Arizona Republican Introduces Another Impeachment Resolution Against Alejandro Mayorkas
FAIR Take | February 2023
On February 1, Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and 13 other Republican lawmakers gathered at a press conference outside the Capitol to unveil his new articles of impeachment against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The impeachment resolution, H.Res. 89, is the second against Mayorkas this Congress, following a resolution by Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) introduced January 9. Fallon attended the Biggs press conference and put to rest any idea that there may be an intraparty competition: “Let me be clear: everyone is on the same team, and I hope, quite frankly, that there are more articles that are filed. Because there has been a gross dereliction of duty, and we’re all here to achieve the same goal.” Biggs and Fallon are co-sponsors of each other’s resolutions.
The Biggs resolution charges Mayorkas with “willfully refus[ing] to maintain operational control of the border.” It cites the termination of Migrant Protection Protocols (also known as “Remain in Mexico”), reinstituting catch-and-release, terminating border wall construction, the failure to properly file Notices to Appear (NTAs) for scheduled immigration court hearings, the spike in illegal drug smuggling, and the abuse of humanitarian parole. It also cites a March 1, 2021 White House press briefing in which Mayorkas outrageously said “We are not saying, ‘Do not come.’” (emphasis added). The resolution concludes, “The actions of Secretary Mayorkas have made the border less secure and encouraged aliens to enter the United States illegally, instead of taking actions to maintain operational control of the border. His actions have subverted the will of Congress and the core tenants of the Constitution.”
Biggs was also the first lawmaker to introduce articles of impeachment against Mayorkas last Congress, in August 2021. The latest iteration retains many of the same charges, but also includes new alleged crimes and misdemeanors that occurred in the ensuing eighteen months. “We don’t willy-nilly take upon us the notion of impeaching a member of the Biden Cabinet. That’s not really what we would like to do,” Biggs explained at the press conference. “But…what you’re seeing is the systematic destruction of the geographic integrity of the United States of America. We don’t control our southern border. It is controlled by the criminal drug cartels of Mexico.”
This sentiment was echoed by many of the other speakers, who represent districts all over the country. Congressman Bob Good (R-VA), who delivered fiery remarks, said, “I recognize Virginia is not geographically located at the border, but we have MS-13 gang members, we have illegal aliens all over our district because of this border invasion perpetrated by Secretary Mayorkas.” Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R-NY), meanwhile, said “I’m from New York State, which is a border state. Upstate New York is also bordering with Canada, and that’s a whole issue we’re going to talk about on another day.” Indeed, Border Patrol recently reported a whopping 743% year-over-year increase in migrant encounters at the northern border, which has also seen over 460 encounters with known or suspected terrorists (KSTs).
One speaker, Glenn Grothman (R-WI), granted FAIR an exclusive interview after the press conference and spoke of unique insights from his own southwest border visits: “The thing the Border Patrol always points out to me is these are not what we think of as poor people. I’m not good at identifying clothes, but they will tell me you see the clothes, they’re clearly not bottom-of-the-line. The people do not look starving. In general, they look well-fed. As the Border Patrol points out, they all seem to have iPhones of some nature, which is another indication we are not dealing with the destitute of the world. They’re just coming here to make more money than they were at home.” And why wouldn’t they, when Mayorkas abuses his power to fling the door wide open for them?
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has not yet officially endorsed the impeachment effort against Mayorkas, which Biggs was asked about during a question-and-answer session with the media. Biggs said he was “hopeful” McCarthy would be onboard once lawmakers present their case in the Judiciary Committee, noting “Speaker McCarthy, two months before the election, said he didn’t think anybody needed to be impeached from the Biden administration. He has since changed his mind.” In any event, Article I, Section 3, Clause 6 of the Constitution stipulates any official impeached by the House is then tried by the Senate, where Democrats retained a majority in the 2022 midterms and Mayorkas would therefore almost certainly be acquitted and remain in office. Still, FAIR supports the Mayorkas impeachment effort as another tool to increase pressure on this reckless open-borders administration.