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The Republican-led House of Representatives on Tuesday failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his dealing with of the disaster on the southern border – marking a major blow for House Republicans who has pushed for Mayorkas’ removing.
The House voted largely alongside get together traces, however Republicans suffered numerous defections which torpedoed the vote. Democrats remained united. The vote was 214-216. The vote was on two articles of impeachment that accused Mayorkas of getting “refused to comply with Federal immigration laws” and the opposite of getting violated “public trust.”
A Cabinet secretary has not been impeached since 1876, when Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached.
GOP LAWMAKER ON KEY IMMIGRATION SUBCOMMITTEE SLAMS MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT
Republicans accused Mayorkas of disregarding federal legislation with “open border policies” which have made the continued disaster on the southern border worse. They have pointed to the rolling again of Trump-era insurance policies like border wall development and Remain-in-Mexico in addition to lowering inside enforcement and increasing “catch-and-release.” They say it has fueled report numbers on the southern border, the place numbers breached the 300,000 mark in December.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has defended his dealing with of the border disaster.
“Under Secretary Mayorkas’ watch, Customs and Border Protection has reported more than 8.5 million encounters at our borders, including more than seven million apprehensions at the Southwest border,” Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green mentioned on the House ground. “Even more terrifying is the approximately 1.8 million known gotaways, that Border Patrol agents detect, but are unable to apprehend. Millions of those inadmissible aliens who are encountered are eventually released into our communities. This has never happened before in our history. And it doesn’t happen by accident.”
Green mentioned that Republicans had been left with “no other option” than to proceed.
“We, the people’s representatives, have no opinion, no option but to exercise this duty when branch officials blatantly refuse to comply with the laws we have passed threaten the separation of powers, imperiled the constitutional order, and expose Americans to untold suffering and death,” he mentioned.
Democrats and the administration had painted the impeachment push as politically-motivated on nothing greater than coverage disagreements, and nothing that approaches excessive crimes and misdemeanors.
Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., heart, joined by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the rating member, leads the House Homeland Security Committee transfer to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over the disaster on the U.S.-Mexico border, on the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. ( (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite))
“Far from alleging high crimes and misdemeanors, this resolution relies on the same tired and untrue Republican talking points that Democrats have demonstrated for months are not true,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., mentioned.
Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson referred to as the push a “travesty” and an “affront to the Constitution.”
“Rather than doing what’s right for America because it’s clear that Republicans have failed to make the case for impeachment. They have failed to articulate a single high crime and misdemeanor. The other side of the aisle reeks of desperation,” he mentioned.
Mayorkas himself had attacked the push in opposition to him, calling the allegations “false” and “baseless.”
MAYORKAS LASHES OUT AT ‘BASELESS’ GOP ALLEGATIONS AHEAD OF KEY IMPEACHMENT VOTE
“I assure you that your false accusations do not rattle me and do not divert me from the law enforcement and broader public service mission to which I have devoted most of my career and to which I remain devoted,” Mayorkas mentioned.
DHS has pointed to greater than 500,000 removals since May and report seizures of fentanyl on the border to counteract claims that it has pursued open border insurance policies. It has additionally referred to as on Republicans to present extra funding and to work with the administration to repair a “broken” immigration system. Meanwhile it has pointed to Republicans and former DHS officers who’ve opposed the impeachment effort.
“This farce of an impeachment is a distraction from other vital national security priorities and the work Congress should be doing to actually fix our broken immigration laws,” a DHS official mentioned in a current memo.
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