- House Speaker Mike Johnson announces plans for the House to vote on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over border handling
- Johnson expresses doubts about Senate immigration proposal, questions its viability in the House
- Republicans need to maintain narrow majority and avoid significant defections for impeachment effort to succeed; Mayorkas would be the first Cabinet secretary impeached since 1876
Additional Coverage:
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Friday that the House will vote on whether to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson stated that the vote could take place as early as next week. He also expressed skepticism about a Senate proposal to overhaul the immigration system, questioning its viability in the House. Johnson alleged that President Biden and Mayorkas have undermined immigration laws and vowed to advance articles of impeachment when lawmakers return to Washington. However, Democrats and even some Republicans have criticized the impeachment effort, arguing that Mayorkas has not committed an impeachable offense.
Mayorkas, a Democrat, has faced criticism from GOP lawmakers who believe he has not fulfilled his duties as homeland security secretary. Congressional Democrats and the Department of Homeland Security have dismissed the impeachment efforts as politically motivated. Johnson insisted in his letter that the House Homeland Security Committee would move forward with impeachment articles against Mayorkas upon lawmakers’ return, with a floor vote to follow soon after. However, Representative Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the committee, called the impeachment effort “inept and inappropriate.”
To succeed in the lower chamber, Republicans would need to maintain a narrow majority and avoid significant defections. If the impeachment effort succeeds, Mayorkas would become only the second Cabinet secretary in history to be impeached, and the first since 1876. The surge in border crossings by migrants has been a significant point of contention, with record numbers arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months. While the Biden administration has attempted to provide more legal pathways to enter the country, the influx of migrants has strained resources at all levels of government.
In addition to the impeachment proceedings, negotiations are underway in the Senate to craft a bipartisan proposal for immigration reform. However, House Republicans, led by Johnson, have not been involved in these talks. The potential opposition from former President Donald Trump also complicated the negotiations. Johnson voiced the House Republicans’ opposition to some aspects of a potential deal and suggested that the Senate consider a House-passed bill with stricter immigration measures. He stated that the House would not accept any counterproposal that does not effectively address the problems caused by the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
Johnson urged President Biden to take immediate action to secure national sovereignty by ending the mass release of undocumented individuals into the country. He argued that such action would demonstrate Biden’s commitment to protecting national sovereignty and make him a credible negotiator. Johnson concluded by stating that if Biden wants the House Republican conference to view him as a good-faith negotiator, he should start by signing an order to address the issue.