Just a few months ago, centrist Republicans were wary of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Now, it appears many of them are warming up to the idea as House leadership plans to bring the matter to a vote in the coming days.
The House Homeland Security Committee advanced an impeachment resolution Tuesday during a late-night vote, seeking to charge the top border official with willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and a breach of the public trust. The House is set to vote on the impeachment resolution as early as next week, and GOP leadership has little room for error due to the party’s slim majority.
Republicans have just a three-seat majority if all remaining members are present and voting, as there are three vacant House seats once held by GOP members, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) is out receiving medical treatment — meaning that a few defections could sink the vote altogether.
So far, at least two GOP lawmakers are leaning “no”: Reps. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Tom McClintock (R-CA), who both voted to defer Mayorkas’s impeachment late last year.
Republicans previously voted on whether to charge Mayorkas after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) forced a vote on her impeachment resolution in mid-November 2023. However, that motion failed after eight Republicans voted with Democrats to refer the matter to the Homeland Security Committee, delaying any action.
However, at least one of those eight Republicans has flipped their vote to support the impeachment. Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR) told the Washington Examiner he would vote to impeach, arguing there is enough evidence to charge Mayorkas with high crimes and misdemeanors.
“Because Republicans followed regular order, there is now evidence in the record that the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas intentionally flouted immigration law, disregarding his constitutional duty to secure America’s borders,” Bentz said. “Secretary Mayorkas deserves to be impeached, and it is my intention to vote in favor of impeachment.”
Several other House centrists who were previously hesitant about impeachment have also come around, including a handful of Republican incumbents running for reelection in competitive districts.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said he would vote in favor of impeachment, marking a major win for Republicans as he was a key undecided vote.
A handful of vulnerable New York Republicans running in Biden-won districts are also leaning toward impeachment, including Reps. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Marc Molinaro (R-NY), and Mike Lawler (R-NY).
“[Mayorkas] created a catastrophe at the border,” Lawler said. “He has lied to Congress on numerous occasions and failed to enforce and uphold the law and the Constitution. So I will absolutely support his impeachment.”
It is unclear where the remaining holdouts stand on the matter, and Greene told the Washington Examiner she has not spoken to the eight representatives who initially voted “no” ahead of the next vote.
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The decision to move forward with impeachment comes after a yearlong investigation headed by Republicans into Mayorkas and his handling of the southern border crisis. Democrats have decried those efforts, accusing their GOP counterparts of using impeachment as a political attack based on policy differences.
The impeachment also comes as lawmakers in both parties turn their focus to the surge in immigration at the southern border ahead of the 2024 election. The matter has emerged as a top concern for voters, even ahead of the economy, according to primary election exit polls in Iowa and New Hampshire.