Speaking near the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday, the top House Republican called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign, vowing to investigate him for the possibility of impeachment if he does not step down.
“If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure to determine whether we can begin the impeachment inquiry,” Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in El Paso on Tuesday. “If Secretary Mayorkas was in charge of any company, he would have been fired by now for the failures of what he has caused.”
Mayorkas told a House committee last week that he does not plan to resign and maintains that the border is secure. An impeachment trial would be unlikely to go anywhere, given that Democrats will continue to control the Senate majority in January.
McCarthy on Tuesday pointed to the record number of border encounters over the last two years, including more than 2.3 million in fiscal 2022, which ended in September
More than one million of those were expelled under pandemic-related restrictions.
The increase in numbers is attributed partly to more repeat attempts at crossing the border after expulsion, partly to an increase in migration out of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua and partly to a perceived leniency under President Joe Biden.
McCarthy and other Republicans framed the overwhelming work of border patrol agents as a “crisis” and national security issue, noting the amount of drugs that pass over to the U.S. through the southern border.
One of the most dangerous, fentanyl, is in fact often smuggled by U.S. citizens through ports of entry, according to a CATO Institute analysis.
“In 42 days, a united Republican House takes control. In 42 days we end one-party Democrat rule in Washington,” McCarthy said. “Republicans will work to stop Joe Biden’s assault on our laws, our borders and our border agents.”
Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican who represents much of the border, praised border patrol agents for their tough work in the region. The group of lawmakers met with CBP agents earlier Tuesday, they said.
“We’re highlighting two things. One, highlighting the men and women in green that are rolling up their sleeves and fighting every day for this country to keep it safe,” Gonzales said. “Two, we’re highlighting the failures of this administration.”
Sec. Mayorkas last week called the border a “very serious challenge” not unique to the United States’ southwest border and maintained it was “secure.”
He also said he had not had any conversation within the administration about stepping down, and a DHS spokesperson confirmed to Spectrum News he has no plans to resign.
“The Department will continue our work to enforce our laws and secure our border, while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system,” the spokesperson said.
“Members of Congress can do better than point the finger at someone else; they should come to the table and work on solutions for our broken system and outdated laws, which have not been overhauled in over 40 years.”
The head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Chris Magnus, resigned from his job last week leading the nation’s largest law enforcement agency as agents encounter record numbers of migrants. Magnus’s removal is part of a larger shakeup expected at Homeland Security as it struggles to manage migrants coming from a wider range of countries, including Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
