(USNewsBreak.com) – The House voted 214 to 213 to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on February 13 after the first attempt the week prior failed. However, with more pressing matters at hand — passing the budget bills to fund the government — the matter sat on the back burner. Still, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) notified the Senate that they would receive those impeachment articles soon.
On March 28, Johnson sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) notifying him that he would receive the articles on April 10, when the Senate returns from its break. In the correspondence, signed by 12 other House Republicans, he asked Schumer to hold a trial “expeditiously” to uphold the American people’s expectations of a secure border and Cabinet members who follow due process.
The speaker called out Mayorkas for his perceived wrongs, including breach of public trust and failure to comply with and enforce existing law. Johnson identified the actions as “constitutional grounds for Secretary Mayorkas’ conviction and removal from office.”
BREAKING: Johnson to formally hand Mayorkas impeachment articles to Senate, urges trial 'expeditiously' https://t.co/P1V8pEuo0v
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 28, 2024
Currently, it’s uncertain what Schumer plans to do, though the Democratic majority is likely to side with Mayorkas, having expressed criticism at how the House was handling the situation. For his part, Schumer has called the proceedings “another embarrassment” and a “sham.”
The Senate Majority Leader said in a statement that the House had “failed to produce any evidence” of a crime or show that “[Mayorkas] has violated the Constitution.” Should the Senate proceed with a trial, it will likely end in an acquittal. However, Republican strategists think it could open up some vulnerabilities for Democrats come election day.
The accusations against Mayorkas stem from the stunning number of immigrants who have crossed the border since President Joe Biden took office. The end of 2023 saw more migrant encounters at the Southern Border than the US had seen in any month prior. Republicans are pointing to the Biden administration’s border policies as the cause.
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