In a close vote of 214-213 on Tuesday night, the US House of Representatives moved to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, placing his alleged handling of the US-Mexico border situation under increased scrutiny. The proceedings will now transition to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority vote is necessary for Mayorkas to be effectively removed from his post.
House Republicans contend that Mayorkas violated the basic tenets of the Immigration and Nationality Act, arguing that he purposely neglected his duty, as cited by the act, to “control and guard the boundaries and borders of the United States against the illegal entry of aliens.” Besides this, allegations have also surfaced that suggest Mayorkas deliberately obfuscated the truth and hindered the oversight of Department of Homeland Security.
The impeachment resolution was brought forth by Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA), who expressed her satisfaction with Mayorkas’ impeachment on X (formerly Twitter), asserting her pride in the Republican conference for “working together to stand with the American people to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable for his blatant violation of our border laws.”
In contrast, President Joe Biden issued a statement in which he criticized the House Republicans for their actions, describing them as an “act of unconstitutional partisanship.” Biden reinforced his support for Secretary Mayorkas and condemned the political gamesmanship.
Prior to this, an impeachment case against Mayorkas had been rejected by the House in a 214-216 vote last Wednesday. The current developments demonstrate a significant shift from the previous voting patterns.
This is an unfolding story, relevant updates will be provided as and when emerge. For full details please refer to the documentation on JURIST – News.