Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) on Wednesday announced he is filing a new article of impeachment against Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Flanked by more than a dozen fellow Republican lawmakers outside the Capitol, Biggs accused Mayorkas of having intentionally induced or exacerbated the crisis at the southern border.
“Instead of enforcing the laws on the books and deporting or detaining these illegal aliens, the vast majority of them are released into the interior and never heard from again.
“Thousands of pounds of drugs—including deadly fentanyl—continue to pour across the border unabated. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45. These drugs could be stopped by a border fence and personnel, but Secretary Mayorkas has halted all wall construction and pulled agents from the front lines.
“It’s clear Secretary Mayorkas has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. His conduct is willful and intentional. He is not enforcing the law and is violating his oath of office. For these reasons, Secretary Mayorkas should be impeached.”
A DHS spokesperson said lawmakers should focus on updating the U.S. immigration system instead of seeking to cast blame on officials.
“Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of this Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people,” a DHS spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement. “The Department will continue our work to enforce our laws and secure our border, while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system.
“Instead of trying to point fingers and score political points, the Members of Congress recklessly and baselessly pursuing impeachment should work on legislative solutions for our broken system, which has not been updated in over 40 years.”
An impeachment is akin to an indictment, which, if further advanced, would result in a trial in the Senate.
Following the November 2022 election, House Republicans now have a slim majority in the chamber, which means the impeachment articles could find enough support to pass the House if virtually every GOP lawmaker votes in unison.
But an impeachment trial is unlikely because Democrats control the Senate. Furthermore, to convict an official, a two-thirds majority vote is required.
Impeachment Article
The latest article of impeachment from Biggs seeks to hold Mayorkas accountable “for high crimes and misdemeanors.”It adds that Mayorkas “has violated, and continues to violate, this oath by failing to maintain operational control of the border and releasing hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into the interior of the United States.”
Mayorkas has also allegedly violated the Secure Fence Act of 2006 in failing to maintain operational control of the border, and his actions “have directly led to an increase in illegal aliens and illegal narcotics, including deadly fentanyl, entering the United States,” according to the resolution.
It accuses Mayorkas of having willfully violated the Immigration and Nationality Act “by releasing illegal aliens into the interior of the United States,” even though the law requires the homeland secretary to detain illegal aliens while they are placed in removal proceedings. It adds: “The Secretary of Homeland Security does not have the option of simply releasing those aliens into the interior of the United States.”
The resolution noted various actions by the DHS under Mayorkas, including how it terminated contracts for building more of the border wall, which resulted in key parts of the southern border not being secured. Separately, Mayorkas also terminated the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico,” a program under Trump that kept illegal aliens in Mexico until their asylum claims are heard.
GOP Push for Impeachment, Investigations
The new article of impeachment on Wednesday marks a renewed impeachment effort. Biggs in August 2021 had introduced articles of impeachment against the DHS chief. In doing so, he became the first member of Congress to push for Mayorkas’s impeachment. At the time, the impeachment resolution had 32 Republican co-sponsors. But the two articles failed to reach the House floor for a vote.Biggs, who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told reporters on Wednesday that he and Fallon are co-sponsoring each others’ impeachment resolutions.