The House of Representatives impeached Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border crisis, marking the first impeachment of a Cabinet secretary since 1876.
Three Republican lawmakers broke ranks to oppose the impeachment.
House Republicans accused Mayorkas of neglecting immigration law and worsening the border situation.
Despite concerns about setting a precedent, the impeachment passed.
“Mayorkas is an exceptional case in U.S. history,” Johnson said, noting that Mayorkas has done more “damage on the country than any Cabinet secretary that’s ever been.”
“The House has a constitutional responsibility, as I’ve said many times. It’s probably the heaviest next to a declaration of war. And we have to do our job regardless of what the other chamber does,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security criticized the effort as baseless and unconstitutional.
“House Republicans’ baseless push to impeach Secretary Mayorkas has already failed once, with bipartisan opposition,” the department stated. “If Members of Congress care about our national security, they should listen to their fellow Republicans and stop wasting time on this pointless, unconstitutional impeachment – time that could be spent addressing the issue by advancing bipartisan legislation to fix our broken immigration laws and provide needed resources for border security.”
A DHS spokesperson stated that GOP congress members “will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border.”
“While Secretary Mayorkas was helping a group of Republican and Democratic Senators develop bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security and get needed resources for enforcement, House Republicans have wasted months with this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment,” they said.
“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,” the spokesperson added. “Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe.”
President Biden condemned the impeachment as partisan, and the articles will now move to the Senate for trial.
“History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games,” Biden said.
“This impeachment already failed on a bipartisan vote,” he said. “Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security.”
“The House impeachment managers will present the articles of impeachment to the Senate following the state work period,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office stated. “Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the next day. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside.”
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