Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced a motion to compel a vote on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Nov. 9.
This action reignites a debate that had largely ceased due to the Republican Party’s continued division regarding its impeachment authority and other pressing issues facing the GOP.
The privileged resolution, which demands immediate action, alleges that Mr. Mayorkas “willful admittance of border crossers” and asserts that he is obligated to safeguard the United States against a “invasion.”
Ms. Greene further alleges that Mr. Mayorkas has contravened the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which mandates border perfection. According to the law, a border can only be deemed operationally secure when there is no unauthorized entry of individuals or contraband into the county.
“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,” Ms. Greene’s resolution states.
Speaking to journalists on Capitol Hill on the same day she moved to force a vote on the resolution, Ms. Greene said, “America can’t wait anymore. This is a national security crisis and people are dying every single day ... We have a duty to make sure that people that serve in the federal government are upholding our laws. Secretary Mayorkas is breaking the law. Our country has been invaded.”
To drive her point home, the lawmaker cited an instance where a couple from her district in Georgia were “tragically killed in Texas as they were driving to go visit family.” The couple, Jose and Isabel Lerma, were involved in a car crash with a car suspected of carrying smuggled migrants as it fled from police, as USA Today reported.
The lawmaker drove the point home, saying, “This shouldn’t be happening ... We can’t wait any more on Washington, D.C., no more strongly worded letters, committee hearings, no more clips on the press, we have to do something about it. And so that’s why I reintroduced my articles of impeachment.”
When asked what she would do if fellow party members didn’t vote in support of her resolution, the Georgia Republican said, “This is the number-one issue to Republican voters. It’s also becoming the number one issue to Democrat voters. It’s an American issue. So if anyone in Congress moves to table this and doesn’t doesn’t believe it’s important, I think the American people will let them know how they feel about that.
Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) was also asked about his colleague’s move and responded by telling reporters, “I am not going to be thinking a lot about every privileged resolution that Marjorie Greene files because I’m got real work to do.
“And if we impeach anybody, it’s going to be up to [Rep. James] Comer (R-Ky.) in the judiciary committee to decide that he’s ready to move the impeachment inquiry to a full impeachment on President Biden. I’m not interested in these peripheral impeachment efforts.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement about the resolution, “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.
The department cited their department’s success in stopping “unprecedented amounts of fentanyl” from entering the United States, as well as “countering threats from the Chinese government” and other successes.
The spokesperson said that DHS has been transparent under Mr. Mayorkas, and the cabinet member has made himself accessible to lawmakers, including testifying before Congress eight times this year. They also asserted that policy differences are not grounds for impeachment.
“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,” DHS’s spokesperson said.
