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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has announced a formal submission of impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate.
The move, aimed for April 10, marks a crucial step toward an impeachment trial [ [link removed] ], once again spotlighting the failure of border management and immigration policy under the Biden administration.
Speaker Johnson, in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), called for urgency of an expedited trial. The letter, cosigned by the 11 Republicans chosen as impeachment managers, underlined the constitutional and historical grounding for Mayorkas’ removal, accusing him of failing to enforce existing immigration laws and of deceitful conduct toward Congress and the public.
“As Speaker and impeachment managers of the U.S. House of Representatives, we write to inform you that we will present to you upon the Senate’s return, on April 10, 2024, the duly passed articles of impeachment regarding Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas,” wrote Johnson. “We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously.”
“The Secretary is responsible for releasing millions of illegal aliens into the interior and creating unlawful massparole programs,” Johnson continued.
“Throughout his tenure, he has repeatedly lied to Congress and the American people about the scope of the crisis and his role in it. His unlawful actions are responsible for the historic crisis that has devastated communities throughout our country, from the smallest border town in Texas to New York City.”
The impeachment effort represents the first such action against a Cabinet secretary since 1876. The House’s decision last month to impeach Mayorkas on two counts—neglect of duty and breach of public trust—came after a narrowly successful vote, showing internal Republican efforts to hold the Biden administration accountable for the failures in securing the southern border.
“The constitutional grounds for Secretary Mayorkas’ conviction and removal from office are well-founded, and the historical record is clear,” the letter read.
Despite the unlikely outcome of a Senate conviction, given the Democratic majority and the potential for a swift dismissal of the charges, the gesture aims to fulfill what Johnson and his supporters see as a constitutional obligation to address and rectify executive overreach and mismanagement.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer has yet to detail how the Senate will approach the trial, but his office confirmed that senators would be sworn in as jurors the day following the receipt of the impeachment articles, with Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray presiding over the proceedings according to Fox News [ [link removed] ].
This sets the stage for a highly charged debate over immigration and border security, issues that remain at the forefront of American political discourse, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. Critics of the impeachment and Democratic leaders claim that the evidence against Mayorkas does not meet the high bar for “high crimes and misdemeanors” required for impeachment.
Moreover, the Democratic response highlights what they view as a politicization of constitutional processes for partisan gain, pointing out the improbability of a conviction in the Senate and questioning the strategic wisdom of pursuing impeachment without a clear path to success.
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