House Republicans are turning up the volume on their calls for the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the border crisis.
The nation has seen almost 4 million illegal immigrants cross the southern border under President Joe Biden’s leadership, and Mayorkas is his point man for the disaster.
Twenty GOP lawmakers in the lower chamber on Tuesday demanded that the full body move against the beleaguered secretary. The group, led by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), blasted Mayorkas for not taking action as the wave of migrants intensified.
Biggs accused Mayorkas of releasing over 1 million illegal migrants into the U.S. who will likely “never be heard from again.”
Biggs told The Hill that with the House majority, Republicans must pursue charges against Mayorkas for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Far from being incompetent or negligent, the representative accused the secretary of “willful and intentional misconduct.”
His call for impeachment was echoed by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who alleged that Mayorkas was untruthful when he told lawmakers under oath that the southern border was under control. Boebert visited the border and, far from being “closed,” reported that “it’s wide open.”
A little less talk, a lot more action. It’s time to impeach Secretary Mayorkas. pic.twitter.com/j60XgmNadR
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) December 13, 2022
Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX) added that nothing short of “an impeachment and removal proceedings should be the outcome.”
Impeachment and actual removal from office is hardly the same challenges. With the House majority, Republicans will be in the position to pass the resolution for the removal for “high crimes and misdemeanors” against Mayorkas.
This needs only a simple majority vote, and with their coming narrow majority, the GOP can only withstand four defections to secure the resolution.
One House Republican related to Fox News that many in the party were angry with how Democrats “politicized the impeachment process” during former President Donald Trump’s administration. The anonymous moderate said that impeachment should not be done for “holding different views.”
If the GOP clears that hurdle, however, a trial then ensues in the Senate with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presiding. Removal from office requires 67 votes — assuming all are present — which would secure a conviction.
The numbers for the new Congress in January mean that 18 Senate Democrats must concur with the presumably solid block of Republicans voting to convict. That is virtually impossible.
