House committee to formally begin impeachment proceedings against Biden Homeland Security chief over border policies

CNN —

House Republicans will forge ahead with steps to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis, a GOP source tells CNN.

In a statement provided to CNN, a committee spokesperson said “the House Committee on Homeland Security has conducted a comprehensive investigation into Secretary Mayorkas’ handling of, and role in, the unprecedented crisis at the Southwest border” for nearly a year.

“Following the bipartisan vote in the House to refer articles of impeachment against the secretary to our Committee, we will be conducting hearings and taking up those articles in the coming weeks,” the statement said.

The announcement of the impeachment proceedings comes as immigration is shaping up to be a top issue in the 2024 presidential election, with Republicans slamming President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, along with some of his Republican colleagues, will visit one of the busiest sections of the US-Mexico border, where only a few days ago border authorities wrestled with a fresh surge of migrants.

In response to Johnson’s visit, a senior administration official accused the House Speaker of “playing games” and said he should “stop playing politics” instead of working to pass meaningful reforms.

During an interview Wednesday with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Johnson described the situation at the US border with Mexico as a “catastrophe” and said the Biden administration isn’t doing its job, while throwing cold water on the ongoing Senate negotiations for a border security bill.

“This is not about sending more money down here, it’s about changing the policy, and the White House seems not to understand that,” Johnson said in the