House Republicans faced a significant setback on Tuesday as four members of their caucus crossed party lines to join Democrats in voting against the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
In a narrow vote of 216-214, the House rejected the motion to impeach Mayorkas for his perceived failure to effectively secure the border with Mexico. Despite this initial defeat, there are indications that Republicans may attempt another impeachment vote next week.
Reacting to the outcome, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., expressed satisfaction, labeling the impeachment effort against Mayorkas as a “sham” that ultimately failed. He highlighted this as a victory for democracy while characterizing extreme MAGA Republicans as losers once again.
The slim majority held by House Republicans, now reduced to 219-212 due to resignations and expulsions, left little room for defections on the impeachment resolution led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene of Georgia. However, Republicans Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Tom McClintock of California, and Blake Moore of Utah joined Democrats in voting against the resolution. Notably, Moore initially voted for impeachment but later switched to the opposing side to facilitate the possibility of revisiting the vote in the future.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., did not participate in the vote due to his absence in Louisiana following cancer surgery.
Greene’s resolution brought forth two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas: willful and systemic failure to comply with border security and immigration laws, and breach of the public trust.
While Republicans had conducted impeachment hearings throughout 2023, highlighting Mayorkas and the Biden administration’s perceived shortcomings in border security, the effort ultimately fell short in garnering sufficient support.
The Biden administration’s policy changes, particularly the rollback of Trump-era border policies, were cited as contributing factors to the surge in illegal border crossings. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed record-high encounters with illegal immigrants, with projections indicating a substantial increase for the 2024 fiscal year.
Despite the contentious nature of the impeachment proceedings, historical precedence suggests that only one Cabinet official, Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876, has been impeached in U.S. history. Belknap resigned before being acquitted by the Senate.
