WASHINGTON — House Republicans took a significant step forward with their efforts Sunday impeachment Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made it official their claims before the commission votes.
The Republicans’ first article of impeachment alleges that Mayorkas “willfully and systematically refused to obey the law,” while the second article alleges that he violated the public trust by “knowingly making false statements and knowingly obstructing lawful oversight of the Department.” National security.”
“These articles make a clear, compelling and irrefutable case for the impeachment of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas,” said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn.
“The consequences of his wrongful conduct have been disastrous for our country,” said Green, the author of the articles of impeachment.
The Department of Homeland Security responded on Sunday with a memory Republicans “have undermined efforts to achieve bipartisan solutions and have ignored facts, lawyers and experts, and even the Constitution itself, in their unjustified pursuit of the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas,” he said.
Green’s committee will consider the articles of impeachment on Tuesday. Approval would bring the impeachment effort one step closer to a vote in the House of Representatives. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a letter to colleagues Friday that “a floor vote will be held as soon as possible thereafter,” but did not specify a date.
The Republican-led Homeland Security Committee criticized Mallorca’s actions family reunification parole programs It allowed some foreign nationals to wait for immigrant visas in the United States, calling the actions illegal. The first article of impeachment alleges that Mallorca should have instead focused resources on detaining people crossing the border illegally.
On Sunday, DHS said the department was complying “to the maximum extent possible with INNA’s mandatory detention requirements” under the Immigration and Nationality Act, but that “a standard requiring 100% detention would require Congress to impeach every DHS member.” Secretary since the establishment of the department.
In a second article of impeachment, Republicans allege that Mayorkas knowingly made false statements to Congress about the border being secure and obstructing surveillance.
“Congress has a responsibility to see that the executive branch implements and enforces the laws we pass. Yet Secretary Mayorkas has repeatedly refused to do so,” Green said Sunday. “His misconduct is exactly what the Framers gave us the power of impeachment to remedy. It’s time to take seriously this affront to the equal arm of government, the Constitution and the American people.”
Democrats argue that there is no legal basis for impeachment. Mallorca offered to testify Green is in the impeachment inquiry this month accused the secretary rejecting the committee’s request.
“Conspicuously missing from these articles is any real accusation or even a shred of evidence of high crimes or misdemeanors — the Constitutional standard for impeachment,” said Rep. Benny Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the National Security Committee. statement on Sunday. “This should come as no surprise, as the Republicans’ so-called ‘investigation’ of Secretary Mayorkas has been a highly bogus affair.”
The House Homeland Security Committee has officially begun impeachment hearings this month.
The advancement of the articles of impeachment comes amid negotiations between the White House and Congress over changes to border policy. The Biden administration requested an addition last year border finance To help Ukraine and Israel. Despite Trump encouraging Republicans to reject a bilateral border deal, Senate negotiators recently accelerated talks to reach a deal on the issues.
President Joe Biden reiterated his intention to address border security in a statement Friday night, but went a step further by vowing to “close” the border if it “crosses over.” Congress is bipartisan immigration legislation giving him this power.
“For anyone who wants to strengthen border control, this is the way to do it,” he said of the deal emerging in the Senate. “If you’re serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I’ll sign it.”