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On Sunday, members of the Republican party in the House of Representatives continued their push to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security. At the same time, their counterparts in the Senate are working together in a rare bipartisan effort to address border security, the first of its kind in over five years.
Congressman Mark Green from Tennessee presented a preliminary version of his articles of impeachment, which he plans to submit against Mr. Mayorkas on Sunday. In his proposed legislation, Mr. Green accuses the secretary of deliberately breaking current US immigration laws and betraying the public’s confidence by allegedly giving false information to members of Congress during their investigation.
If the attempt is successful, Mr. Mayorkas would be the second Cabinet secretary ever to face impeachment. However, this is unlikely as the Republican-led impeachment effort is expected to fail in the Senate (if it even makes it through the House). The Democrats currently have control of the Senate and will retain it until 2024, making it highly unlikely for Mr. Mayorkas to be removed from office unless two-thirds of the Senate votes in favor of his removal.
The main focus of the GOP’s argument for impeachment is centered on the belief that the Biden administration is not detaining most of the migrants who are found after crossing the border illegally while they wait for their asylum cases to be processed. Both the Biden White House and the previous Trump administration faced challenges in detaining the large number of migrants who cross the US-Mexico border daily. The Trump administration received significant backlash for the poor living conditions in temporary migrant shelters and the practice of separating young children from their parents and detaining them in enclosed areas.
On Sunday, Mr. Green stated that his proposed resolution presents a strong and indisputable argument for impeaching Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“After exhausting all alternative methods of holding Secretary Mayorkas accountable, it is evident that Congress must fulfill its constitutional obligation and impeach him,” he stated.
The impeachment attempt by Republicans has been mocked by Democrats in Congress and the administration. The House is currently preparing to begin proceedings for the impeachment of Joe Biden.
Some believe that the government lacks the means to transport and shelter a large number of people in a compassionate way. With discussions ongoing in the Senate about potential laws to strengthen border security, the Republican Party’s efforts in the House have been used by Democrats as evidence that their opponents are not committed to finding resolutions.
Former President Donald Trump continues to stir up controversy by exerting pressure on Senate Republicans to reject any attempts at finding a compromise with Democrats on the border issue. Trump, who is the leading candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, took to Truth Social to express his belief that a bad border deal is worse than no deal at all.
The Department of Homeland Security strongly criticized the GOP on Sunday, issuing a memo denouncing Mr. Green’s proposed articles of impeachment. The memo argues that the resolution is unconstitutional and contends that the allegations do not meet the Constitutional standard for “high crimes or misdemeanors.” It also accuses Mr. Green of having a strong desire for impeachment since the beginning, citing his previous fundraising efforts based on his intention to file articles of impeachment against the secretary.
According to a memo from the Department of Homeland Security, the Republican impeachment effort is baseless and goes against the purpose for which Members of Congress were elected. The memo also states that Secretary Mayorkas is following the law and protecting the country, just like his predecessors did.
The agency also alleged that Republicans are more focused on using the problem as a campaign issue rather than finding a solution for it.
The impeachment of Mr. Biden, similar to the attempt to impeach Mr. Mayorkas, is unlikely to receive support from the Republican-led House and will face challenges before reaching the Senate for a final decision.
Republicans in competitive districts in the House of Representatives have mostly refrained from openly endorsing the impeachment of the president. Instead, those who have shared their opinions have expressed tepid views about how approving the investigation allows the public to find out more information. A small number of House Republicans have already stated that they will not vote to officially back impeachment proceedings against Mr. Biden unless further proof is presented to support the accusations against him.
The situation is becoming more difficult for Republicans due to their narrow majority in the House. With only 219 seats compared to the Democrats’ 213, the recent resignations of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and ally Patrick McHenry have put their party in a precarious position. Just a few absences could hinder their ability to pass resolutions or legislation without support from both parties.
Source: independent.co.uk
