Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas impeached by US House

The US House of Representatives impeached Alejandro Mayorkas, homeland security secretary, in a party-line vote on Tuesday evening.

The vote was largely along party lines, winning 214-213.

The articles of impeachment allege that Mr Mayorkas engaged in a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” by allowing the release of migrants awaiting legal proceedings and breached “public trust” when he told lawmakers the US-Mexico border was secure.

Meanwhile, Democrats — and a handful of Republicans — condemned the articles.

“The Mayorkas impeachment lark was the paltry consolation prize that the MAGA wing of the party got, because they’re not able to bring the Biden impeachment to the floor,” Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told The Independent just minutes before the vote Tuesday night.

The US House first voted on the articles of impeachment against Mr Mayorkas last week. The vote failed 216 to 214 thanks to four Republicans who joined all House Democrats in voting no. One of the decisive votes came from Representative Al Green, a Texas Democrat — he unexpectedly arrived at the US Capitol fresh out of abdominal surgery to cast his “nay” vote.

Republican Representatives Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, and Tom McClintock of California also voted against the articles during the first vote last week. Republican Representative Blake Moore of Utah joined them in a last-minute switch after he was projected to vote in favour as a means to bring impeachment back up in the future.

The House decided to take up impeachment once again this week as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise returned to Congress after undergoing treatment for cancer.

A cabinet official