border and keep our country safe,” added the DHS official.
Despite the defeat, Republicans indicated a potential future vote on the resolution.
Rep. Mark Green said, “While I’m disappointed in the outcome of today’s vote, this is not the end of our efforts to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable. I look forward to Leader Scalise’s return.”
Democrats and the Department of Homeland Security dismissed the impeachment as politically motivated and unconstitutional, urging focus on bipartisan border security solutions.
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