A 214-216 vote shut down the impeachment process for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as least for the time being. Three House Republicans broke ranks and voted against the measure to impeach Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis and migrant influx. Republicans accused Mayorkas of having “refused to comply with Federal immigration laws” and of having violated “public trust.”
The vote was a dramatic event Tuesday; while the House voted mostly along party lines, with Democrats remaining united against the measure, three Republicans voted against it, with another lawmaker switching his vote at the last minute to allow for the resolution to be brought back to the floor, reports Fox News.
Those who voted no were Reps. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis. The lawmakers said while they disapproved of the job Mayorkas is doing at the southern border, the threshold for impeachment had not been met, and warned it could be used against future Republican administrations.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, technically voted no but switched his vote at the last minute in a procedural move to be able to bring the resolution back to the floor.
Fox News adds the defeat marks a significant blow for House Republicans, who had pushed the impeachment of Mayorkas for over a year, and have accused him of disregarding federal law with “open border policies” that have worsened the ongoing crisis at the southern border.
Republicans, however, indicated that they would likely vote again on the resolution when Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., returns from cancer treatment.
“While I’m disappointed in the outcome of today’s vote, this is not the end of our efforts to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable,” House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., said in a statement. “I look forward to Leader Scalise’s return.”
