BREAKING: Speaker Johnson Releases Letter to Senate Leader Schumer on Impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas

The House of Representatives voted earlier this year to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the crisis at the U.S. border. The impeachment articles, which were passed largely along partisan lines, hold the DHS Secretary responsible for the massive influx of illegal immigrants into the U.S. during President Joe Biden's term in office.

The text of a letter from House Speaker Mike Johnson to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has now been made public, and Johnson has officially informed Schumer when the Articles of Impeachment will be delivered.

"As Speaker and impeachment managers of the U.S. House of Representatives," Johnson states in the letter, "we write to inform you that we will present to you upon the Senate's return, on April 10, 2024, the duly passed articles of impeachment regarding Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously."

"We call upon you to fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial," he later concludes. "The American people demand a secure border, an end to this crisis, and accountability for those responsible. To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve."

You can read the full text of Johnson's letter to Schumer below.

The Biden administration reacted strongly to the efforts to impeach the DHS chief.

"History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games," the president said in a statement on the White House website. "From his time in the Justice Department as a U.S. Attorney to his service as Deputy Secretary and now Secretary of Homeland Security, he has upheld the rule of law faithfully and has demonstrated a deep commitment to the values that make our nation great."

However, Republicans have blamed Mayorkas for a disastrous, open border between Mexico and the U.S., which has led to millions of illegal crossings. The Republican Party has maintained that the Biden administration has the authority to stop the influx through executive power but has so far refused to do so.

A deal to try and fix the problem was unveiled in the Senate, but was quickly scuttled when even the plan's Republican co-sponsors backed out of supporting it over a conservative revolt.

FULL LETTER

Dear Majority Leader Schumer:

As Speaker and impeachment managers of the U.S. House of Representatives, we write to inform you that we will present to you upon the Senate's return, on April 10, 2024, the duly passed articles of impeachment regarding Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously.

On February 13, 2024, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Secretary Mayorkas for high crimes and misdemeanors, including his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and his breach of the public trust. The evidence on both charges is clear, comprehensive, and compelling, and the House's solemn act to impeach the first sitting Cabinet official in American history demands timely action by the Senate.

This methodical approach led us and the American people to the conclusion that

Secretary Mayorkas' actions warranted impeachment. He refused to comply with the requirements of the immigration laws passed by Congress. In fact, he directed, through a series of memoranda, DHS employees to violate U.S. immigration laws. Consequently, the Secretary is responsible for releasing millions of illegal aliens into the interior and creating unlawful mass-parole programs. Throughout his tenure, he has repeatedly lied to Congress and the American people about the scope of the crisis and his role in it. His unlawful actions are responsible for the historic crisis that has devastated communities throughout our country, from the smallest border town in Texas to New York City.

The constitutional grounds for Secretary Mayorkas' conviction and removal from office are well-founded, and the historical record is clear. The Framers of our Constitution gave Congress this authority for scenarios where executive branch officials, who are responsible for executing the laws passed by Congress, flout the law substituting their own judgment for that of Congress.

We call upon you to fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial. The American people demand a secure border, an end to this crisis, and accountability for those responsible. To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve.