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WASHINGTON — House Republicans — including all four Utah representatives — voted in favor of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday evening.
The 214-213 final vote comes just one week after the House failed to impeach the Biden administration secretary.
In the articles of impeachment, Republicans accuse Mayorkas of violating "laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security." U.S. Customs and Border Protection has encountered 7.9 million migrants since President Joe Biden took office. Utah representatives also argued that Mayorkas evaded responsibility.
Rep. John Curtis
Rep. John Curtis, who represents Utah's 3rd District, visited the southern border last week. In his latest statement to the Deseret News, he said he "discovered a shocking truth: it's not the U.S. government but the cartels who are in control. They decide who crosses, when, and where."
"Under Secretary Mayorkas we have seen record criminal crossings and a humanitarian crisis. The numbers speak for themselves," he said. "In 2022 there were 541 overdose deaths in Utah. In 2020 fentanyl-related deaths were 122 and just 54 in 2019. Failure to secure the border is having a direct negative effect on Utahns."
Curtis acknowledged that impeachment is a powerful tool but said "Mayorkas has violated his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States by willfully and systemically refusing to enforce federal immigration laws and acting in a manner subversive of the rule of law."
Rep. Celeste Maloy
Rep. Celeste Maloy in a statement to the Deseret News also noted "the magnitude of the crisis," which has affected Utah communities.
"He has been derelict in his duty — to the detriment of the American people. In the absence of any correction from the Executive, the House has a duty to act as a check," said Maloy, who represents Utah's 2nd District. She added she believes there is a need to hold the secretary "accountable."
Rep. Burgess Owens
Rep. Burgess Owens, who represents Utah's 4th District, said in a statement online that he listened to Mayorkas' testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in July 2021. Sitting in the committee room, he said he witnessed the secretary lie about the state of the southern border, where human trafficking and drug smuggling have run rampant. "Three years later, his lies continue," Owens added.
He said the yearlong investigation into Mayorkas concluded that he deceived Congress, disregarded federal immigration laws and his oath of office, and exploited the parole authority.
Rep. Blake Moore
Rep. Blake Moore, who represents Utah's 1st District, hadn't issued a statement as of midday Wednesday. During last week's failed impeachment vote, Moore, who was recently elected as vice chair of the House Republican Conference, switched his vote to no on the impeachment articles. This allowed him to reintroduce the impeachment resolution for another vote on Tuesday.
Three Republicans — Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif. — voted against the impeachment articles.
'Serious challenges at our border'
An official statement from Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg criticized the House GOP "for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border," per Fox News reporter Bill Melugin.
"While Secretary Mayorkas was helping a group of Republican and Democratic Senators develop bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security and get needed resources for enforcement, House Republicans have wasted months with this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment," the statement continued.
The House impeachment vote is a historic one. Working under President Ulysses Grant, William Belknap was the last cabinet member to be impeached in 1876. Belknap resigned after facing criminal corruption charges, according to the Library of Congress. The Senate acquitted him when his status as a former official became a sticking point at the trial.
Biden urged Republicans to work with the Homeland Security secretary instead of "staging political stunts," as the Deseret News reported.
"History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant," his statement said. "Mayorkas, a Cuban immigrant who came to the United States with his family as political refugees, has spent more than two decades serving America with integrity in a decorated career in law enforcement and public service."
Politico said that the Senate is "all but guaranteed to sidestep" the House GOP's move in a trial that is expected to move swiftly.
