If the House votes in favor, Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, might be impeached in the coming days. Although rare, the Constitution allows the impeachment of cabinet members. If the planned impeachment sees the light of day, it will make Mayorkas the first cabinet official to suffer the fate in nearly 150 years.
Republicans are in the majority in the House but by a slim margin. This makes the plan a little more dicey. If every member votes, the GOP will need not more than three defectors. As it stands, two Republicans have already opted out of the plan.
Colorado representatives Tom McClintock and Ken Buck have opposed the move. Both will vote “No” to the impeachment. Both lawmakers have for long expressed their disapproval of the move. Plus, they may not want to draw the ire of their constituents in a State that is more blue than red.
The planned vote reached an advanced stage after the Committee on Homeland Security deliberations. The committee permitted two articles against Mayorkas.
Also Read: DHS Blasts Republicans’ Impeachment Charges Against Mayorkas
First, Mayorkas has been accused of breaking the law in handling the southern border. Secondly, republicans accuse him of breaching public trust in the dispense of his duties. Both of the allegations are valid grounds for impeachment. The House will put the matter to a vote on its floors. If the Secretary fails to scale through, he will lose his seat in the Biden cabinet.
Rep. Mark Green, chairman of the Homeland Security committee, has offered some explanation for the planned impeachment. The reason for the intended impeachment isn’t just due to republican’s disagreement with Biden’s Border policies, he said. He told the house that Mayorkas had failed woefully in the discharge of his duties.
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“We cannot allow this man to remain in office any longer,” he said. “The time for accountability is now.”
Republicans see Mayorkas as the poster boy for the crisis at the southern border. Under his leadership, America has slipped to its lowest performance with respect to maintaining control of the Mexico border.
In addition, the country has seen record numbers of illegal migrant encounters, which are causing harm to border cities and embarrassment to the country. At the end of 2023, there were over 10,000 encounters at the border daily. A record no one believed the country would reach in such a short time of Biden being in office.
Nevertheless, Mayorkas appears unfazed. He has said he isn’t bothered about the plan. “I assure you that your false accusations do not rattle me,” he wrote. He also wrote that the allegations would not distract him from his job.
Also Read: Republicans Release Articles of Impeachment Against Mayorkas Amid Growing Southern Border Crisis
House Speaker Mike Johnson also seems to be in support of the move. In a recent visit of Republican lawmakers to the border, which he led, he described the situation there as a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
Rep. Green believes that the secretary has violated his oath of office. However, some republican members are skeptical about the move. They worry that the move could spark off a chain reaction that could spiral into future administrations as a political weapon.
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