House Republicans have successfully impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, reversing last week's failed GOP impeachment attempt.
The House voted 214-213 in favor of a resolution to impeach Mayorkas on Tuesday night. The resolution, which accuses the secretary of ignoring immigration laws and making "false statements" about the U.S.-Mexico border, had failed by a vote of 214 to 216 one week earlier.
Mayorkas becomes the first U.S. Cabinet secretary to be impeached since 1876. The move means that Mayorkas will soon face an impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate, where he could be removed from office if convicted.
The Context
Republicans have been ramping up criticism over Biden administration immigration policies of November's presidential election approaches. Democrats have described the impeachment of Mayorkas as an unwarranted and partisan effort to score political points.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson suffered what many have suggested was an embarrassing defeat after calling the impeachment resolution for a floor vote last Tuesday and losing. Republicans quickly vowed to try again following the failed vote.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was absent for the first vote due to cancer treatment but returned to the chamber for this week's vote.
What We Know
The Mayorkas impeachment resolution passed by the thinnest of margins along party lines, with the returning Scalise's vote making all the difference.
Three Republicans joined Democrats in voting "no" on the impeachment—Representatives Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Tom McClintock of California.
The same three Republicans voted against the resolution during last week's vote. They were joined by Representative Blake Moore of Utah, who voted against the first attempt as a procedural move that allowed the issue to be raised this week.
Two Democrats—Representatives Judy Chu of California and Lois Frankel of Florida—did not vote. Two Republicans, Florida Representatives Brian Mast and Maria Elvira Salazar, also failed to vote.
Views
Johnson said in a statement following the vote that the impeachment of Mayorkas was the end result of "a careful and methodical approach" to an investigation that revealed the secretary had "willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws."
"Alejandro Mayorkas deserves to be impeached, and Congress has a constitutional obligation to do so," said Johnson. "Next to a declaration of war, impeachment is arguably the most serious authority given to the House and we have treated this matter accordingly. Since this secretary refuses to do the job that the Senate confirmed him to do, the House must act."
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said in a statement emailed to Newsweek that the impeachment was "baseless" and "unconstitutional," while predicting that "House Republicans" would "be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain."
"House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country," said Ehrenberg. "Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe."
President Joe Biden had a similar take, saying in a statement that "History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games."
"Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security," the president said.
"Sadly, the same Republicans pushing this baseless impeachment are rejecting bipartisan plans Secretary Mayorkas and others in my administration have worked hard on to strengthen border security at this very moment," he added.
What's Next
Although Mayorkas will face an impeachment trial in the Senate, it is nearly certain that he will not be convicted, as the chamber is controlled by Democrats and a two-thirds majority vote is required to convict.
Biden said that his administration intends to "continue pursuing real solutions to the challenges Americans face," while "House Republicans have to decide whether to join us to solve the problem or keep playing politics with the border."
Update 02/13/24 8:18 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
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