- “The constitutional grounds for Secretary Mayorkas’ conviction and removal are well founded, and the historical record is clear,” Johnson wrote.
- Mayorkas, 64, is only the second Cabinet secretary to be ousted and the first in nearly 150 years
Speaker Mike Johnson said the House would finally send its articles of impeachment against the Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas on April 10 to initiate a Senate trial.
The House of Representatives voted to impeach Mayorkas on February 13, by just one vote for “deliberate and systematic failure to comply with the law” and “breach of the public trust.”
Johnson unsuccessfully urged the Senate to convict Mayorkas.
“The constitutional grounds for the conviction and removal of Secretary Mayorkas are well founded, and the historical record is clear,” Johnson wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
If Schumer were to even call a trial, two-thirds of the Democratic-led Senate would have to vote to convict Mayorkas and remove him from office.
“We call on you to meet your constitutional obligation to hold this trial,” Johnson added. “The American people demand a secure border and accountability for those responsible.”
Speaker Mike Johnson said the House would finally send its articles of impeachment against the Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas on April 10 to initiate a Senate trial
The House of Representatives voted to impeach Mayorkas on February 13 with just one vote on “deliberate and systematic refusal to comply with the law” and “breach of the public trust”
“We urge you to arrange a trial on this matter as soon as possible.”
Even Senate Republicans have criticized the impeachment effort, with Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama labeling it a “waste of time.”
The two articles of impeachment accuse Mayorkas of failing to enforce immigration law and lying to Congress about the state of the southern border.
Mayorkas, 64, is now only the second Cabinet secretary to be ousted and the first in nearly 150 years.
The Customs and Border Patrol recorded 256,094 encounters nationwide in February, including 189,922 at the southwest border — the worst February on record in decades.
Schumer, meanwhile, has previously said the House will be prepared to act if the House delivers the articles.
“The impeachment managers of the House of Representatives will present the articles of impeachment to the Senate after the state work period. The next day, senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside,” his office said in a February statement.
The impeachment managers appointed by the House of Representatives are Reps. Mark Green, R-Tenn., Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Clay Higgins, R-La., Ben Cline, R-Va., Mike Guest , R-Miss., Andrew Garbarino, RN.Y., Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., August Pfluger, R-Texas, Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., and Laurel Lee, R-Fla.
Migrants gather as they try to enter US territory through the razor fence at the border in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, northern Mexico, March 20, 2024
And the managers are eager to share their business.
“Any Senator who votes to reject the articles of impeachment is dismissing the legitimate concerns of the American people about the border crisis,” Rep. Pfluger told DailyMail.com in a statement.
“It would be a serious mistake if there were not a thorough trial in which the evidence was presented.”
Once the House delivers the articles of impeachment to the Senate, senators would soon after be sworn in as jurors and oversee Mayorkas’ trial.
With Democrats controlling the House, Schumer could simply expedite and dismiss the charges against Mayorkas.