According to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, the Senate will receive the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on April 10, 2024. Such is what Speaker Johnson informed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a letter sent on Thursday, March 28. In the letter, Speaker Johnson urged Sen. Schumer to hold the impeachment trial “expeditiously.”
As background, the House passed the Articles of Impeachment in mid-February in a historic vote, the first time a cabinet secretary was impeached since Grant’s administration. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, commenting on the matter in a statement posted to X, said, “For nearly a year, the House Homeland Security Committee has taken a careful and methodical approach to this investigation and the results are clear: from his first day in office, Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history.”
Continuing, he went on to add, “He has undermined public trust through multiple false statements to Congress, obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, and violated his oath of office. Alejandro Mayorkas deserves to be impeached, and Congress has a constitutional obligation to do so.” Then, explaining how he thinks the House handled the situation in the appropriate manner, writing, “Next to a declaration of war, impeachment is arguably the most serious authority given to the House and we have treated this matter accordingly. Since this secretary refuses to do the job that the Senate confirmed him to do, the House must act.”
Now, the articles of impeachment will make their way to the Senate. In the letter, Speaker Johnson said, “As Speaker and impeachment managers of the U.S. House of Representatives, we write to inform you that we will present to you upon the Senate’s return, on April 10, 2024, the duly passed articles of impeachment regarding Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously.”
Continuing, the letter provided, “On February 13, 2024, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Secretary Mayorkas for high crimes and misdemeanors, including his willful and systemic refusal to
comply with the law and his breach of the public trust. The evidence on both charges is clear, comprehensive, and compelling, and the House’s solemn act to impeach the first sitting Cabinet official in American history demands timely action by the Senate.”
The letter writers then defended the process used to impeach Mayorkas, saying, “This methodical approach led us—and the American people—to the conclusion that Secretary Mayorkas’ actions warranted impeachment. He refused to comply with the requirements of the immigration laws passed by Congress. In fact, he directed, through a series of memoranda, DHS employees to violate U.S. immigration laws. Consequently, the Secretary is responsible for releasing millions of illegal aliens into the interior and creating unlawful massparole programs. Throughout his tenure, he has repeatedly lied to Congress and the American people about the scope of the crisis and his role in it. His unlawful actions are responsible for the historic crisis that has devastated communities throughout our country, from the smallest border town in Texas to New York City.”
Explaining that there are thus more than sufficient constitutional grounds for Mayorkas’ removal, the letters provided, “The constitutional grounds for Secretary Mayorkas’ conviction and removal from office are well-founded, and the historical record is clear. The Framers of our Constitution gave Congress this authority for scenarios where executive branch officials, who are responsible for executing the laws passed by Congress, flout the law substituting their own judgment for that of Congress.”
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Concluding, the letter provided, “We call upon you to fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial. The American people demand a secure border, an end to this crisis, and accountability for those responsible. To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve.”
Watch the FNC report on the matter here: