Mccarthy revs up state GOP calls for Mayorkas to resign
U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin Mccarthy called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign on Tuesday, accusing him of failing to adequately address the historic surge of migrant crossings at the southern border.
Mccarthy, standing with Texas Republicans at an El Paso press conference, raised alarms about “the worst border crisis in U.S. history” and blasted Mayorkas for asserting last week that the border is secure.
Mccarthy, who is running to become speaker of the U.S. House, also left the door open for the new GOP majority to launch impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas next year.
“His actions have produced the greatest wave of illegal immigration in recorded history,” Mccarthy said. “Our country may never recover from Secretary Mayorkas’ dereliction of duty.
This is why, today, I am calling on the secretary to resign. He cannot and must not remain in that position. If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure to determine whether we can begin an impeachment inquiry.”
A spokesperson for DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-pierre addressed Mccarthy’s visit to the border at a news conference Tuesday morning.
“The question that we have for Kevin Mccarthy, who is soon to be Speaker Mccarthy — what is his plan?” she said. “What is he doing to help the situation that we’re seeing? What is his plan? He goes down there, and he does a political stunt, like many Republicans do, that we have seen them do, but he actually is not putting forth a plan, a plan to help us deal with an issue that we’re all seeing.”
Mccarthy’s press conference featured Texas Reps. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio, Dan Crenshaw of Houston, Brian Babin of Woodville, and August Pfluger of San Angelo.
“What you see is change is coming, and change is going to be led by the people standing right here,” Gonzales said. “It’s Thanksgiving week. People are doing a lot of different things, and what are House Republicans doing? We’re going to the epicenter of the border crisis, and we’re highlighting ... the failures of this administration.”
Mayorkas told members of Congress last week that the border is secure, and the Biden administration is prioritizing antismuggling efforts to curb crime rates. The entire federal immigration system needs an overhaul to address the surge in migrant crossings, Mayorkas said, and political destabilization across the Americas has also contributed to the increase.
The number of migrant crossings has been growing since Mayorkas took office in 2021, but it’s a trend that began under the Trump administration.
Republicans have increasingly threatened to impeach Mayorkas as they prepare to take over leadership of the U.S. House next year. The GOP has secured at least 219 seats in the House — one more than necessary for a majority — with a handful of races still uncalled.
Even then, impeachment would be a difficult endeavor, since almost every House Republican would have to be on board. And any push to remove Mayorkas from office would likely stall in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats will hold a slim majority.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas sent a letter to Mayorkas last month criticizing his work on the southern border, telling the secretary that legislators would have “grounds for impeachment” if he did not correct course.
Mccarthy last week won the GOP nomination for House speaker, but his path to victory in the chamber is uncertain at this point. Some far-right members of his party have expressed opposition to his leadership, and Mccarthy needs at least 218 votes to secure the role.
If elected, Mccarthy said he plans to host congressional hearings at the southern border in an effort to compel Democrats to visit the region.
Border security remains a top issue for Republicans across the nation, but especially in Texas. GOP lawmakers have characterized the Biden administration as lax on illegal immigration, and Gov. Greg Abbott has launched his own border initiative to arrest migrants on state trespassing charges.
Abbott has made national headlines in recent months for busing thousands of migrants to Democrat-led cities, including New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C.