(IntegrityTimes.com) – Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been in the hot seat for nearly three years, mostly for his handling of the crisis at the southern border. He has testified in the House and the Senate on numerous occasions, often leaving Republican lawmakers with more questions than answers. The House Homeland Security Committee has accused DHS of obstructing its investigation into Mayorkas by slow-walking or failing to respond to document requests. Committee chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., blasted DHS in a letter on January 17, listing 31 different requests that have been ignored by the agency.
Three requests from the committee, which include information about the border wall, migrant housing contracts, and the Parole Plus Alternatives to Detention (ATD), are 323 days late. Lawmakers have floated the idea of impeaching Mayorkas for a while now, but the effort has become serious in recent weeks. Initial reports claimed that House Republicans were considering four articles of impeachment, but it was unclear if a charge for obstructing the investigation would be included.
Republicans ultimately unveiled two articles of impeachment on January 27. They charged Mayorkas with “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” in the first article. They argued in the second article that he “breached the public trust” by making false statements to Congress and the American people. House Speaker Mike Johnson intends to act expeditiously in bringing the impeachment to the floor for a full vote of the House.
Democrats have accused the Republicans of failing to meet the threshold for impeachment, claiming that they have not provided sufficient evidence. DHS’s response to Green’s recent letter accused the committee of playing politics by intentionally overwhelming the agency with requests and short response deadlines. The agency said that it had met with the committee on various occasions to provide information about the requests. However, a source from the committee told The Hill that the meetings only demonstrated that DHS would not or could not hand over requested documents.
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