This week, House Republicans took a significant and public step toward potentially impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. However, behind the scenes, supporters are still working to persuade key skeptics to back the potentially contentious plan.
On Wednesday, House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green detailed a five-phase investigation into Mayorkas’ handling of border security.
This investigation includes a preliminary report and a hearing that will frame Mayorkas’ actions as a “dereliction of duty,” initiating a roughly three-month period for House Republican leadership and their allies to unite the House GOP conference.
The effort to gain consensus begins with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, who would need to formalize Green’s findings into official impeachment proceedings. However, not all GOP members on the committee are currently convinced of the need for impeachment.
“We don’t have the votes,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, referring to his GOP colleagues on the panel.
GOP Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, also a committee member, told he is focusing his lobbying efforts on a small group of key Republicans, though he declined to name specific members.
“There are probably two or three people that I’m trying to work on,” he said, adding, “and if those two or three come along, then I think we’re ready.”
Among the skeptical Republicans on the Judiciary Committee are Reps. Tom McClintock of California, Ken Buck of Colorado, and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin.
McClintock, who leads the subcommittee tasked with holding more hearings on Mayorkas, told, “Maladministration, even of this magnitude, is not grounds for impeachment. Show me treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors, and I’m all ears. But at the moment, I have not heard it or seen it.”
Buck, a former federal prosecutor and member of the hardline Freedom Caucus, echoed this sentiment, saying, “You’ve got to meet the high crimes or misdemeanors standard.”
Tiffany agreed, noting, “If this would happen, I want to see all the evidence and see if it rises to that level that is appropriate for impeachment.”
House Judiciary Republicans, who are set to hold a hearing with Mayorkas at the end of July, meet weekly, and the topic of impeachment frequently arises, according to multiple sources.
Supporters of a Mayorkas impeachment hope that the upcoming Homeland Security Committee hearings will help build momentum within the GOP conference.
“I think these Homeland hearings will definitely help anybody that isn’t there yet get on board,” said GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has also introduced her own articles of impeachment against Mayorkas and was silenced during an April hearing for calling Mayorkas a liar.
However, unifying Republicans on the Judiciary Committee is only part of the challenge.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would still need to secure the support of the entire GOP conference for the rare move of impeaching a Cabinet secretary—a move that would likely fail in the Senate. While some moderates in key swing districts have warmed up to the idea, others remain skeptical.
GOP Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, who has also filed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas and serves on the Homeland Security Committee, commented on the broader GOP support, “There are votes. Whether or not there is enough, that’s another question.”
The next few months are expected to test the already strained relationships within the GOP conference, especially as McCarthy faces increased pressure from his right flank after the debt ceiling deal without alienating his so-called majority makers.
Even passing a border security package, a key campaign promise, proved challenging. For this reason, GOP leadership and key committee chairs have been cautious about publicly discussing impeachment.
Nevertheless, some GOP lawmakers are confident they will eventually reach a consensus. “Ultimately, I think it’s the speaker’s call,” said Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, a member of GOP leadership who also sits on the Judiciary panel. “But I think it’s inevitable.”
In the various impeachment articles filed against Mayorkas, Republicans have accused him of undermining control of the southern border, encouraging illegal immigration, and lying to Congress about the border’s security—all accusations the administration has dismissed.
Legal experts have also criticized the Republican arguments for impeaching Mayorkas, suggesting that they stem from political disagreements rather than actual high crimes and misdemeanors.
House Republicans have based their criticisms on President Joe Biden’s decision to end Trump-era border policies. However, the Biden administration has since implemented restrictive measures that effectively limit asylum eligibility at the border.
Homeland Security officials have pointed to a significant decrease in border crossings since the expiration of Title 42, a Covid-era border restriction, with crossings dropping by more than 70% since May 11.
A Homeland Security spokesperson defended Mayorkas in a statement, saying, “Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of the Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people.
Instead of pointing fingers and pursuing a baseless impeachment, Congress should work with the Department and pass comprehensive legislation to fix our broken immigration system, which has not been updated in decades.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security panel, criticized his Republican colleagues’ impeachment efforts during Wednesday’s hearing, saying,
“It’s about trying to make good on GOP backroom deals to elect a speaker, raise the debt ceiling, and stave off a mutiny in the Republican ranks.”
During debt ceiling negotiations, Greene indicated she would accept the deal but told reporters she wanted “dessert” to accompany it, specifically mentioning impeachment as her desired “sweetener.”
McCarthy, however, has stopped short of publicly endorsing impeachment, consistently stating that it should not be used for political purposes, although he has suggested that Mayorkas should resign.
While Jordan and GOP leadership have privately acknowledged that Mayorkas’ impeachment is inevitable, as previously reported, McCarthy has emphasized the need for committees to hold more hearings before proceeding with impeachment articles.
Both the Homeland and Judiciary committees have already held multiple hearings on the border, and the panels have spent considerable time drafting a border security package that could gain broad support within the conference. The package ultimately passed the House in May.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, told that committees have now been directed to advance their investigations toward impeachment, saying, “We will see where it goes.”
Jordan expressed his belief that impeachment may be warranted, stating, “I’ve thought that impeachment is certainly warranted based on (Mayorkas’) terrible performance, but that’s a question for the entire conference.
It will be a long process. It comes to dominate everything. And maybe that’s where we need to go. But it’s a decision I think we have to make as a full Republican conference.”
Green also indicated that it is too early to jump to conclusions about impeachment, telling, “We haven’t even gotten to that word, that process.
Our goal here is we are starting with what we have here, and we’re going to get more information about the failures of this secretary. And when we’re done, we’ll make a recommendation to the Judiciary Committee one way or the other, and we’ll see what they have to say.”
As some Republicans work to rally support for impeachment, Democrats both on and off Capitol Hill are organizing their counteroffensive.
The Congressional Integrity Project, a left-leaning outside group, is preparing to establish an impeachment-specific war room and closely coordinate with House Democrats to counter the GOP narrative on Mayorkas, according to a source familiar with the matter.
