The House Rules Committee met on Monday night and voted to advance its impeachment case against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the House floor. The vote, along party lines, sets the stage for a potential impeachment vote as early as Tuesday. The allegations against Mayorkas center on accusations of “willfully” neglecting to enforce laws aimed at protecting the nation’s southern border.
Led by Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the Republican-dominated committee voted 8 to 4 to send the articles of impeachment for debate and vote by the full House. Cole emphasized the importance of accountability, stating that Mayorkas’ actions, particularly his intentional refusal to enforce immigration laws, necessitate congressional action.
Those in favor of advancing the impeachment case included several Republican representatives such as Michael Burgess of Texas, Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania, and Chip Roy of Texas. On the other hand, Democratic members like Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico opposed the resolution, lamenting what they saw as a regrettable use of impeachment powers.
House Rules Committee Advances Mayorkas Impeachment Case to House Floor (Credits: Wisconsin Examiner)
The decision follows the approval of the impeachment resolution by the House Committee on Homeland Security five days earlier. The resolution accuses Mayorkas of “high crimes and misdemeanors” for allegedly violating his oath of office by willfully disregarding immigration laws and making false statements to Congress.
President Biden denounced the impeachment effort as an unprecedented and unconstitutional political attack, arguing that it stems from a policy disagreement rather than any legitimate wrongdoing on Mayorkas’ part. He emphasized Mayorkas’ commitment to upholding the rule of law and criticized the impeachment as a partisan abuse of congressional authority.
The impeachment proceedings occur amidst broader political tensions over immigration policy, with the Biden administration and bipartisan Senate centrists pushing for a compromise to address border security and reform the immigration system. However, conservative House members, including former President Trump, have rejected these efforts, viewing them as insufficient and detrimental to Republican interests.
Trump, who has been actively lobbying against the proposed immigration deal, argues that it absolves Democrats of responsibility for border issues while unfairly placing blame on Republicans. He perceives the deal as a political liability for the GOP and warns against its support.
