The House GOP impeaches Mayorkas over the border in a bid to remove him from his position as Homeland Security Secretary.

On Sunday, House Republicans unveiled two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, vowing to expedite their efforts to remove him from office amidst criticism from Democrats and the agency that the impeachment process is politically motivated and lacks the necessary constitutional grounds.

Republicans argue that Mayorkas has committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" by intentionally disregarding immigration laws and breaching the public trust, leaving Congress with no choice but to impeach him.

The impeachment resolution accuses Alejandro N. Mayorkas of intentionally and consistently disregarding immigration laws, failing to secure the border, endangering public safety, and violating the Constitution's separation of powers and rule of law, all to the detriment of the American people.

In American history, only one Cabinet secretary has been impeached, which was William Belknap, President Ulysses Grant's war secretary, in 1876, due to kickbacks in government contracts. Pursuing an official for a policy disagreement, specifically regarding Mayorkas' handling of immigration laws, is unprecedented.

Since gaining control of the House in 2023, Republicans have been pushing to impeach Mayorkas. The announcement on Sunday comes as their other impeachment effort, aimed at Democratic President Joe Biden over his son Hunter's business dealings, has faced challenges.

After a series of hearings, Republicans have swiftly acted against Mayorkas, with the 2024 campaign and Trump's promise to deport millions of immigrants adding urgency to the issue.

The Republican-controlled House Homeland Security Committee will vote on the articles of impeachment on Tuesday, with the goal of sending them to the full House for consideration. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has stated that the House will proceed with a vote as soon as possible after that.

A two-thirds vote in the Senate is necessary for conviction, but it is highly unlikely given the Democratic majority.

The GOP push also comes at a curious time for Mayorkas.

Despite efforts to remove him from office, Mayorkas has been actively negotiating with senators to reach a bipartisan agreement on border policy. He has received positive feedback from senators for his involvement in the process.

Democrats have criticized the impeachment proceedings, claiming they are a waste of time when lawmakers should be collaborating to address issues. Additionally, they argue that Republicans are contributing to the problems at the border, with Republicans attacking Mayorkas despite their failure to provide his department with the necessary resources to manage the situation.

The department stated on Sunday that "they have ignored the facts, legal scholars and experts, and even the Constitution itself in their quest to baselessly impeach Secretary Mayorkas, and they don't want to fix the problem; they want to campaign on it. That's why they have undermined efforts to achieve bipartisan solutions."

According to Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House committee, the GOP resolution lacked any evidence of high crimes or misdemeanors, which is the Constitutional standard for impeachment.

The two articles signify the conclusion of a year-long investigation by Republicans into the secretary's management of the border and the resulting crisis, which they claim is a result of the administration's own actions. Republicans argue that the administration, along with Mayorkas, either eliminated Trump-era policies that controlled immigration or implemented new policies that encouraged migrants from all over the world to enter the US illegally through the southern border. Additionally, they accused Mayorkas of lying to Congress, citing his comments about the border being secure and the vetting process of Afghans airlifted to the US.

The surge in migrants has strained the capacity of Customs and Border Protection authorities to care and process them. The number of arrests for illegal crossings topped 2 million in each of the U.S. government's past two budget years. In December, arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico reached an all-time high since figures have been released. The backlog of people in immigration court has grown by 1 million over the past budget year.

Republicans contend that Mayorkas is intentionally flouting immigration laws enacted by Congress, such as those mandating the detention of migrants, and that his policies have resulted in a crisis at the border. They assert that he is releasing migrants without adequate measures to ensure they attend court or are deported from the country. They cite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo authored by Mayorkas as evidence that he is allowing individuals to remain in the country who are not entitled to do so.

The administration's use of the humanitarian parole authority was also criticized by Republicans, who claimed that it has resulted in a mass parole program that circumvents Congress. They pointed to cities such as New York, which have experienced significant financial strain due to high numbers of migrants, as evidence of the costs associated with immigration.

Democrats and Mayorkas contend that the administration's policies are not the reason for people attempting to migrate to America. Instead, they argue that the movement is part of a global migration of individuals escaping conflicts, economic instability, and political oppression. They assert that Mayorkas is doing his best to manage border security, but with an outdated and underfunded system.

The department on Sunday announced that they have seen a significant increase in the number of people being removed from the country over the past six months, and their efforts to combat fentanyl smuggling demonstrate their commitment to upholding their border duties. Additionally, they stated that no administration has been able to detain every individual who crosses the border illegally due to space constraints, and instead, they prioritize those who pose a security risk.

The DHS agency stated that if a standard mandating 100% detention were in place, Congress should have impeached every DHS Secretary since the department's inception.

In 1876, the House impeached Belknap on five charges of disregarding his Cabinet duties and using his office for personal gain. Belknap resigned on the same day, March 2nd. Although the Senate convicted him, they did not have enough votes to reach the required two-thirds majority, and Belknap was acquitted.