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WASHINGTON – The House voted Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas following last week’s embarrassing failed attempt by House Republicans to make the southern border crisis a top issue in 2024.
The vote passed largely along party lines by a count of 214-213, with no Democrats supporting the effort and several Republicans joining in. Before Tuesday night’s vote, the House had not impeached a Cabinet member in nearly 150 years.
The core argument against Mr. Mayorkas, which House Republicans have long called for impeachment, is that he knowingly and willfully allowed the crisis on the southern border to reach its climax.
“This vote makes it clear that Congress will not tolerate this type of illegal activity,” Republican-led House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Greene (R-Tenn.) said in a statement after the House vote. said.
But Democrats, a few Republicans, and legal scholars across the political spectrum argue that House Republicans’ accusations amount to little more than policy disagreements over immigration.
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The policy disputes they argue are not the high crimes and misdemeanors the Constitution requires for impeachment. Skeptics of the effort have expressed concern that Mayorkas’ impeachment could have a ripple effect and politicize future impeachments.
In a statement Tuesday, President Joe Biden accused House Republicans of impeaching Mayorkas over border control, especially after House Republicans flatly rejected the Senate’s bipartisan border and immigration deal as a “political stunt.” criticized.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg said in a statement after the vote. “Without a single shred of evidence or sound constitutional basis, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have unfairly slandered a dedicated public servant who has served our country enforcing our laws for more than 20 years. .”
Ultimately, Tuesday night’s vote will yield no results. The Senate has the power to hold trials to remove impeached officials, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has not committed to holding a trial. He called the process “a sham” in a statement after the vote.
Schumer said in a statement that when senators return from a two-week recess later this month, “they will be sworn in as jurors for the trial the next day.” Lawmakers will be sworn in as jurors, but it is unclear whether there is any desire among them to watch the trial.
Even if a trial were scheduled, Mayorkas would almost certainly be acquitted in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Several Republican senators have also expressed skepticism about the basis for Mayorkas’ impeachment and removal from office.
House Republicans attempted to impeach the official last week, but failed spectacularly, with the vote tied 215-215. A tie is not enough for passage in the House. Only one member, House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), was absent because he was seeking treatment outside Washington state for cancer.
Three Republicans joined Democrats in sinking the initial effort: Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, and Rep. Tom McClintock of California. They voted against impeachment again Tuesday night. Because of Scalise’s absence and the Republican majority, just three Republican defections were enough to jeopardize the final vote.
Gallagher said in a statement after the first vote that impeaching Mayorkas “will only further pry open the Pandora’s box of permanent impeachment.”
The final vote was 214-216. Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), vice chair of the House Republican Conference, backed Mayorkas’ impeachment, but it was a last-minute procedural tactic to allow House Republican leadership to bring up articles of impeachment again in the future. I changed my vote.
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