House committee opens probe into DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over ‘dereliction of duty’
The House Homeland Security Committee announced an investigation Thursday into Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for “dereliction of duty,” in what could be the first concrete steps toward impeachment.
Rep. Mark Green, Tennessee Republican and the committee chairman, said his panel will hold a hearing next week with former high-ranking department officials to probe Mr. Mayorkas’s conduct while in office.
“The Homeland Security Committee will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to get the facts,” the congressman said. “With over five million alien encounters at the Southwest border, 1.5 million known gotaways, and DHS’ use of the CBP One app to hide the truth, it’s imperative we shine a light on the misleading claims and intentionally reckless policy decisions that have created the worst border crisis in American history.”
His hearing follows on the heels of a House Judiciary Committee meeting this week that examined whether Mr. Mayorkas is faithfully carrying out his duty to execute the law.
Democrats said the two committees are racing each other to try to claim leadership on the path to impeachment — a move the Democrats called unwarranted.
“The idea of impeaching the secretary is ridiculous,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Washington Democrat and Congressional Progressive Caucus chair. “You do not impeach a Cabinet secretary over policy disagreements.”
Exploring an impeachment case against Mr. Mayorkas was one of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s promises last year as he was seeking to consolidate GOP votes behind his bid for the top post.
He asked several committee chairs to explore the matter.
But progress had been slow, with impeachment backers admitting earlier this year that they weren’t close to having the votes to move against Mr. Mayorkas.
Impeachment in the House takes a majority vote. Once impeached, an official faces a trial in the Senate where it takes a two-thirds vote to convict and remove the official from office.
Given Democrats’ control of the Senate, conviction is almost unthinkable. But the chance to tar Mr. Mayorkas with the first impeachment of a Cabinet official in more than 150 years is an attractive prospect for many Republicans.
The case for impeachment covers two grounds.
Some Republicans say Mr. Mayorkas’s oversight of the chaos and using his powers to “parole” more than 1.5 million unauthorized migrants into the U.S. since October 2021 show a disregard for the law that rises to impeachment standards.
Other Republicans say he has misled Congress on the details of the chaos at the border.
“He should be impeached. You’re supposed to tell the truth,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, New Jersey Republican, said at this week’s Judiciary Committee hearing.
Mr. Mayorkas has brushed off impeachment talk, saying he’s focused on his job.