There are plenty of bad actors in Washington, D.C. But only a few ever get the justice they deserve.
And now a sudden impeachment report just put Capitol Hill into total lockdown.
Republican staffers on Capitol Hill are quietly discussing a bold move: a second impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, aiming to prevent him from ever holding office again, The Washington Times has learned.
While the conversations remain at the staff level, there’s growing frustration among Republicans over what they see as the catastrophic handling of immigration under Mayorkas’ nearly four-year tenure.
“Staff people are talking about it among themselves,” a seasoned GOP aide active on immigration issues told the outlet. “People are p*ssed. Every time you think you’ve seen the most ridiculous possible thing his department has done, they manage to top it.”
In February, Mayorkas made history as the first sitting Cabinet secretary ever impeached by the House. However, the Democrat-led Senate dismissed the case without a trial.
With a Republican-controlled Senate taking over in January, the possibility of a trial is back on the table, although securing the two-thirds majority needed for conviction remains a steep challenge. Even if Mayorkas’ term ends with the Biden administration, a Senate conviction could bar him from holding office in the future.
Emilio Gonzalez, former director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under President George W. Bush, says calls for accountability are driving the push.
“He oversees the border. He is the secretary of homeland security. He is Mr. Border Security. All of this falls under his responsibility. Nobody has been held accountable, and he is the accountable party,” Gonzalez said, labeling recent immigration trends “the largest human trafficking operation in the history of the Western Hemisphere.”
Congress would have just over two weeks, from its Jan. 3 swearing-in to the end of Biden’s term on Jan. 20, to move forward. Impeaching officials after they’ve left office isn’t unprecedented; House Democrats impeached Donald Trump after his presidency in 2021, and the House impeached former War Secretary William Belknap in 1876 following his resignation. In both instances, the Senate failed to convict.
Mayorkas’ office has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Some, however, think impeachment isn’t the right avenue. Mark Morgan, who led Customs and Border Protection during the Trump administration, believes Mayorkas should face criminal charges instead.
“I would prefer that the Justice Department pursue criminal perjury charges against Mr. Mayorkas for his insistence that the border was ‘secure,’” Morgan told The Washington Times.
“He was intentionally misleading the American people and hiding the magnitude of the chaos and lawlessness at the border and its impact on our country’s safety and national security. He should be held accountable for those lies.”
Mayorkas, whose career spans decades in public service, frequently touts his background as a federal prosecutor and former USCIS director under Obama.
However, under his leadership as DHS secretary since February 2021, the border has seen unprecedented turmoil, with over 10 million unauthorized migrant encounters and millions of releases into U.S. communities.
While Mayorkas claims his policies aim to reduce border tensions, critics argue he has undermined federal law. Border Patrol agents and ICE officers have accused him of stifling their ability to enforce immigration laws, leading to plummeting morale.
Internally, Mayorkas has earned a reputation as “Saint Ali, the patron saint of administrative leave,” for his generous distribution of paid time off. On Friday, he granted employees two additional days off for Thanksgiving, bringing the total to eight this year. The Times estimates these extra days have cost taxpayers nearly $3 billion during his tenure.
As the clock winds down on the Biden administration, the debate over Mayorkas’ accountability is heating up, with impeachment and criminal charges both on the table as Republicans seek to respond to what they see as a disastrous legacy at the southern border.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
