Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Thursday announced an article of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, setting up a showdown vote next week.
The Georgia Republican said she decided to move on impeachment after two of her constituents were killed in a high-speed head-on collision with a migrant smuggler. She blamed their deaths on the chaotic border that’s erupted under President Biden and Mr. Mayorkas, whom she said are circumventing laws designed to keep migrants from entering the country illegally.
“Lives have been lost forever. Everyone should care. This is not a political issue,” Ms. Greene said on social media.
Impeachment in the House requires only a majority vote. If Mr. Mayorkas is impeached, the matter would then move to the Senate, where it takes a two-thirds vote to convict and remove someone from office.
The vote could be touchy for Democrats who have watched with dismay as the border spiraled out of control, yet will be reluctant to embarrass Mr. Biden by going after one of his chief lieutenants.
Some Republicans may also balk at the resolution because there has been no formal impeachment process yet.
Ms. Greene’s impeachment resolution accused Mr. Mayorkas of failing to comply with a 2006 law that requires his department to attain “operational control” of the border and to detain those who cross the border illegally while their cases are pending.
She said he has failed to do both of those.
She also said canceling border wall construction has allowed more migrants to enter illegally.
“Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, in his inability to enforce the law, has engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with his duties as a civil officer of the United States,” she wrote in the article of impeachment.
Committees in the GOP-controlled House were already pursuing an investigation that most members believed was a prelude to the impeachment of Mr. Mayorkas. The House Homeland Security Committee has produced several reports arguing the secretary has flouted laws and misled Congress.
Ms. Greene’s resolution short-circuits that process.
Under the House rules, it should come to the floor for a vote early next week.
Homeland Security spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg chided Republicans for the looming showdown.
“While the House majority has wasted months trying to score points with baseless attacks, Secretary Mayorkas has been doing his job and working to keep Americans safe,” she said. “Instead of continuing their reckless impeachment charades and attacks on law enforcement, Congress should work with us to keep our country safe, build on the progress DHS is making, and deliver desperately needed reforms for our broken immigration system that only legislation can fix.”
Homeland Security is a sprawling department that includes everything from the Coast Guard and airport security to disaster response. But it is immigration where Mr. Mayorkas has faced the most criticism.
In addition to record-shattering illegal entries detected, Customs and Border Protection says it’s also recorded record amounts of fentanyl, and the Border Patrol has obliterated previous records for the number of terrorism suspects detected.
Ms. Greene said her two constituents who died were Jose and Isabel Lerma of Dalton, Georgia.
“Two lives were taken from us that never should have been and never would have been if Secretary Mayorkas had done his job and secured our Southern border,” Ms. Greene said. “Americans are getting murdered just going to see their family because of government officials turning a blind eye.”
Only one Cabinet official has ever been impeached, in 1876, and that came moments after he had actually resigned. The Senate did not vote to convict.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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