Nov. 13 (UPI) — A House vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the border crisis was stalled Monday night after eight Republicans voted with Democrats to shelve the resolution.
The 209 to 201 vote supported a motion to refer the resolution, first introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to the Homeland Security Committee.
The resolution, which was introduced last week and would have forced an impeachment vote without a hearing, accuses Mayorkas of “willful admittance of border crossers, terrorists, human traffickers, drugs and other contraband.”
“Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas has failed to maintain operational control of the border, thereby violating the Secure Fence Act of 2006,” the resolution states.
The Secure Fence Act states that the southern U.S. border can only be declared secure if no people or contraband enter the country illegally.
While Greene’s resolution states that Mayorkas “has engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with his duties as a civil officer of the United States,” Mayorkas claims the Act sets an impossible standard.
“Under the statutory definition, no administration has achieved operational control,” Mayorkas said during the summer, adding that a “layer of reasonableness must be applied.”
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement Monday, responding to the vote and blasting Congress for “wasting time.”
“Secretary Mayorkas continues to be laser-focused on the safety and security of our nation,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement while demanding Congress “do its job by funding the government, reforming our broken immigration system, reauthorizing vital tools for DHS, and passing the administration’s supplemental request to properly resource the Department’s critical work to stop fentanyl and further secure our borders.”
The eight House Republicans, who voted with Democrats for the motion to table the resolution to impeach Mayorkas, were Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, Rep. Tom McClintock of California, Rep. John Duarte of California, Rep. Virginia Foxx of Virginia, Rep. Darrell Issa of California, Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon, Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado and Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio.
McClintock said while Mayorkas has not done his job as Homeland Security Secretary, impeachment should not become a form of punishment for political disagreements.
“Alejandro Mayorkas is the worst cabinet secretary in American history, guilty of malfeasance, neglect of duty and maladministration. He has implemented Biden’s open border policy that has produced the worst mass illegal migration ever recorded,” McClintock said Monday in a statement. “Elections have consequences, and this is one of them.”