Mayorkas Claims He’s Not To Blame For Border

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has insisted he is not responsible for the porous US southern border and continued to blame Congress for the crisis. Speaking to NBC host Kristen Welker, Secretary Mayorkas admitted that the nation is facing a migration emergency but said he is not responsible for “a broken system.” He said Democrats are doing all they can within that broken system, but Congress is ultimately accountable and is the “only one who can fix it.”

Welker pressed the Secretary, however, and reminded him that the asylum backlog has trebled during his time in office, and the Biden administration has overseen record illegal immigrant crossings. Mayorkas told her that his department was “wrestling with these very same issues” when he joined in 2009, adding that the “system” has been broken for decades.

Mr. Mayorkas is under intense pressure from Republicans, and on February 14, the House of Representatives voted to impeach him for his failures on the border. The Republican-led chamber voted 214 to 213 to impeach Mayorkas, having failed in an initial vote the previous week.

His GOP critics accuse Secretary Mayorkas of not heeding his oath to discharge his duties faithfully. President Biden called the impeachment a “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship” and a “political stunt.” To proceed, the Senate must now vote in favor of the impeachment, which experts say is unlikely in the Democrat-controlled chamber.

Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called on the Senate to “do the right thing” and remove Mayorkas from office.

Democrats, however, have reacted furiously and defended Mr. Mayorkas’ record. Homeland Security Department spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said Republicans had “falsely smeared” the Secretary, describing him as a “dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the impeachment a “sham” and an “embarrassment” aimed solely at appeasing Donald Trump.