Feb. 6 (UPI) — The Republican-led House is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over immigration at the U.S. border with Mexico.
The GOP has a three-vote majority in the House. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., has said he would vote against impeachment. While he is no fan of Mayorkas and his handling of the border, Buck said his actions do not reach the bar of “high crimes and misdemeanors” as set forth by the Constitution.
If successful, it would mark the second time in history that a Cabinet member has been impeached.
Mayorkas has little chance of being removed with the Democrats controlling the Senate, where a two-thirds vote would be needed to remove him from the Cabinet post.
Democrats in the House and Senate have stood firmly behind him.
The House Homeland Security Committee laid out the GOP’s case against Mayorkas by approving two articles of impeachment — one that accuses him of a “willful and systematic refusal” to comply with immigration laws and a breach of public trust.
The Democrats countered that the Republicans are arguing over policy differences and have not provided evidence that would meet the high crimes and misdemeanor standard.
The move to impeach comes as a group of Democrats and Republicans have hammered out a bipartisan immigration proposal.
That plan, which is tied to aid for Ukraine, has been opposed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and criticized by former President Donald Trump as not going far enough.
