Reactions from many elected officials have been split following the United States House of Representatives impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday.
This impeachment vote came just one week after the House failed to impeach the secretary for allegedly participating in a “catch and release scheme” and lying to Congress about the border, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
House GOP members held another hearing on Tuesday that resulted in a slim 214-213 vote in favor of articles of impeachment, with three Republicans choosing to vote against the articles.
Many Republican officials have spoken about the vote since the official impeachment, with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) stating that the investigation was taken with a “careful and methodical approach.”
“Next to a declaration of war, impeachment is arguably the most serious authority given to the House, and we have treated this matter accordingly,” said Johnson in a statement. “Since this Secretary refuses to do the job that the Senate confirmed him to do, the House must act.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) also applauded the House for the impeachment, telling reporters that the vote “sends a message to America that Republicans can get our job done when we work together and do what’s important and what the American people want us to do.”
Greene added that the Senate should know that polling indicates “border security is the number one issue” and “they better pay attention to the American people and how they feel.”
“They need to read our Article of Impeachment. We have six pages of Alejandro breaking federal immigration laws.”
On the other hand, multiple Democratic leaders, including President Joe Biden, have spoken out against the impeachment, with the President saying that “[h]istory will not look kindly on House Republicans for their baseless impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas.”
“Instead of staging political stunts like this, House Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border security,” he added in a social media post after the vote.
Similarly, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) criticized the impeachment and said Republicans are “putting on a circus” because they “have no record of accomplishment to run on.”
“That’s what impeaching Secretary Mayorkas is about,” he added in a social media post.
Despite the impeachment, a spokesperson for DHS said Mayorkas and the department will “continue working every day to keep Americans safe.”
“Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country,” said Press Secretary Mia Ehrenberg, per CBS News.
The U.S. Senate is currently on a two-week recess and is expected to take up the impeachment trial upon return; however, it is unlikely that the two-thirds majority needed to impeach will be reached in the Democratic-controlled Senate, as reported by ABC News.