Texas Republican Rep. Pat Fallon has filed impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, fulfilling a promise he made prior to the 118th Congress being officially sworn in.
The articles of impeachment known as House Resolution 8 were introduced to the House and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary on January 9th. The impeachment against Mayorkas are for “high crimes and misdemeanors”.
Fallow promised to begin the impeachment process against Mayorkas last week after the Congress was officially sworn in. It is believed this is one of many efforts the new GOP majority House will take against the Biden administration regarding its handling of immigration and the border crisis.
According to Fallon:
“Since day one, Secretary Mayorkas’ policies have undermined law enforcement activities at our southern border. From perjuring himself before Congress about maintaining operational control of the border to the infamous ‘whip-gate’ slander against our border patrol agents, Secretary Mayorkas has proven time and time again that he is unfit to lead the Department of Homeland Security.”
“His 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.”
Allegedly, the first of article of impeachment accuses Mayorkas of failing to execute the Secure the Fence Act of 2006 which requires by law the secretary of Homeland Security to maintain operational control over the entire international land and maritime borders of the United States. There is substantial evidence to suggest this law has not been fulfilled in light of record high illegal immigration.
The second article purports that Mayorkas is in violation of his constitutional oath and that he provided perjurious, false, and misleading testimony to Congress. This addresses his past sworn testimonies in congressional hearings where he claimed the border was secure.
The third and final article of impeachment alleges that Mayorkas publicly and falsely slandered border patrol agents that were accused of whipping Haitian illegal immigrants in Texas in 2021. These agents were later cleared of this accusation and the allegations stemmed from a misleading photo.
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Fallon further stated:
“The 511-page report by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Personal Responsibility found ‘no evidence that [Border Patrol agents] involved in this incident struck, intentionally or otherwise, any migrant with their reins. Secretary Mayorkas slandered his own Border Patrol agents and TXDPS Troopers involved in this incident, contributing to a further decrease in already-low morale among agents.”
In November of 2022, now House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called for Mayorkas to resign over his handling of the souther border and the ensuing migrant crisis. McCarthy suggested at the time impeachment would be on the table when the Republican majority in the House took over.
McCarthy stated:
“If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure and will determine whether we can begin impeachment inquiry.”
Mayorkas has indicated he will not resign in the face of the Republican backlash and that he is prepared for investigations against him.