House Republicans Fail to Impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: A Significant Blow to GOP Efforts

The recent failure of House Republicans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the crisis at the southern border marked a significant blow to their efforts to hold the Biden administration accountable for its immigration policies. The vote, which took place on February 7, 2024, resulted in a 214-216 defeat, with three GOP lawmakers, Reps. Tom McClintock, Ken Buck, and Mike Gallagher, breaking ranks and voting against the impeachment resolution.

The resolution, which combined two articles of impeachment, accused Mayorkas of having “refused to comply with Federal immigration laws” and of having violated “public trust.” While the House voted mostly along party lines, with Democrats remaining united against the measure, the three Republicans who voted against it argued that the threshold for impeachment had not been met and warned that a lower standard could be used against future Republican administrations.

McClintock, Gallagher, and Buck: The GOP Defectors

Reps. Tom McClintock, Mike Gallagher, and Ken Buck were the three House Republicans who voted against the impeachment of Mayorkas. McClintock, a California Republican, argued that while Mayorkas was guilty of maladministration of immigration laws on a cosmic scale, the American Founders specifically rejected political disputes becoming impeachment proceedings, as they vested the enforcement of laws with the president, regardless of how poorly the job was done.

Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican, stated that Mayorkas had faithfully implemented President Biden’s open border policies and helped create the dangerous crisis at the southern border. However, he failed to make the argument as to how Mayorkas’ stunning incompetence met the impeachment threshold Republicans outlined while defending former President Trump. Gallagher warned that a lower standard would not secure the border and would set a dangerous new precedent that would be weaponized against future Republican administrations.

Buck, a Colorado Republican, was also critical of Mayorkas but did not believe the standard for impeachment had been met. In an op-ed for The Hill, he stated that the impeachment attempt was politically motivated and lacked constitutional basis. Buck argued that the House should focus on bipartisan solutions to address the border crisis instead of engaging in partisan impeachment proceedings.

The Defeat: A Significant Blow to House Republicans

The defeat of the impeachment effort marked a significant blow to House Republicans, who had pushed for the impeachment of Mayorkas for over a year. They accused him of disregarding federal law with “open border policies” that had worsened the ongoing crisis at the southern border. Democrats and the DHS, however, accused Republicans of running a politically motivated impeachment that had no constitutional basis.

DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg stated after the vote that the impeachment attempt should never have moved forward and that it faced bipartisan opposition and legal experts who resoundingly said it was unconstitutional. She added that Secretary Mayorkas remained focused on working across the aisle to promote real solutions at the border and keep the country safe.

Despite the defeat, House Republicans indicated that they would likely vote again on the resolution when Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., returned from cancer treatment. House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., stated that he was disappointed in the outcome of the vote but looked forward to Leader Scalise’s return.

In conclusion, the failure of House Republicans to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the crisis at the southern border marked a significant blow to their efforts to hold the Biden administration accountable for its immigration policies. The three GOP defectors, Reps. Tom McClintock, Mike Gallagher, and Ken Buck, argued that the threshold for impeachment had not been met and warned that a lower standard would set a dangerous precedent for future Republican administrations. The defeat highlighted the political divide over immigration policies and the challenges of finding bipartisan solutions to address the ongoing crisis at the southern border.