This image from House Television shows House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., banging the gavel after he announced the House voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the Biden administration's handling of the U.S-Mexico border, at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Washington. (House Television via AP)

US: House Votes To Impeach Homeland Security Secretary

On Feb 14, 2024

The House of Representatives has narrowly voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, making him the first cabinet member to face impeachment in nearly 150 years.

Many Republicans blame Mayorkas for an unprecedented influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border.

The Republican-led chamber voted 214 to 213 for the measure, after the first attempt failed last week.

The issue now heads to the Democratic-led Senate, where it is likely to fail.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday called the vote a “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship” and a “political stunt”.

Opponents of Mayorkas accused him of not living up to his oath to “well and faithfully discharge the duties” of his office by failing to do more to secure the border.

The vote was largely divided along party lines, with 210 Democrats voting against the impeachment, along with three Republican representatives: Tom McClintock of California, Ken Buck of Colorado and Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin.

The three defectors also voted against the first attempt to impeach Mr Mayorkas, saying that impeaching someone who had not committed a serious crime would weaken the constitutional penalty and do little to address the crisis at the border.

More than 6.3 million migrants have entered the US illegally since 2021, making immigration a divisive and politically contentious issue ahead of the November election.

The issue is a major focus of Donald Trump’s campaign to oust Biden from office.

In a statement released shortly after the vote, Biden defended Mayorkas, calling him “an honourable public servant”.

“He has upheld the rule of law faithfully and has demonstrated a deep commitment to the values that make our nation great,” the President said.

A Spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Mia Ehrenberg, accused Republicans of spending their time “trampling on the constitution” instead of “working to solve the serious challenges at our border”.

Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said Mayorkas “deserves to be impeached”.

Over the course of two hearings in January, Republicans charged Mayorkas with failing to enforce immigration policies and lying about the border’s security.

The impeachment effort is unlikely to pass as the Senate is narrowly controlled by the Democrats.

BBC