House Republicans Vote to Impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, the House Republican majority chose to continue efforts to impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, holding another vote which passed, 214 to 213. 

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Executive Director Ben Johnson commented, “After an embarrassing loss last week of 214 to 216, House Republicans persisted with a politically motivated effort to impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security. With three Republicans joining every Democrat, the only thing bipartisan was the opposition to impeaching Secretary Mayorkas. The accusations that Secretary Mayorkas breached ‘public trust’ continue to ring hollow given he was implementing policy as Cabinet Secretaries have done throughout American history. As the AILA Executive Committee noted in their open letter last week, ‘in no way does anything he has been accused of rise to a “high crime or misdemeanor” and countless voices have explained why, including constitutional law scholars, Republican thought leaders, and the Wall Street Journal editorial board.’  Weaponizing the impeachment process is both unconstitutional and dangerous for the future of a functioning government. AILA continues to urge Congress to work with President Biden to improve our immigration system.” 

“All this political grandstanding around Mayorkas does absolutely nothing to address our challenges at the border,” said Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the American Immigration Council. “We need solutions like investing in our immigration courts and rehauling our humanitarian protections. Those pushing for this baseless impeachment don’t want solutions, just more distraction.”