On Politics

Wed Jan 31 2024

Sudiksha Kochi | Congress, Campaigns and Democracy Reporter

@KochiSudiksha

Hey OnPolitics readers! House Republicans approved two articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Tuesday, a move that has been on their wishlist for months.

The Republican-led Homeland Security Committee accused Mayorkas of a "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and a "breach of public trust" over his handling of the southern border, USA TODAY's Ken Tran reported.

Here's a quick rundown of why Republicans are railing against the homeland security secretary:

❌Why are Republicans trying to impeach Mayorkas? House Republicans have long sought to impeach Mayorkas over his management of the policies surrounding undocumented immigrants in the U.S. GOP lawmakers have argued the secretary has deliberately allowed the status quo to continue.

➡️How have Mayorkas and his allies responded? Mayorkas sent a letter to the Homeland Security Committee that his department has "provided Congress and your Committee hours of testimony, thousands of documents, hundreds of briefings." He also noted that bipartisan discussions on border policy and immigration reform are ongoing in the Senate, which Mayorkas has been partly involved in recent months.

🔮What's next? The House's Republican leaders are currently shoring up support for a formal vote to impeach Mayorkas. But if the House votes to impeach an official, that doesn't mean that they'll be removed from office. Senators can ultimately vote on whether they want to boot an individual from their post.