Articles of Impeachment have been filed against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Texas Republican Rep. Pat Fallon filed the articles on Monday evening and they accuse Mayorkas of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
The articles have been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, which is now being chaired by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio). He will be determining how things will proceed.
Fallon said this about the rationale behind the move: “Secretary Mayorkas’s willful actions have eroded our immigration system, undermined border patrol morale, and jeopardized American national security. He has violated the law and it is time for him to go.”
The articles accuse Mayorkas of violating the constitutional oath that he took as well as engaging in conduct that is incompatible with his duties as an officer of the United States.
He also said that it was unfortunate that things have come to this point, but this move was necessary. Fallon believes that the impeachment of Mayorkas is not an accident, he has misled Congress and the people of America, and to make progress at the southern border, he has to go.
The articles from Fallon cite the Secure the Fence Act of 2006, which require the DHS secretary to “maintain operational control over the entire international land and maritime borders of the United States.”
Fallon also maintained that Mayorkas helped implement the DACA program during President Obama’s time in office. And he presided over a 180-percent increase in encounters at the southern border compared to the previous administration. The articles say that Mayorkas “stood by” while over 5.5 million criminal noncitizens “stole into” the United States.
Mayorkas continues to maintain that the southern border is “secure” and he told the press that he has no intention of resigning.
We’ll see how that plays out now that these articles will come under the spotlight.
