US House of Representatives votes to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security

Reuters reported that the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of failing to control the flow of illegal immigrants crossing the border with Mexico.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. (Photo: Getty Images)

The motion to bring impeachment charges against Mr. Mayorkas was passed after a narrow vote of 214 - 213 on February 13 (local time).

According to RT , in the 22-page proposal, lawmakers accused Mr. Mayorkas of refusing to comply with federal court decisions related to the border crisis, saying he was responsible for the large surge at the southern border.

The filing also accuses the official of “dishonesty” before Congress, claiming Mr Mayorkas has “demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national and border security by acting in a manner that is wholly inconsistent with his duties and the rule of law”.

“Throughout his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas repeatedly violated laws enacted by Congress related to immigration and border security,” the proposal reads. “Primarily as a result of his unlawful conduct, millions of aliens illegally enter the United States each year and many remain in the United States illegally.”

The vote marked only the second time in US history and the first time since 1876 that the House of Representatives impeached a member of a US President's Cabinet.

Mr Mayorkas was "safe" from impeachment last week in a narrow 214-216 vote, with four Republicans siding with Democrats.

Both the Democratic Party and the US Department of Homeland Security opposed the move.

California Rep. Tom McClintock said the charges against Mayorkas “distort the Constitution.” He also predicted the proposals would face “a fiasco” in the Senate, which would be tasked with convicting or acquitting the head of the Department of Homeland Security.

House Republicans will “be remembered in history for trampling the Constitution for political gain rather than addressing the serious challenges at the border,” said Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg.

A record number of migrants have crossed the border illegally from Mexico since Mr Biden took office in 2021, and former President Donald Trump made it a major focus against Mr Biden during his campaign.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month found immigration was voters' No. 2 concern, after the economy.

Lawmakers have spent months wrangling over additional funding for border security amid a historic surge of migrants, with Republicans insisting money for the border crisis must come before they agree to a multibillion-dollar military aid package for Ukraine.

Hoa Vu (Source: Reuters, RT)

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