Senate Democrats on Wednesday voted to dismiss the first article of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as the Senate appears poised to toss out the first impeachment of a Cabinet member in almost 150 years without a trial—after the House GOP voted to impeach him in a dispute over immigration policy.
Senators voted to kill the first article of impeachment on grounds that it is “unconstitutional” in a 51-48 mostly party-line vote, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voting present.
The first article of impeachment dealt with Mayorkas allegedly refusing to comply with the law while the second—which the Senate has not voted on yet—deals with breaching public trust, both of which criticize his handling of border policy.
The House delivered the two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the Senate on Tuesday.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Mayorkas was subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Axios reported. The committee is reportedly seeking information on the percentage of migrants who have been released into the U.S.
The GOP-controlled House impeach Mayorkas in a 214-213 vote in February, a week after an initial attempt failed, making Mayorkas the second cabinet secretary in U.S. history, and first since 1876, to be impeached. The impeachment escalates a years-long fight between Republicans and the Biden administration on border policy, as the GOP blames Mayorkas and President Joe Biden’s decision to loosen some stringent Trump-era immigration rules for a surge in arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration has defended its handling of the border and argued the surge in migration is mostly due to crime and poverty in Latin America, and Biden’s allies have criticized Mayorkas’ impeachment—which faults him for not detaining all arrested migrants—as politically motivated.
Senate Receives GOP’s Articles Of Impeachment Against Mayorkas—And Will Likely Dismiss Charges (Forbes)
House Impeaches DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas—Second Cabinet Impeachment In History (Forbes)
Mayorkas Impeachment Effort Fails (Forbes)