Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas survived an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, as four Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the resolution.
The vote was 216 to 214, with one member not voting. Mayorkas was the first Cabinet secretary to face an impeachment vote in nearly 150 years, and the second in U.S. history.
He was charged by Republicans with two articles of impeachment, accusing him of “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and “breach of public trust” over his handling of the border crisis.
The articles alleged that Alejandro Mayorkas failed to enforce immigration laws and released migrants into the U.S. who should have been detained, lied to lawmakers about the border security, and obstructed congressional oversight of his department.
The secretary denied the allegations and defended his record, saying that he was following the law and the Constitution, and that he was working to secure the border and address the root causes of migration. He also said that he was cooperating with Congress and providing accurate information. He called the impeachment attempt a “baseless and partisan attack” that undermined national security and the rule of law.
Democrats also denounced the impeachment attempt as a political stunt, saying that it was motivated by the Republicans’ opposition to President Joe Biden’s immigration policies and their desire to appeal to former President Donald Trump’s base. They argued that the impeachment articles did not meet the constitutional standard of “high crimes and misdemeanors”, and that they were based on false or misleading claims.
