(USNewsBreak.com) – Millions of migrants have crossed into the US from Mexico in recent years, coming from multiple Latin American nations and abroad. House Republicans, looking to hold someone accountable for the way things have been handled at the border, introduced articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. It took two tries, but the House managed to secure enough votes to impeach him, and now Biden has reacted to the outcome.
On February 13, after the House held a (successful) second vote to impeach Mayorkas, President Biden released a statement blasting House Republicans for carrying out a “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship,” targeting the Homeland Security Secretary in a “baseless” move. He described them as “play[ing] petty political games.”
Biden calls House Republicans' impeachment of DHS Sec. Mayorkas a "blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship." https://t.co/28NR59xmIc
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) February 14, 2024
Biden went on to say that “Instead of staging political stunts,” Republicans should work with Democrats to come up with solutions. He accused the GOP of “rejecting bipartisan plans … to strengthen border security at this very moment.”
The vote on February 13 passed by a very slim margin of 214-213 and followed a failed vote the week prior. Three Republican Representatives, Ken Buck (CO), Mike Gallagher (WI), and Tom McClintock (CA), voted with Democrats for the second week in a row. House Republicans accused Mayorkas of committing high crimes and misdemeanors for failing to keep the border crossings under control.
From here, the articles will proceed to the Senate, which acts as the High Court of Impeachment, and a trial will take place to determine whether to convict or acquit Mayorkas or to dismiss the charges entirely. Securing a two-thirds majority vote — the minimum needed to convict the Homeland Security Secretary — will likely be impossible, considering Democrats hold the majority in the Upper Chamber with Independents who caucus with them.
Currently, the Senate is in recess until February 26, so pundits don’t expect to see any movement until then.
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