The House Rules Committee on Monday approved articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, setting up a potentially close vote for tomorrow as the chamber’s narrow Republican majority must work to convince its reluctant members.
The Republican majority on the panel led by Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) approved the resolution over Democratic objections in an 8-4 vote, affirming Mayorkas’ “deliberate and systemic refusal to comply” with the laws. of immigration and the violation of public trust in Last year he testified before Congress that the United States border was “secure.”
“The resolution before us is about accountability,” Cole said in his opening remarks. “I am not pleased with our actions today. But Secretary Mayorkas’ actions – both in his intentional refusal to enforce our laws and in his abandonment of the trust of Americans – demand that we act.”
“Secretary Mayorkas has refused to fulfill his oath. If he does not fulfill his duty, unfortunately the House will have to fulfill its constitutional duty,” he added.
The House Rules Committee on Monday approved articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, setting up a potentially close vote tomorrow. AP
The House Homeland Security Committee voted for the resolution along party lines early Wednesday morning, following a 15-hour effort by Democrats to halt the proceedings and introduce other amendments.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) promised in his first-floor speech last week that Republicans would “move quickly” to pass the articles, making Mayorkas the No. 2 House official. cabinet in American history to be impeached.
Under President Ulysses S. Grant, Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached by the House in 1876 for corruption, but he resigned and was later acquitted in the Senate.
“Secretary Mayorkas has refused to fulfill his oath. If he fails to do his duty, then unfortunately the House must do its constitutional duty,” added Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.). fake images
That verdict also appears likely for President Biden’s top border enforcement official, given that Democrats control the Senate and neither have expressed a willingness to convict Mayorkas on either article.
House Republicans currently hold a one-vote majority in the House, given the absence of Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana due to cancer treatments and the recovery of Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.). of a car accident.
Moderate members like Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who was previously undecided, have publicly committed in recent weeks to voting “yes” on the resolution, with a full vote scheduled for Tuesday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) promised in his first-floor speech last week that Republicans would “move quickly” to pass the articles, making Mayorkas the No. 2 House official. cabinet in American history to be impeached. fake images
Some Democrats – including Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas and Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania – have denounced the growing “crisis” at the southern border.
Cuellar told The Post last week that he would not vote to recall Mayorkas.
In his fiery speech, Johnson declared that the border policy between Biden and Mayorkas was “absolute madness” and represented a “clear and present danger” to the United States unless it could be stopped completely.
During Monday’s hearing, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) introduced the articles and promised that if the secretary “were a Republican, he would do exactly the same thing,” responding to questions Democratic objections that the impeachment trial was a partisan stunt.
He added that former President Richard Nixon also faced an impeachment inquiry that did not identify specific crimes, while Democrats have asserted throughout the process that Mayorkas could not be impeached for his conduct.
During Monday’s hearing, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) introduced the articles and promised that if the secretary “were a Republican, I would be doing exactly the same thing.” fake images
Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, responded that the resolution was “a betrayal of the committee’s bipartisan record since it was established after 9/11.”
“Republicans have failed to present a constitutionally viable case,” he said, calling the resulting resolution a “sham impeachment” that did not rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors as set out in the Constitution.
Thompson further noted that the issue “has already been addressed in the courts and decided in favor of the Biden administration,” citing last year’s Supreme Court decision in United States v. Texas, or else work is underway. the legal process.
The bill blames Mayorkas for having “significantly contributed to unprecedented levels of illegal entries, increased control of the southwest border by drug cartels, and the imposition of enormous costs on states and localities affected by the influx.” of foreigners.”
Specifically, it claims that the Secretary of Homeland Security implemented de facto “catch and release” policies by failing to uphold the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, resulting in more than 8.5 million encounters with immigrants by the Office of the United States Customs and Border Protection since President Biden took office in January 2021.
At least 7 million of those apprehensions occurred at the southern border, CBP data shows, breaking the record for three consecutive years.
In a September 30, 2021, memorandum, Mayorkas presented guidelines to dilute law enforcement and other “effective mechanisms” to detain migrants and require them to appear at subsequent court hearings on their asylum claims.
In his fiery speech, Johnson declared that the border policy between Biden and Mayorkas was “absolute madness” and represented a “clear and present danger” to the United States unless it could be stopped completely. AP
This policy has caused an accumulation of more than 3 million asylum cases, the impeachment resolution indicates.
Other policies have increased humanitarian parole “en masse,” rather than on a “case-by-case basis” required by federal law, he says, with up to 30,000 immigrants allowed each month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to await arrival. Asylum hearings in the United States.
The crossings are “creating a fiscal and humanitarian crisis and dramatically degrading the quality of life of residents” in border towns and several Democratic-run sanctuary cities like New York, the resolution adds.
“For example, since 2022, more than 150,000 migrants have passed through the New York City shelter intake system. In fact, the mayor of New York City has said that “we are already past our breaking point” and that “[t]your problem will destroy New York City,’” it reads.
The bill blames Mayorkas for having “significantly contributed to unprecedented levels of illegal entries, increased control of the southwest border by drug cartels, and the imposition of enormous costs on states and localities affected by the influx.” of foreigners.” AP
“In fiscal year 2023, New York City spent $1,450,000,000 to address the Alejandro N. Mayorkas immigration crisis, and city officials fear it will spend another $12,000,000,000 over the next three fiscal years, leading to painful budget cuts in important city services.”
Fentanyl seizures have skyrocketed from about 4,800 pounds in fiscal year 2020 to 27,000 in 2023, making it “now the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45,” according to the resolution.
And at least 361 border crossers have also appeared on the terrorist watch list during his tenure, he further claims, and Mexican cartels have benefited from a windfall of money through their “smuggling operations” of approximately $13. billion as of 2022, up from $500 million just four years earlier.
The second article of impeachment accuses Mayorkas of having “knowingly made false statements and knowingly obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security” by evading congressional records requests.
Democrats on the Rules Committee, such as ranking member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), have maintained throughout the process that Mayorkas could not be impeached for his conduct. AP
He cites several statements during hearings last year before Congress in which he stated that the border was “secure” and “closed,” as well as that his agency had “operational control” of the border as defined by the Secure Fence Act of 2006. .
The latter article also cites the secretary’s refusal to enforce the Trump administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols, known as the Remain in Mexico policy, which required migrants to wait for asylum hearings south of the U.S. border.
If passed, the Senate will have to immediately begin trial proceedings with several House GOP impeachment managers as it also seeks to pass a new border security bill that addresses issues related to asylum and immigration. conditional freedom.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn