House Republicans have impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for failing to enforce immigration law and lying to Congress about the US border being “secure.” The articles of impeachment were delivered to the Senate by House Homeland Security Committee chairman Mark Green and 10 other managers. Green stated that Mayorkas should be tried for high crimes and misdemeanors for deliberately failing to comply with laws passed by Congress and breaching the public trust. He urged the Senate to conduct a full trial, hear the evidence, and render a verdict.
In a rare sight, all senators were present when the articles of impeachment were delivered, and Green read the resolution against Mayorkas into the record before leaving with the other managers. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans expect the Democratic majority in the Senate to halt a full trial and any vote to convict Mayorkas. McConnell described the crisis at the border, with millions of illegal crossings since January 2021, and stated that he would give the charges against Mayorkas his full attention if a trial were to proceed.
Schumer has committed to swearing in the 100 senators as jurors on Wednesday at 1 p.m., but it is unclear whether a procedural vote to table the impeachment will be used. Schumer emphasized the importance of not using impeachment to settle policy disagreements, stating that doing so would set an awful precedent for Congress. Schumer, who supported both impeachments of former President Donald Trump, has been hesitant to proceed with Mayorkas’ trial, as House and Senate Democrats, as well as three House Republicans, do not believe the secretary’s actions meet the criteria of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Mayorkas is only the second Cabinet official in US history to be impeached, with the last being Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876. Belknap resigned before being acquitted by the Senate on charges of corruption. McConnell and other Republicans have pledged to oppose tabling a trial, breaking 200 years of Senate precedent. The decision on whether to move forward with a trial of Mayorkas will likely be a significant point of contention between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.
