By: Adam Beam 2/13/2024
After a second round of voting, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives has voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The historic vote is in response to the Biden administration's handling of the Southern border. This comes just a week after the GOP failed to pass the vote after several Republican lawmakers defected from the party on the decision.
This time around, however, the House voted 214-213 for impeachment.
"History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games," President Joe Biden said in an official statement following the vote.
"Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security."
The impeachment inquiries into Mayorkas were sparked by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA, after failed attempts at impeaching the sitting President Biden. The two articles of impeachment Mayorkas now faces are based on his "willful and systematic" refusal to enforce existing immigration laws, according to the Homeland Security Committee.
"I prosecuted for 25 years. I know what a high crime and misdemeanor are, and I know that this doesn't qualify. This is a policy difference," Rep. Ken Buck, R-CO, told CNN. He continued, "It sets a terrible precedent. The first impeachment of Donald Trump was a bad impeachment. And we've got to stop this in this body, or we are going to lose our credibility further with the American public."
The vote to impeach Mayorkas will now move to the Senate, however, according to the Associated Press, the likelihood of it being shelved to a committee is high.
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