A group of Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday announced plans to remove Alejandro Mallorcas, Homeland Security Secretary in the Joe Biden administration, in connection with a record number of illegal border crossings under the current U.S. government. country.
Rep. Andy Biggs, who represents the border state of Arizona in the lower house, said he would submit articles of impeachment against Majorca, which has been accused by many Republicans of easing border policy.
This initiative may find support in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, but it is unlikely to receive enough votes in the Democratic-controlled Senate. However, it could increase pressure on the Biden administration for immigration reforms.
In November, the head of the Border and Customs Service, Christopher Magnus, resigned, saying Minister Majorcas had insisted on his dismissal.
Biggs, speaking with more than a dozen fellow Republicans outside the Capitol on Wednesday, said Mallorca deliberately caused a border crisis by ending restrictive policies imposed by former President Donald Trump.
“It’s not negligence or an accident,” Biggs said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said lawmakers should focus on overhauling an immigration system that hasn’t changed in decades “rather than trying to lay charges and make politics”.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called on Mallorca in November to step down, saying Republicans could impeach him if he doesn’t. Biggs said he hoped McCarthy would support the initiative, but the initiative has yet to be commented on in the president’s office.
Pat Fallon, a Republican from Texas, introduced an impeachment resolution against Majorca in January, accusing it of encouraging illegal immigration.
If articles of impeachment are filed against Majorca, the House Judiciary Committee will conduct an investigation, which will culminate in a committee vote on whether to approve the charges against Majorca.
