On Monday, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) filed articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which he promised to do last week before the 118th Congress was officially sworn in.
The articles of impeachment against Mayorkas for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” known as House Resolution 8, were introduced by Fallon in the House on Monday and have been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
Fallon promised last week to file impeachment articles against Mayorkas after the new Congress was sworn in. The effort from Republicans in the House is one that the new GOP majority is working to complete, among many others, as it attempts to combat the Biden administration on issues at the southern border and the immigration crisis.
“Since day one, Secretary Mayorkas’ policies have undermined law enforcement activities at our southern border,” Fallon said in a statement last week. “From perjuring himself before Congress about maintaining operational control of the border to the infamous ‘whip-gate’ slander against our border patrol agents, Secretary Mayorkas has proven time and time again that he is unfit to lead the Department of Homeland Security.”
“His willful actions have eroded our immigration system, undermined border patrol morale, and jeopardized American national security. He has violated the law and it is time for him to go,” Fallon added.
There is currently no text available for the impeachment articles filed against Mayorkas; however, Fox News reported last week that Fallon’s first article alleges that Mayorkas failed to faithfully execute the “Secure the Fence Act of 2006.”
The act requires the secretary of Homeland Security to “maintain operational control over the entire international land and maritime borders of the United States.”
The second article accuses Mayorkas of being “in violation of his constitutional oath, willfully provided perjurious, false, and misleading testimony to Congress.” To back up that charge, the article quotes Mayorkas’ testimony during April 26 and Nov. 15 congressional hearings in which he claimed the border was secure.
The third charge claims that Mayorkas “publicly and falsely slandered” border agents who were accused, and later cleared, of whipping Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas, in 2021.
“The 511-page report by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Personal Responsibility found ‘no evidence that [Border Patrol agents] involved in this incident struck, intentionally or otherwise, any migrant with their reins,’” Fallon writes. “Secretary Mayorkas slandered his own Border Patrol agents and TXDPS Troopers involved in this incident, contributing to a further decrease in already-low morale among agents.”
During a visit to El Paso in late November, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was elected by his GOP colleagues to serve as House speaker on Friday, called for Mayorkas to resign, following his handling of the border crisis, and warning that if he refused, he would be subject to an impeachment inquiry when Republicans took official control of the House.
“If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure and will determine whether we can begin impeachment inquiry,” McCarthy said at the time.
On Sunday, Mayorkas said he has no intention of resigning over his handling of the border crisis, insisting that he will be ready for future investigations by House Republicans while continuing to fulfill daily responsibilities.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Mayorkas was speaking on President Biden’s visit to El Paso, Texas, and was pressed by anchor George Stephanopoulos to respond to McCarthy’s call for him to resign and whether he intends to do so.
“I do not. I’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’re going to do it,” Mayorkas said.
In response to previous calls to impeach Mayorkas, a DHS spokesperson equated them to little more than finger-pointing from Congress in November.
“Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of this Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Members of Congress can do better than point the finger at someone else; they should come to the table and work on solutions for our broken system and outdated laws, which have not been overhauled in over 40 years.”
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