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Wednesday 31 January 2024

House Republicans taking a key vote toward impeaching

Mayorkas as border becomes 2024 campaign issue

Continued from Front of migrants at the U.S.-Mex- a letter to the committee Mayorkas never testified in political failure as Republi-
ico border and that he has that it should be working with on his own behalf during cans, and some Democrats,
“The actions and decisions “breached the public trust” the Biden administration to the rushed impeachment run from the effort.
of Secretary Mayorkas have in his claims to Congress that update the nation’s “broken proceedings — he and the Trump, on the campaign trail
left us with no other option the border is secure. A com- and outdated” immigration committee couldn’t agree and in private talks, has tried
but to proceed with articles mittee vote would send the laws for the 21st century and on a date — but drew on to squelch the deal. “I’d rather
of impeachment,” said Chair- articles to the full House for an era of record global mi- his own background as a have no bill than a bad bill,”
man Mark Green, R-Tenn. a vote as soon as next week. gration. child brought to the U.S. by Trump said over the weekend
The articles charge that May- “We cannot allow this man to “We need a legislative solu- his parents fleeing Cuba and in Las Vegas.
orkas “willfully and system- remain in office any longer,” tion and only Congress can on his career spent prosecut- President Joe Biden, in his own
atically refused to comply Green said. provide it,” Mayorkas wrote ing criminals. campaign remarks in South
with Federal immigration With an unusual personal in the pointed letter to the “Your false accusations do Carolina, said if Congress
laws” amid a record surge appeal Mayorkas wrote in panel’s chairman. not rattle me and do not di- sends him a bill with emer-
vert me” from public service, gency authority he’ll “shut
he wrote. down the border right now” to
Green, the Republican com- get migration under control.
mittee chair, disparaged May- “I’ve done all I can do,” Bi-
orkas’s letter as an “11th-hour den told reporters Tuesday
response” to the committee before departing for a cam-
that was “inadequate and paign-related trip to Florida.
unbecoming of a Cabinet “Give me the power” through
secretary.” legislation, which he said is
Rarely has a Cabinet member something he’s asked “from
faced impeachment’s bar of the very day I got in office.”
“high crimes and misdemean- The Republicans are focused
ors” and Democrats on the on the secretary’s handling
panel called the proceedings of the southern border, which
a stunt and a sham that could has experienced a increas-
set a chilling precedent for ing number of migrants over
other civil servants snared in the past year, many seeking
policy disputes by lawmakers asylum in the U.S., at a time
who disagree with the presi- when drug cartels are using
dent’s approach. the border with Mexico to
“This is a terrible day for the traffic people and ship deadly
committee, the United States, fentanyl into the states.
the Constitution and our great Rep, Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a
country,” said Rep. Bennie Trump ally often mentioned as
Thompson of Mississippi, the vice presidential pick, called
committee’s ranking Demo- it an “invasion.”
crat. Republicans contend that
Referring to Trump’s cam- the Biden administration and
paign slogan, Thompson said Mayorkas either got rid of poli-
the “MAGA-led impeach- cies in place under Trump that
ment of Secretary Mayorkas had controlled migration or
is a baseless sham.” enacted policies of their own
The House’s proceedings that encouraged migrants
against Mayorkas have cre- from around the world to
ated an oddly split-screen come to the U.S. illegally via
Capitol Hill, as the Senate the southern border.
works intently with the sec- Speaker Mike Johnson said
retary on a bipartisan border Biden and Mayorkas have
security package that is now “created a catastrophe” on
on life support. the border, and he criticized
The package being nego- the emerging Senate pack-
tiated by the senators with age. The GOP leader said
Mayorkas could emerge as the president is now trying
the most consequential bipar- to turn the blame back on
tisan immigration proposal in a Congress for failing to update
decade. Or it could collapse immigration laws.q