Republican congressmen failed this Tuesday in their attempt to impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas.due to the immigration crisis on the border with Mexico, a hot topic in the presidential campaign in the United States.
The House of Representatives voted on two articles accusing Democratic President Joe Biden's minister of failing to enforce the law and violating the public trust.
“He is the main architect of the catastrophe,” said Mike Johnson, Republican leader of this chamber and ally of former President Donald Trump, currently the party's great favorite for the November elections.
Republicans estimate that the country is being “invaded” by migrants whose arrivals are breaking records, after being intercepted 302,000 times in December.
The conservatives enjoy a narrow majority in the lower house of Congress, and the vote was close. That's how it went: four party members sided with the Democrats and it ended 216-214 in favor of Mayorkas.
“Although inexcusable, his incompetence does not constitute grounds for impeachment under the Constitution,” said Republican Ken Buck.
Biden Democrats voted, of course, against what they see as an attempt to scapegoat Mayorkas in an election year.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
'Political maneuver'
The main interested party, Mayorkas, 64, accuses Republicans of “political maneuvering” and “wasting” taxpayers' time and money.
If congressmen had voted in favor of this political indictment (known in English as impeachment), it would be the first time in 150 years that a political trial would be opened against a senior cabinet official. It only happened in 1876 with Secretary of War William Belknap.
The process takes place in two stages.
First, the House of Representatives votes, by simple majority, on the articles of impeachment. This is what happened this afternoon. Even if the vote had been successful, it would then go to the Senate, where the Democrats have a majority.
The vote took place in the midst of great political tension due to the border crisis.
On Sunday, a legislative package negotiated by Republican and Democratic senators with the Biden administration was released that allows restricting the flow of migrants at the border.
The tightening of immigration policy was a condition of the Republicans to adopt more funds for Ukraine and aid to Israel, also included in the package.
But the hard wing of conservatives, greatly influenced by Trump, opposes the text even though it toughens the standard of evaluations for granting asylum.
“Why? For a simple reason: Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump thinks it is bad for him politically. Therefore (…) although it helps his country, he is not in favor of it. He prefers to turn this problem into a weapon instead of solving it,” Biden said during a speech this Tuesday at the White House.
Migration as a 'weapon'
According to polls, Republican voters are concerned about migration more than any other issue, which explains why it has become an electoral spearhead between the two parties for the presidential elections, in which the duel between Trump and Biden will probably be repeated.
“For the last 24 hours he has done nothing, I'm told, except contact Republicans in the House and Senate and threaten them and try to intimidate them (…) They seem to be giving in. Frankly, they owe it to the American people to show something of courage and doing what they know is right,” Biden said.
The Democrat accuses Trump of using the immigration issue “as a weapon instead of solving it.”
The Republican magnate called Biden's speech a “blatant and pathetic lie” in a statement released by his campaign team.
“The United States does not need a 'border' bill that does nothing to deter illegal migration. We need a President who will use his executive authority to close the border. Joe Biden clearly refuses to do it, but President Trump will do it next first day,” if he returns to the White House, he threatened.
AFP
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