Rep. Andy Ogles introduces Articles Of Impeachment against Kamala Harris
'High Crimes And Misdemeanors'
The bulk of the Senate GOP conference has joined a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that calls for the chamber to hold a trial regarding the articles of impeachment the House lodged against Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas back in February.
According to reports, a spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated that "the House will transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate next week."
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Forty-three GOP senators signed onto the letter, which describes the nation's southern border as "a national security disaster."
"We write to demand that the Senate uphold its constitutional responsibility to properly adjudicate the House of Representatives' impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas," the letter declares. "Since 1797, twenty-one individuals have been impeached by the House of Representatives. Trials were held in every single instance, except once when an impeached judge resigned from office before trial commenced. Absent Secretary Mayorkas' immediate resignation, this impeachment should remain faithful to Senatorial precedent.
"In the face of the disaster that mounts daily at our southern border, and in communities across America, the House of Representatives has formally accused Alejandro Mayorkas of demeaning his office. The American people deserve to hear the evidence through a Senate trial in the Court of Impeachment," the letter states. "Therefore, we implore you to hold a trial, as has been done in every similar case in the Senate's 235 years of existence."
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House Republicans unveiled articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday morning.
"Alejandro N. Mayorkas, in violation of his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, to bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and to well and faithfully discharge the duties of his office, has willfully and systemically refused to comply with Federal immigration laws," the impeachment articles read.
The GOP representatives declared Mayorkas had "repeatedly violated laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security."
"In large part because of his unlawful conduct, millions of aliens have illegally entered the United States on an annual basis with many unlawfully remaining in the United States," the document continued. "His refusal to obey the law is not only an offense against the separation of powers in the Constitution of the United States, it also threatens our national security and has had a dire impact on communities across the country."
The articles of impeachment warned about the illegal entry of non-citizens on the terrorist watchlist invading the country.
Between the fiscal years 2017 through 2020, there were a combined 11 individuals on the terrorist watchlist caught attempting to cross the U.S. southern border. However, there were an alarming 169 non-citizens on the terrorist watchlist trying to enter the country in fiscal year 2023. So far in 2024, there have been 49 possible terrorists nabbed at the border.
Last week, a coalition of former FBI officials warned Congress that the border crisis is ushering in a "new and imminent danger" from "military-aged men from across the globe" infiltrating the southern border, which could result in a catastrophic attack on U.S. soil.
The impeachment articles stated, "Despite clear evidence that his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law has significantly contributed to unprecedented levels of illegal entrants, the increased control of the Southwest border by drug cartels, and the imposition of enormous costs on States and localities affected by the influx of aliens, Alejandro N. Mayorkas has continued in his refusal to comply with the law, and thereby acted to the grave detriment of the interests of the United States."
The GOP lawmakers proclaimed that Mayorkas "implemented a catch and release scheme, whereby such aliens are unlawfully released, even without effective mechanisms to ensure appearances before the immigration courts for removal proceedings or to ensure removal in the case of aliens ordered removed."
The Republican reps wrote that there were an average of 590,000 illegal immigrants encountered at ports of entry on the Southwest border during the fiscal years of 2017 through 2020. During Mayorkas' tenure, the numbers skyrocketed to more than 1,400,000 in fiscal year 2021, over 2,300,000 in fiscal year 2022, and a whopping 2,400,000 in fiscal year 2023.
The articles of impeachment said the massive influx of undocumented migrants has created a "fiscal and humanitarian crisis and dramatically degraded the quality of life" for Americans.
The GOP politicians pointed out that New York City had already spent $1.45 billion addressing the migrant crisis, and would spend another $12 billion over the next three fiscal years – which has caused significant cuts to critical city services.
The impeachment articles highlighted that the "flow of fentanyl across the border and other dangerous drugs, both at and between ports of entry, has increased dramatically" with Mayorkas at the helm of the DHS.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized approximately 4,800 pounds of fentanyl in fiscal year 2020, around 11,200 pounds in fiscal year 2021, an estimated 14,700 pounds in fiscal year 2022, and 27,000 pounds in fiscal year 2023.
More than 70,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses in 2022, and the lethal drug is the top killer of U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 45.
The articles of impeachment against Mayorkas were introduced by Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.).
Green declared, "These articles lay out a clear, compelling, and irrefutable case for Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ impeachment. He has willfully and systemically refused to comply with immigration laws enacted by Congress. He has breached the public trust by knowingly making false statements to Congress and the American people, and obstructing congressional oversight of his department."
The House Homeland Security Committee will consider the impeachment articles during a Tuesday morning meeting.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has vowed to bring them to the House floor for a vote "as soon as possible."
The Department of Homeland Security responded to the allegations by saying in a statement that Republicans had failed to present evidence that Mayorkas had committed any "high crimes or misdemeanors."
"This markup is just more of the same political games from House Homeland Security Committee (CHS) Republicans," the DHS stated. "They don’t want to fix the problem; they want to campaign on it. That’s why they have undermined efforts to achieve bipartisan solutions and ignored the facts, legal scholars and experts, and even the Constitution itself in their quest to baselessly impeach Secretary Mayorkas."
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