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Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee pushed forward with their efforts to question DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after emotional testimony from two victims of the border disaster, and Democrats moved to have their very own listening to and slammed what they mentioned was a “MAGA spectacle” from the bulk.
Republicans on the committee all voted to push forward with the impeachment of Mayorkas, who Republicans have blamed for mishandling the continuing disaster on the southern border. A markup on the impeachment is anticipated earlier than the top of the month.
“The Secretary has consistently willfully and systematically refused to follow the laws passed by Congress, abused his authority, and breached the trust of Congress and the American people on numerous occasions,” the 18 Republicans mentioned after the listening to.
HOUSE HOMELAND GOP CALLS FOR MAYORKAS WRITTEN TESTIMONY; DHS SLAMS ‘BAD-FAITH’ IMPEACHMENT PUSH
“The result of his failure to fulfill his oath of office has been a border crisis that is unprecedented in American history – a crisis that has cost the lives of thousands of Secretary Mayorkas’ fellow Americans,” it mentioned.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas holds a press convention at a Border Patrol station in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 8, 2024. (John Moore/Getty Images)
The listening to itself, the second impeachment listening to, targeted on the victims of crime and featured testimony from Tammy Nobles, whose daughter was killed by an unlawful immigrant MS-13 gang member, and Josephine Dunn, who misplaced her daughter to fentanyl poisoning.
“This is not a political issue. This is a safety issue for everyone living in the United States. This could have been anyone’s daughter. I don’t want any other parent to live the nightmare that I am living,” Nobles mentioned.
“In my humble opinion, Mr. Mayorkas’ border policy is partially responsible for my daughter’s death,” Dunn mentioned, arguing that Arizona has grow to be a “fentanyl superhighway” into the U.S.
But amid that testimony was a fierce political back-and-forth between Republicans and Democrats over the testimony of Mayorkas himself and potential further hearings. Mayorkas had expressed willingness to testify in-person however had mentioned he couldn’t attend this listening to. Republicans have mentioned the dearth of specificity quantities to stonewalling and that they’ve been attempting to get him to testify at a border-specific listening to since August.
DHS pushed again on these claims, accusing Republicans of “playing politics.”
“It’s abundantly clear that they are not interested in hearing from Secretary Mayorkas since it doesn’t fit into their bad-faith, predetermined and unconstitutional rush to impeach him. Last week, the Secretary offered to testify publicly before the Committee; in the time since, the Committee failed to respond to DHS to find a mutually agreeable date,” spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg mentioned forward of the listening to.
“Secretary Mayorkas can object all he wants, but the paper trail is clear–he has consistently, tacitly refused to show up,” the bulk responded on X, previously often called Twitter, after accusing Mayorkas of “indefinite delays.”
On Thursday, the White House weighed in, accusing Republicans of “choosing to play extreme, far-right politics” and of “attempting to scapegoat a Cabinet secretary who is actively working to find solutions to a problem Congressional Republicans have spent years refusing to actually solve.”
Democrats on the committee moved on Thursday to request a minority-led listening to, arguing that House guidelines require such a listening to in an impeachment inquiry. Republicans argued that it isn’t crucial as a result of they’ve their very own witness on the listening to.
Ranking member Bennie Thompson accused Republicans of getting “predetermined the outcome.”
HOUSE HOMELAND DEMOCRATS BACK MAYORKAS, SLAM GOP ‘SHAM’ AHEAD OF IMPEACHMENT HEARING
“This isn’t a real impeachment. It’s a MAGA spectacle, paid for [with] American tax dollars for Republican political gain,” he mentioned.
The battle is the newest flash level within the battle over the narrative of the border between Republicans and the Biden administration.
Republicans have pinned the disaster on the Biden administration, saying its “catch-and-release” insurance policies, decreased inside enforcement and rollback of Trump-era border insurance policies have sparked the historic surge to the border, leaving Border Patrol brokers overwhelmed and unable to cease the inflow gotaways and fentanyl.
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The administration has mentioned it’s dealing with a hemisphere-wide disaster and wishes extra funding and immigration reform from Congress. It has additionally pointed to what it says are a document variety of removals since May, higher than in all of fiscal 2019, and document seizures of fentanyl on the border.
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