House Republicans have released two articles of impeachment against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, accusing him of failing to uphold the law and breaching the public trust in his management of a surge of migration at the U.S. border with Mexico. This move comes amid intensifying backlash from Republicans against President Biden’s immigration policies.
The charges against Mayorkas, authored by the House Homeland Security Committee, accuse him of ignoring laws that require the detention of migrants and implementing policies such as “catch and release.” They also allege that he lied to Congress about border security and obstructed investigations into his handling of the situation.
While the House may vote to impeach Mayorkas, the likelihood of the charges making headway in the Democratic-led Senate is slim. Nonetheless, this development places President Biden’s immigration policies under scrutiny as they become a focal point in the political landscape.
This effort follows Mayorkas’s involvement in a bipartisan Senate border compromise, which has garnered criticism from House Republicans who consider the agreement insufficient and are irresolute in trusting President Biden to address migration. Additionally, the charges are being presented as Republicans and Democrats endeavor to salvage the Senate border security deal.
Mayorkas has dismissed the allegations, insisting that his actions have been lawful and transparent. Democrats have characterized the impeachment proceedings as political theater and criticized Republicans for failing to prioritize bipartisan solutions.
This move by Republicans is unprecedented in modern times. If Mayorkas were to be impeached, he would become only the second cabinet secretary in U.S. history to face that fate. The last official to endure impeachment was William W. Belknap, Ulysses S. Grant’s secretary of war, who faced allegations of corruption and kickbacks in 1876.
Read More Politics-news/” target=”_blank”>Politics News
