(FeaturedHeadlines.com) – The US House of Representatives passed articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, marking the first impeachment of a cabinet official since 1876. House lawmakers advanced the articles of impeachment, which accuse Mayorkas of willful and systemic refusal to enforce federal law, in a vote of 214-213.
The House successfully passed the articles of impeachment on February 13 after failing to advance the measure the previous week, in part due to Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s absence for cancer treatment. The impeachment effort now heads to the Democrat-majority Senate, where lawmakers will hold an impeachment trial.
However, it is “basically certain” that the Senate will decline to convict Mayorkas on the impeachment charges, a Senate Republican aid reportedly said. The US Constitution requires two-thirds of senators to vote in favor of conviction.
The House’s impeachment resolution charges Mayorkas with “willfully and systemically” refusing to comply with federal immigration laws. Millions of migrants have illegally entered and remained in the United States under Mayorkas’ watch, according to the resolution.
The resolution also charges Mayorkas with breach of public trust for allegedly violating his oath of office. Mayorkas knowingly obstructed oversight of the Department of Homeland Security to obfuscate his refusal to comply with the law, the resolution said.
US President Joe Biden expressed disapproval of the House’s impeachment push despite the effort being likely to fail in the Senate. History will “not look kindly” on House Republicans, Biden said in a statement. Biden characterized the impeachment effort as a partisan and petty political maneuver targeting an “honorable” public official.
The House passed the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas amid talks in Congress about border security legislation. Senate negotiators initially proposed a supplemental funding bill with both foreign aid and border security measures, but the Senate ultimately passed a version without the latter measures. However, some House Republicans continue to insist on addressing domestic border security before sending more taxpayer dollars abroad.
In the absence of viable legislation to secure the United States’ borders, House lawmakers are instead seeking to remove the administration official responsible for securing them with existing powers.
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