U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman will soon get a chance to impact the fate of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, one of President Biden’s leading cabinet members who’s drawing increasing criticism from Republicans over his handling of America’s southern border with Mexico.
“I look forward to voting for the impeachment of Biden’s failed henchman, Alejandro Mayorkas,” Hageman said in a press release.
Early Wednesday, the House Committee on Homeland Security voted to transmit two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the House of Representatives alleging he has failed to uphold his oath of office to protect and defend the nation and adhere to the U.S. Constitution.
“Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has violated his oath of office by willfully failing to secure our borders,” Hageman said. “He has lied to Congress each and every time he has been before us — claiming that the border is secure when now even his border invasion accomplice, Joe Biden, admits there is a crisis.”
The articles of impeachment for Mayorkas accuse him of violating immigration laws that require the detention of all migrants as well as a “breach of public trust.” Those supporting impeachment say it’s not based on policy differences, but a breach of the law.
Loyal To Biden, Not Constitution
Since Biden has taken office, illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have increased, setting all-time records in fiscal years 2022 and 2023. He issued 94 executive actions on immigration within the first 100 days of his administration, including stopping construction on former President Donald Trump’s border wall.
Title 42, a pandemic-era immigration policy enacted by Trump and expanded under Biden expired in May 2023. After initially dropping the number of illegal border crossings, they shot back up.
One of Mayorkas’ chief duties is handling immigration.
Hageman said Mayorkas has been more loyal to Biden than the Constitution and has exhibited “gross negligence and willful refusal to secure our border.”
“Allowing 8.3 million illegals to enter our country since Jan. 21, 2021, is cruel and inhumane, endangers lives and crushes economies,” Hageman said.
An impeachment of Mayorkas would take a simple majority vote in the House. According to NBC News, he would be only the second cabinet secretary to be impeached in American history and the first since 1876.
Hageman also previously said she would support impeachment of Biden.
Some Pushback
No House Democrats are expected to support the Mayorkas impeachment. Although Republicans have the majority in the U.S. House, it’s by a very thin margin.
They had a 222-213 advantage after the 2022 election, but since then, three have either resigned or been expelled, and two other GOP members have been absent for health reasons. That means the Republicans have a 217-213 voting advantage, and that leaves room for only one Republican to vote against impeachment. If two or more don’t, the vote could tie or lose outright.
“Neither of the impeachment charges the committee will consider today are a high crime or misdemeanor,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississppi, told his fellow lawmakers during the House Committee on Homeland Security hearing, referencing the standard for impeachment laid out in the Constitution. “No serious person believes they are.”
According to USA Today, before the meeting, Mayorkas sent a letter to the committee arguing that his department has “provided Congress and your Committee hours of testimony, thousands of documents, hundreds of briefings.”
“Undoubtedly, we have policy disagreements on the historically divisive issue of immigration. That has been the case between Administrations and Members of Congress for much longer than the past 38 years since the last overhaul of our immigration system,” Mayorkas said in the letter.
Even some conservatives are opposing the impeachment effort against Mayorkas.
Attorney Alan Dershowitz, who represented Trump in his first impeachment trial, said House Republicans are using “double standards” in backing “vague” charges against Mayorkas when they refused to do so for the former president.
Republican legal expert Jonathan Turley told Fox News they have no “cognizable basis” for impeachment, while Michael Chertoff, a Republican who led Homeland Security under former President George W. Bush, wrote in an op-ed that House Republicans have “failed to put forth evidence that meets the bar.”
Hageman And Mayorkas
Hageman has frequently criticized Mayorkas during her time in office, calling him a liar and a “tyrant” to his face during a House Judiciary Committee meeting last July. She also supported an amendment proposed in September 2023 that would have reduced his salary to $1 per year.
Last spring, she voted to support the Secure The Border Act, legislation that would have required the Department of Homeland Security to resume all activities related to constructing Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, provide more resources to America’s borders and make other immigration changes. The Senate has taken no action on this bill.
“Because of these maneuvers by Biden and Mayorkas, Republicans in the House of Representatives took action and passed legislation way back in May that would secure our borders and end the invasion by passing H.R. 2 – where has the Schumer Senate been?” Hageman questioned.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
