The Republican-majority US House of Representatives voted by one vote to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas. Republicans say the secretary failed to stop illegal immigration.
The US House of Representatives voted to change the US Secretary of Homeland Security. This is the first case in 150 years in which Congress has initiated impeachment proceedings against a Cabinet member. Alejandro Mayorkas has received a lot of criticism for not effectively dealing with the migration crisis at the US-Mexico border. Since 2021, more than six million people have crossed the southern border of the United States illegally.
In the vote in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives, 214 voted in favor of removing Mayorkas, compared to 213 against him.
President Joe Biden responded to the vote by calling it “unconstitutional partisanship” and a “political stunt.” He defended Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement. He was an honorable public servant who “faithfully upheld the rule of law and demonstrated a deep commitment to the values that make our nation great,” he wrote.
According to the impeachment proceedings, the Senate is now discussing his fate, but since the majority of Democrats are there, it is doubtful that they will support the removal of the Secretary of Homeland Security, who is also responsible for protecting the border.
One of the major topics in the US presidential election in November is immigration. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has repeatedly highlighted the immigration crisis in his political campaign and portrayed himself as the only person who can stop illegal immigration.
According to a January CBS poll, nearly half of Americans consider the situation at the Mexican border a crisis. 63% of respondents want stricter border controls.
According to data published by US Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday, the number of border crossings fell by half in January, which is partly a seasonal decline. At the same time, it can also be observed that the border guards are acting more decisively to protect the country's borders, their report said.
