House Republicans released a witness list for their second hearing in the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as the party turns its focus to the “victims” of the border crisis.
The second impeachment hearing, titled “Voices for the Victims: The Heartbreaking Reality of the Mayorkas Border Crisis,” is set to feature multiple witnesses who say they have experienced firsthand the unintended consequences of the surge in illegal immigration. The testimony comes after House lawmakers held their first impeachment hearing into Mayorkas last week, detailing the findings of the committee’s yearlong investigation into the top border official so far.
The Homeland Security Committee had been pushing for Mayorkas, whom Republicans blame for the Biden administration’s management of the border, to testify, but the secretary declined, citing a scheduling conflict.
The second hearing, slated for Thursday, will feature testimony from Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, who has worked in law enforcement for four decades and has served in an array of assignments for the Arizona government.
Lawmakers are also set to hear from Tammy Nobles, who has previously testified before Congress regarding the death of her 20-year-old daughter in the summer of 2022. The suspect in her death is reportedly an undocumented minor who was previously arrested in El Salvador based on being tied to the MS-13 gang.
Lawmakers initially pushed to have Mayorkas testify before the committee, but the Department of Homeland Security noted the secretary is scheduled to meet with Mexican officials throughout the week. Homeland Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) has accused the border official of failing “to accept our invitation or offer an alternative time to testify.”
“For months, we have tried to work with his office to secure his testimony before the Committee so the American people can receive some much-needed transparency about the causes, costs, and consequences of the unprecedented border crisis,” Green said in a statement. “We have given him every opportunity to explain his handling of the crisis. Unfortunately, this pattern of defying Congress has continued with his refusal to testify before this Committee specifically about his handling of this crisis and his failure to enforce America’s immigration laws.”
The hearing comes as House Republicans have turned much of their focus in recent weeks to the southern border, a top issue for voters heading into the 2024 election. GOP lawmakers have pushed for months to remove Mayorkas from his position in the Biden administration, pointing to record-high border crossings since he took over the Department of Homeland Security in 2021.
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has been one of the lawmakers leading that charge, urging GOP leadership in the House for months to move forward with impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas. The Georgia Republican even went so far as to force votes on her own articles of impeachment late last year, accusing House leaders of delaying his removal.
Greene later backed off those efforts after receiving “guarantees” from House leaders they would move forward with impeachment proceedings. Lawmakers are expected to draft new articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in the coming weeks, although the timeline for that is not yet clear.