Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas received considerable criticism from Republican members of Congress in his first appearance after the impeachment effort against him failed. The Cabinet secretary attempted to avoid barbs from the GOP members.
“The open border is the number one issue across America in poll after poll and that is exactly why this committee impeached you,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
Mayorkas testified before Congress Thursday, where Republicans cited the border crisis and entry of millions of illegal aliens. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-FL) asked about the murder of college student Laken Riley by an illegal alien.
“Do you have any regrets? Do you have any remorse for your complicity in these crimes?” Johnson asked. “Your open-border policy aided and abetted the murder of Americans, the rape of Americans.”
“It’s insulting to all of us and insulting to the memory of Laken Riley,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said, arguing that Mayorkas did not answer questions about Riley directly.
MTG goes off on Mayorkas:
"The open border is the number one issue across America in poll after poll and that is exactly why this committee impeached you." pic.twitter.com/LmNRdnVWu8
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 16, 2024
Mayorkas was successfully impeached by the House of Representatives earlier this year. However, the Senate voted not to convict Mayorkas and remove him from the position.
The impeachment was the first one for a Cabinet official in more than a century.
The impeachment resolution accused Mayorkas of having violated his “oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, to bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to well and faithfully discharge the duties of his office, has willfully and systemically refused to comply with Federal immigration laws.”
The resolution argued that Mayorkas “has repeatedly violated laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security. In large part because of his unlawful conduct, millions of aliens have illegally entered the United States on an annual basis with many unlawfully remaining in the United States.”
“His refusal to obey the law is not only an offense against the separation of powers in the Constitution of the United States, it also threatens our national security and has had a dire impact on communities across the country,” read the resolution.
