Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas's impeachment inches closer as the House GOP moves swiftly to make this happen.
If Mayorkas is really removed from his position, it will be the first controversial move impeaching a Cabinet secretary in nearly 150 years.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a hearing with the Senate Homeland Security Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 18, 2023 in Washington, DC.
The impeachment effort against Alejandro Mayorkas comes as Republicans in the House Committee faced building pressure from their base to hold the administration of Joe Biden accountable on the U.S. border issue.
House GOP Inches Closer To Impeaching Alejandro Mayorkas
According to The Associated Press' latest report, House Republicans are moving quickly to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
They said that he needed to be terminated from his position because of his "willful and systematic" refusal to implement immigration laws. This was denied by the Cabinet official, saying that the House GOP should work with the Biden Administration instead.
However, the Homeland Security Committee is already scheduled to vote on two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas on Tuesday, Jan. 30. This was confirmed by Speaker Mike Johnson.
He said that House Republicans are moving ahead with the impeachment by necessity with a full House vote. After this, the process will be moved to the Senate for trial on whether Mayorkas should be removed from office.
But, NPR reported that it is unlikely for the Democratic-controlled Senate to convict Mayorkas, especially since this process requires the support of two-thirds of senators.
Another challenge in impeaching Alejandro Mayorkas is that some Senate Republicans said that replacing him will not change the Biden Administration's immigration policy since it is the U.S. president who is charged with setting the border legislation.
Read Also: Alejandro Mayorkas Impeachment: House To Vote on Measure Against Homeland Security Secretary
Mayorkas Denies Accusations
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas attends a Cabinet Meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on June 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Biden spoke on the U.S. economy and the bipartisan deal to raise the debt limit.
In his defense, the DHS secretary said that the impeachment proceedings against him are "baseless" and that the border handling accusations he faces are all false.
"I will defer a discussion of Constitutionality of your current effort to the many respected scholars and experts across the political spectrum who already have opined it is contrary to law," said the Cabinet official.
"What I will not defer to others is a response to the politically motivated accusations and personal attacks you have made against me," he added.
Mayorkas said that the false accusations made against him don't divert him from his law enforcement and broader public service missions, saying that he isn't rattled by the committee.
Related Article: Biden Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Faces Impeachment as House Republicans Move
