On Wednesday, the US Senate, controlled by Democrats, rebuffed a bid led by Republicans to remove President Joe Biden’s immigration chief, citing dissatisfaction with his management of the southern border with Mexico.
In February, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, aged 64, found himself embroiled in impeachment proceedings launched by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Republicans are strategically positioning border security as a central theme in the forthcoming November election. The impeachment unfolded amidst a heated confrontation between the House and Senate over measures to address a surge in illegal immigration, which peaked at an unprecedented 10,000 daily apprehensions along the US-Mexico border in December.
Republican lawmakers castigated Mayorkas, accusing him of a “willful and systemic refusal” to enforce immigration law and a “breach of public trust,” leading to his impeachment. This historic event marked the first impeachment of a cabinet secretary in nearly 150 years.
This step established the groundwork for a trial in the Senate, where Democrats maintain a slim 51-49 majority.
But the Senate swiftly disposed of the two articles of impeachment on Wednesday, rejecting them along party lines on the grounds they were unconstitutional.
The White House welcomed the move, saying the Senate has “rightly voted down this baseless impeachment.”
“President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas will continue doing their jobs to keep America safe and pursue actual solutions at the border,” spokesman Ian Sams said.
“Congressional Republicans should join them, instead of wasting time on baseless political stunts while killing real bipartisan border security reforms.”
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The US president, vice president, cabinet ministers and federal judges can be impeached for treason, bribery, and “other high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Though the unprecedented impeachment over a policy issue took place in February, it wasn’t until Tuesday that House impeachment managers made the ceremonial walk to present the articles to the Senate in person.
House Republicans have been accused of acting in bad faith, especially after coming out against a bipartisan deal hammered out in the Senate that would have imposed the toughest asylum and border policies in decades.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had pledged to do everything possible to quickly squelch the impeachment proceedings.
“For the sake of the Senate’s integrity, and to protect impeachment for those rare cases we truly need it, senators should dismiss today’s charges,” Schumer said earlier Wednesday on the Senate floor.
Sixty-seven votes would have been needed in the 100-member Senate to remove Mayorkas from office.
Many of the legislators leading the charge against Alejandro Mayorkas have strong affiliations with former Republican President Donald Trump, who is anticipated to be Biden’s primary contender in November.
During his campaign rallies, Trump often mentions brutal murders perpetrated by migrants, insisting that the United States is experiencing a rise in crime perpetrated by those who enter the country unlawfully.
Contrary to these claims, crime statistics from major urban centers in the United States and research conducted by impartial experts do not substantiate such assertions.
Alejandro Mayorkas vehemently denied the allegations leveled against him, labeling them as “baseless” and condemning what he described as political vendettas.
Historically, the House has impeached only one other cabinet member — Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876 — amid serious corruption allegations. Nevertheless, Belknap resigned before the impeachment proceedings reached their conclusion.