The Republican-led House on Tuesday night impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over what they say is his failure to enforce immigration law at the southern border, which he denies as partisan and “baseless.”
The vote succeeds 214-213, with all Republicans voting in the majority and three Republicans voting with Democrats against impeachment. Two Democrats did not vote.
The Department of Homeland Security was quick to release a statement, blasting Republicans for the vote.
“House Republicans will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border,” said DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg in a statement. “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.
She went on to say, “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.”
In a statement, Speaker Mike Johnson responded following the vote.
“Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history,” Johnson said in a statement. “He has undermined public trust through multiple false statements to Congress, obstructed legal oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, and violated his oath of office.”
He ended with, “Alejandro 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. Since this Secretary refuses to do the job that the Senate confirmed him to do, the House must act.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise had returned to Capitol Hill to help his party’s narrow majority in its second vote to impeach Mayorkas.
A previous attempt to impeach the secretary surprisingly failed last week after a few Republicans voted against him along with all Democrats present.
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