The USA Home of Representatives has narrowly voted to question Secretary of Homeland Safety Alejandro Mayorkas after Republican politicians blamed him for unprecedented arrivals of migrants and asylum seekers on the US-Mexico border.
Mayorkas has been accused of “willfully refusing” to implement border legal guidelines and a “breach of the general public belief”. That is the primary time in about 150 years {that a} cupboard secretary has been impeached. The costs in opposition to him will seemingly be rejected by the Democratic-majority Senate.
Right here is extra about Mayorkas’s impeachment, and what’s subsequent.
Why was Mayorkas impeached?
The impeachment is the fruits of months of Republican assaults on Mayorkas and the Democratic occasion for his or her dealing with of border safety. Greater than six million refugees and migrants have arrived within the US since 2021, making immigration a key concern within the upcoming presidential election due in November.
The Republicans have accused the Biden administration of taking away Trump’s border safety insurance policies they declare deterred migrants. In addition they level out that the Biden administration’s insurance policies have attracted migrants.
Biden administration has clashed with Governor Gregg Abbott of Texas, a border state, on the immigration concern. Abbott, a Republican, has been a vocal critic of Biden’s dealing with of the immigration concern.
On January 28, Home Republicans handed two articles, accusing Mayorkas of “presid[ing] over a reckless abandonment of border safety and immigration enforcement” and “releasing a whole bunch of hundreds of unlawful aliens into the inside of the US”, amongst different prices.
The secretary was deemed responsible of “excessive crimes and misdemeanors” that amounted to a “willful and systemic refusal to adjust to the legislation” on immigration and a “breach of the general public belief.” They recommended that impeaching Mayorkas was the Congress’s solely viable choice.
An try by the Republican-controlled Home to question Mayorkas on February 6 failed. Tuesday’s vote was narrowly handed by 214 to 213.
What does the impeachment imply?
Impeachment is the method beneath which a authorities official is charged for misconduct by a legislative physique.
Solely the Home of Representatives can provoke an impeachment. The Senate, nonetheless, has the facility to vote down an impeachment trial.
Below the impeachment course of, Congress can cost and check out a federal official for “treason, bribery, or different excessive crimes and misdemeanors”. The definition of “excessive crimes and misdemeanors” has lengthy been contested because it has not been specified within the structure.
The Home has solely ever impeached one different cupboard official – Secretary of Struggle William Belknap in 1876 – and that was over severe corruption allegations somewhat than an easy coverage disagreement.
What occurs subsequent?
For now, Mayorkas continues to retain his place because the impeachment is basically symbolic.
Mayorkas will seemingly be acquitted by the Democratic-controlled Senate, with with a 51-49 majority. A two-thirds majority within the Senate is required to convict somebody. Then again, impeachment by the Home calls for a easy majority.
All Republicans in addition to a considerable variety of Democrats must vote to convict Mayorkas – a extremely unlikely situation.
The Senate is anticipated to obtain the articles of impeachment from the Home after resuming its session on February 26. The Senate might vote to dismiss the articles, dissolve the trial, or refer the articles to a committee.
Mayorkas has mentioned that in case of a trial, he is able to defend himself within the Senate and that till then, he’s specializing in his job.
Who’s Alejandro Mayorkas?
An immigrant himself, Mayorkas was born in Havana and arrived in the US in 1960 after his dad and mom fled the Cuban Revolution. He settled along with his household in Southern California and graduated from the College of California at Berkeley. He obtained his legislation diploma from Loyola Regulation College in 1985.
In the course of the administration of former President Barrack Obama, he served as deputy secretary of homeland safety and director of the citizenship and immigration providers.
As he labored beneath Obama, Mayorkas achieved some historic firsts. He turned the youngest US lawyer appointed by former US President Invoice Clinton in 1998 and was the highest-ranking Cuban American beneath Obama. He additionally assisted in negotiations for the primary homeland safety memorandum of understanding between the US and Cuba.
Mayorkas was appointed by US President Joe Biden as secretary of homeland safety in 2021.
What are the reactions to his impeachment?
Biden instantly rebuked Republicans for what he termed a “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has focused an honorable public servant to be able to play petty political video games”.
After the vote, Home Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned, “Since this secretary refuses to do the job that the Senate confirmed him to do, the Home should act”.
Democrats and lots of authorized specialists contest that Mayorkas’s impeachment shouldn’t be based mostly on a difficulty that meets the extent of “excessive crimes and misdemeanors”. As a substitute, they argue the difficulty is for voters to resolve because it stems from a coverage dispute the place Republicans are dissatisfied with Biden’s immigration insurance policies which can be applied by way of Mayorkas.
They’ve additional mentioned that it’s not Biden’s insurance policies that entice extra migrants to the southern border; the inflow of migrants and refugees is merely a facet of a multifaceted concern, the place individuals are making dangerous, life-threatening escapes from rising political, financial and local weather turmoil seeking a greater life.
Twenty-five authorized specialists referred to as the push “completely unjustified” in an open letter and had been echoed by constitutional students who’ve additionally spoken in Congress in opposition to Donald Trump’s impeachments.
“Home Republicans will probably be remembered by historical past for trampling on the Structure for political acquire somewhat than working to resolve the intense challenges at our border,” mentioned Mia Ehrenberg, a spokesperson for the Division of Homeland Safety.
Ken Buck, one in all three Republicans who voted no in final week’s vote, referred to as the transfer in opposition to Mayorkas a “stunt” whereas fellow insurgent Mike Gallagher mentioned it could “pry open the Pandora’s field of perpetual impeachment”.
