Led by Congressman Mark Green of Tennessee, who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, all 17 Republican members of the committee on Thursday called on the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, an appointee of President Joe Biden.
Hearings ended Thursday, after a week of proceedings. Up next: Charging him with failure to protect the nation’s border from the surge of illegal immigrants. Three articles of impeachment have now been filed against Mayorkas for dereliction of duty, violating laws, and creating a national security threat.
A majority vote in the House is needed to impeach Mayorkas over these “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Two-thirds of the Senate would need to convict him in order to remove him from office, and Democrats control the Senate.
“The truth is that Secretary Mayorkas has disregarded court orders, laws passed by Congress and has lied to the American people,” Green said during the hearing Thursday. “Who wants a secretary that can just disregard the fundamental pillars of the Constitution? We cannot tolerate that, whether they are a Republican or Democrat.”
Green, who is a medical doctor, has led a nearly year-long investigation and subsequent impeachment proceedings, and “having exhausted all other options to hold him accountable, it is unmistakably clear to all of us—and to the American people—that Congress must exercise its constitutional duty and impeach Secretary Mayorkas.”
Majorkas has “consistently, willfully, and systemically refused to follow the laws passed by Congress, abused his authority, and breached the trust of Congress and the American people on numerous occasions. The result of his failure to fulfill his oath of office has been a border crisis that is unprecedented in American history—a crisis that has cost the lives of thousands of Secretary Mayorkas’ fellow Americans,” he said.
A hearing, “Voices for the Victims: The Heartbreaking Reality of the Mayorkas Border Crisis,” examined the impact of Secretary Mayorkas’ intentional border crisis on Americans, including testimony from moms who have been forever impacted by his refusal to enforce the laws of the United States. Unfortunately, Secretary Mayorkas chose to meet with Mexican officials rather than testify before Congress and face these mothers,” Green said.
The committee held its first impeachment hearing last week titled, “Havoc in the Heartland: How Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership Has Impacted the States.”
The hearings follow the committee’s nearly year-long investigation into the causes, costs, and consequences of the unprecedented crisis at America’s borders and the impact on Americans and Tennesseans.
The Committee held its first hearing on Jan. 10, with testimony from three border-state state attorneys general who agreed that, in addition to the crisis wreaking havoc in their states, Mayorkas’ actions rise to the level of impeachable offenses.
Throughout the five-phase investigation that culminated in these impeachment proceedings, the Committee published detailed reports of its findings, totaling nearly 400 pages:
- Phase 1 Interim Report: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ Dereliction of Duty
- Phase 2 Interim Report: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Has Emboldened Cartels, Criminals, and America’s Enemies
- Phase 3 Interim Report: The Devastating Human Costs of the DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ Open-Borders Policies
- Phase 4 Interim Report: The Historic Dollar Costs of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ Open-Borders Policies
- Phase 5 Interim Report: The Massive Waste and Abuse Enabled by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
- Transcribed Interview Appendix: First-Hand Accounts of the Crisis From Border Patrol Sector Chiefs
Green’s office said the reports conclusively establish that Secretary Mayorkas is chiefly responsible for the chaos and devastation that has unfolded at America’s borders over the past three years.
“His willful and systemic refusal to follow the laws passed by Congress has incentivized unprecedented mass illegal immigration. He has abused his power by directing his Department to implement policies contrary to federal statute and abandoning viable enforcement initiatives, and he has breached the public trust by willfully misleading Congress and the American people on numerous occasions about the consequences of his decisions and the operational realities on the border. As a result of his refusal to follow the law and abuse of power, the criminal cartels have been empowered, Americans and migrants alike are suffering in record numbers, and cities and states across the country are assuming massive financial costs,” Green’s office said.
The Committee conducted 10 full and subcommittee hearings, gathering testimony from more than two dozen witnesses.
The committee, along with the House Oversight Committee, conducted transcribed interviews of chief and deputy chief patrol agents responsible for the Border Patrol’s nine Southwest border sectors as part of this investigation.
These senior agents said:
- – They have never before seen such historic numbers of illegal crossings
- – There has been a lack of consequences enforced by DHS for illegal entry
- – Mass releases functioning as a pull factor for millions of illegal aliens, pulling more illegals to the border
- – Illegal aliens are now turning themselves in to Border Patrol, knowing they will be released into the interior of the United States
- – There is expansive degree of cartel control at the Southwest border
- – Agents are being taken out of the field in order to help process and release illegal aliens
- – Illegal aliens are spreading the word of our open border back home, encouraging more crossings
- – The operational impacts of open borders, including closed checkpoints and national security/public safety risks
- – Border Patrol sector chiefs contradict Secretary Mayorkas, say they do not have operational control in their sectors
Throughout the process, Secretary Mayorkas refused to cooperate with committee requests for him to appear and provide testimony on his handling of the crisis and his alleged refusal to enforce U.S. law.
