Republicans approved impeachment
charges
against the Secretary of Homeland Security,
Alejandro
Mayorkas
, in a committee of the United States House of Representatives
, whom they accuse of
having endangered the country's security
with the entry of
undocumented migrants.
The charges were approved in the Homeland Security Committee of the House of Representatives with 18 votes in favor - all Republicans - and 14 against - all Democrats -, the step prior to them being put to a vote in the plenary session.
Democrats on the panel dismissed the process as a stunt and a sham.
Photo: AP
It is a charge against a cabinet official that
has not been seen in almost 150 years
.
The Homeland Security Committee recommended two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the full House of Representatives, as Republicans
endorse the hardline deportation approach
of November election front-runner Donald Trump on immigration.
Rarely has
a Cabinet member faced the “high crimes and misdemeanors” impeachment bar, and Democrats on the panel dismissed the process as
a stunt and sham
that could set
a chilling precedent
for other public officials caught. in political disputes by lawmakers who disagree with the president's approach.
Migration and borders, "the" theme of the campaign
The vote in the plenary session could take place
as early as next week
and its approval would formally open the impeachment process against Mayorkas at a time when
migration and the border
are becoming
the issue of the electoral campaign.
The charges of which the Republicans accuse Mayorkas, also called articles of 'impeachment', are
"violation of the public trust"
and
"systematic and deliberate refusal to comply with the law"
by not adequately handling the situation on the border between states. United and Mexico.
The chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Republican Mark Green, stated this Tuesday that "the final remedy to directly address Secretary Mayorkas' deliberate and systematic disregard for the rule of law is impeachment."
"After three years of this crisis and a year of investigations and procedures,
we must move forward with accountability
," he added.
The chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Republican Mark Green.
Photo: AP
The committee's top Democrat, Bennie Thompson, responded that the impeachment of Mayorkas
"is a baseless sham"
and that "the few reasonable Republicans left in the House know it, even if they refuse to admit it."
"The American people deserve better," he said.
Mayorkas: "Their accusations do not worry me"
Mayorkas, for his part
, made public a six-page letter
that he sent to the president of the committee in which he assured that he has provided countless information that "clearly demonstrates" how he is enforcing the law and regretted that it has not served to stop this process. "without foundation."
"I assure you that your false accusations
do not disturb me or divert me
from law enforcement and the broader public service to which I remain dedicated," he said.
The committee's ranking Democrat, Bennie Thompson, responded that the impeachment against Mayorkas "is a farce. Photo: Reuters
The Republicans currently have
a weak majority of 219 to 213 in the House of Representatives
, so when they submit the charges to the plenary session they must receive the support of almost all of their members to be approved.
A process that will die in the Senate
If the articles prosper,
it will be up to the Senate to carry out the impeachment trial against Mayorkas
, a process that is almost impossible to go ahead since
two-thirds of the votes
are required in that chamber and the Democrats have the majority.
However, Republicans
will try to take advantage of the public exposure of the impeachment trial
against the head of the president's immigration policy, Joe Biden, when the issue is becoming very important ahead of the electoral campaign.
In December 2023,
at least 302,000
undocumented migrants crossed the southern border from Mexico to the United States,
an unprecedented number.
During fiscal year 2023,
2.4 million people were detained,
which is also a record.
The White House and senators from both parties have negotiated an immigration agreement - the details of which are unknown - to address the current border crisis, but the former president and Republican candidate, Donald Trump (2017-2021), and his allies in Congress They oppose its prosperity.
With information from EFE and AP