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The House of Representatives will impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas on Tuesday for violating the public’s trust by intentionally refusing to enforce border laws, as Republicans launch a partisan prosecution of President Biden’s immigration policies. A vote is scheduled.
But with just hours left before the scheduled vote, it was unclear whether leaders would have enough Republican support to charge Mr. Mayorkas. They cannot allow more than two people to leave the party, as Republicans have a narrow majority in the House and Democrats are adamantly opposed. Two members have already said they will vote against the bill, while several others have not yet made a formal decision.
On Tuesday morning, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., announced he would vote against the charges, joining Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, who had already vowed to break with his party over the matter. Several other Republicans remain reserved, including at least one, Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who expressed concern about the charges during a closed party meeting Tuesday morning.
Skeptics have privately warned that future Republican cabinet members could face similar treatment if the House impeaches Mayorkas now, making him the first sitting Cabinet member to suffer that fate. There is.
“I respect everyone’s opinion on this issue,” Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters as he emerged from the meeting Tuesday. “I understand the weight of impeachment.”
Mr Johnson added: “I don’t think there’s ever been a cabinet minister who has done something so blatantly, openly, knowingly and without compunction that is exactly the opposite of what federal law requires.” Impeachment is “an extreme measure, but it goes too far,” he said. Times call for extreme measures. ”
Despite assessments from legal experts, including some prominent conservatives, that Mr. Mayorkas committed no high crimes or misdemeanors that meet constitutional impeachment standards, Republicans are pushing back against moving forward. continuing. McClintock said in a lengthy statement released Tuesday morning that he agrees with that assessment.
“They have failed to identify any impeachable crimes committed by Mr. Mayorkas,” McClintock wrote, adding that the charges “stretch and distort the Constitution in order to hold the government accountable for stretching and distorting the law.” he added.
The move comes as the two parties clash over the best way to secure the border in an election year when the issue is expected to take center stage in the presidential campaign. It is an escalation of Republican efforts to attack.
House Republicans are moving forward with impeachment in an effort to kill a bipartisan agreement emerging in the Senate that combined new funding for Ukraine with border enforcement. They argue the measure is too weak and that neither Mr. Biden nor Mr. Mayorkas can trust border security.
If Mayorkas is impeached, the charges would be tried in the Democratic-led Senate, making his acquittal almost certain. It remains unclear whether leaders will hold a full trial, which would require a two-thirds majority to convict the Homeland Security secretary, or dismiss the charges entirely without a hearing. I haven’t done it.
The bill, set for a vote Tuesday, would appoint 11 impeachment managers to handle the case against Mayorkas in the Senate, including Tennessee Republican and Homeland Security Committee Chairman These include Congressman Mark E. Greene and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. , a Georgia Republican who led a lawsuit charging him with constitutional charges and seeking his removal from office. The group includes Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ben Klein of Virginia, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Harriet M. Hageman of Wyoming and Florida. Also included are state Reps. Laurel Lee and Texas Rep. Michael McCaul and August Pflueger. of Texas.
House Democrats flatly rejected the impeachment effort, accusing Republicans of misusing a constitutional tool meant only to be used against officials who commit crimes or abuse their power.
“This sham impeachment effort isn’t actually about border security. It’s about Republican politics and subversion of the Constitution,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. He accused the Republican Party of “taking marching orders from Donald Trump.”
Trump’s influence looms large in the immigration debate on Capitol Hill as he seeks to return to the White House, particularly regarding the border deal in the Senate, which he is campaigning against. House Republicans also frequently cite Mayorkas’ immigration accomplishments in their arguments against him, accusing him of dismantling the former president’s border policies for political purposes.
The first article of impeachment calls for “catch-and-release” policies that allow Trump-era policies, such as the program commonly referred to as “Remain in Mexico,” which requires many immigrants to wait at the southwest border until their immigration deadline. ” accused Mayorkas of replacing it with policy. Immigrants can roam freely in the United States. Republicans say he ignored multiple mandates under the Immigration and Nationality Act, which stipulates that immigrants be “detained” pending asylum or removal decisions, and acted beyond his authority to parol and allow immigrants into the country. I’m blaming.
Democrats strongly objected, saying Mayorkas, like previous Homeland Security secretaries, has the right to set policies to manage the influx of migrants at the border. This includes allowing certain migrants to enter the country temporarily for humanitarian reasons and prioritizing which migrants to detain, especially when working with limited resources.
The second article accuses Mayorkas of betraying the public’s trust by lying about the situation at the border and obstructing Congress’ efforts to investigate him. Republicans based these accusations on Mayorkas’ 2022 claim that his department exercised “operational control” of the border, defined by a 2006 law as the absence of illegal immigration and drug entry. Based on. Mayorkas said he was instead referring to a less absolute definition used by the Border Patrol.
They also accused Mayorkas of failing to produce documents, including subpoenaed materials, during an investigation into his border policies and of evading efforts to get him to testify as part of impeachment proceedings. are doing. Administration officials countered that Mayorkas produced tens of thousands of pages of documents at the committee’s request. He offered to testify in person, but Republicans on the committee rescinded their request to appear because of scheduling issues on both sides.
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