US House impeaches Homeland Security Secretary in historic vote

The US House has voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of not enforcing immigration laws which Republicans say has led to record numbers of migrants flowing across the US-Mexico border.

It is only the second time in US history, and the first time in almost 150 years, that the House has impeached a member of a president’s Cabinet.

The measure won by just one vote, with the final tally at 214-213.

President Joe Biden reacted to the vote in a statement, saying: “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.”

The charges against Mayorkas will go to the Senate for a trial, but neither Democratic nor Republican senators have shown interest in the matter and it may be indefinitely shelved to a committee.

The Senate is expected to receive the articles of impeachment from the House after returning to session on 26 February.

The Democratic-led chamber is highly unlikely to vote to remove Mayorkas from office.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the case against Mayorkas a “sham impeachment” and a “new low for House Republicans.”

A record number of migrants have illegally crossed the border from Mexico since Biden took office in 2021, and former President Donald Trump has made it a major focus of his campaign against Biden.

“Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history,” Speaker Mike Johnson said following the vote.

However Mayorkas has said he does not bear responsibility for the border situation, blaming it instead on a broken US immigration system that Congress has not been able to fix.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month showed that immigration was voters’ second most important concern, following the economy.