House Republicans have succeeded in their push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
In a narrow 214-213 vote on Tuesday, the House voted to advance articles of impeachment against a Cabinet official for the first time in 150 years.
BREAKING: The House has voted to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. He is now the first Cabinet Secretary to be impeached since 1876.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 14, 2024
Vote passes 214-213, following a failed vote last week.
In a statement after the vote House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said, “Alejandro Mayorkas deserves to be impeached, and Congress has a constitutional obligation to do so.”
It is not expected that the Senate will vote to convict Mayorkas.
This is the second time Republicans tried to impeach the secretary over their issues with his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border as the country has seen record numbers of migrants attempting to cross the border illegally.
Democrats and even some conservatives have argued Mayorkas’ handling of the border is a policy issue and does not meet the high crime and misdemeanor standard for impeachment.
During Tuesday’s vote, Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), and Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), who helped sink the first vote, also voted against impeachment.
However, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) provided the necessary vote as he returned to the Capitol after missing last week’s vote due to treatment for blood cancer.
In a statement, Homeland Security spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg said, “House Republicans will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border.”
“While Secretary Mayorkas was helping a group of Republican and Democratic Senators develop bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security and get needed resources for enforcement, House Republicans have wasted months with this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment,” she continued.
Finally Ehrenberg, said, “Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country. Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe.”
