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The US House of Representatives impeached Alejandro Mayorkas, homeland security secretary, in a party-line vote on Tuesday evening.
The vote was largely along party lines, winning 214-213. Three Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the articles of impeachment: Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Tom McClintock of California.
The articles of impeachment allege that Mr Mayorkas engaged in a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” by allowing the release of migrants awaiting legal proceedings and breached “public trust” when he told lawmakers the US-Mexico border was secure.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, praised the vote on Tuesday evening just moments after it was finalised.
“The Secretary certainly deserved that response,” Mr Johnson told The Independent. “Based upon his activity and inactivity over the last three years, he’s engineered the catastrophe that exacted untold damage on the country, and this is the appropriate step.”
President Joe Biden condemned the partisan vote on Tuesday night.
“History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games,” Mr Biden said in a statement.
Meanwhile, House Democrats — and a handful of Republicans — also spoke out against the articles.
“The Mayorkas impeachment lark was the paltry consolation prize that the MAGA wing of the party got, because they’re not able to bring the Biden impeachment to the floor,” Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told The Independent just minutes before the vote Tuesday night.
The US House first voted on the articles of impeachment against Mr Mayorkas last week. That vote failed 216 to 214 thanks to four Republicans who joined all House Democrats in voting no. One of the decisive votes came from Representative Al Green, a Texas Democrat — he unexpectedly arrived at the US Capitol fresh out of abdominal surgery to cast his “nay” vote.
Republican Representatives Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, and Tom McClintock of California also voted against the articles during the first vote last week. Republican Representative Blake Moore of Utah joined them in a last-minute switch after he was projected to vote in favour as a means to bring impeachment back up in the future.
The House decided to take up impeachment once again this week as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise returned to Congress after undergoing treatment for cancer.
A cabinet official was last impeached 148 years ago in 1876 under President Ulysses S Grant. On Tuesday afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News’ Chad Pergram he was not concerned about the precedent the impeachment could set and that Mr Mayorkas “has brought more damage on the country than any cabinet secretary that has ever been.”
As Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Mr Mayorkas oversees border enforcement and immigration policies, such as the asylum process and the possible detention of migrants.
As such, many GOP representatives view him as the prime target for their frustration at the rapid rise of border crossings. However, those in favour of impeachment have struggled to provide evidence that Mr Mayorkas is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanours – the constitutional standard for impeachment.
Now that Mr Mayorkas has been impeached the Senate will move to hold an impeachment trial. They would then require a 2/3 vote to convict — but with a Democratic majority in the Senate, and many Republicans opposed to holding such a trial, such an outcome is unlikely.
This is a developing story…