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WTAS: Chairman Green’s Remarks in Eagle Pass and Just-Announced Impeachment Proceedings Against Secretary Mayorkas

January 4, 2024

EAGLE PASS, TEXAS – This week, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) joined Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and several dozen House Republican colleagues on the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, to hear from Border Patrol agents and assess the conditions on the frontlines of the worst border crisis in American history. Also Wednesday morning, the Committee announced it will initiate impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas with a hearing Wednesday, January 10, 2024. 

Read highlights of Chairman Green’s remarks at the Eagle Pass press conference below.

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“I first took the oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against enemies foreign and domestic on the plane at West Point when I was 17 years old. And for the better part of my adult life, I have spent training, and fighting foreign terrorists. Now, as the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I contend with the domestic threats to this nation. 
 
“The greatest domestic threat to the national security and the safety of the American people is Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas.  He, through his policies, has defied and subverted the laws passed by the United States Congress. He has defied multiple court orders. He has lied numerous times to the U.S. Congress. He has, under oath, stated things that were blatantly and obviously incorrect. 
 
“He has broken his oath to defend this country. Even [Attorney General] Garland admitted that the policies of Mayorkas are being used by cartels to exploit the American people and make billions of dollars, putting Americans at risk – hundreds of thousands of Americans dead to fentanyl. Tens-of-thousands of young people trafficked into sex slavery. Billions of dollars wasted, and criminal networks connected to drug cartels in Mexico throughout our entire country. 
 
“Director Wray admitted before our Committee the other day that, with the border wide open and a war in Israel, Hamas can walk right in. The director of the FBI fears for his own agents. It‘s clear that this is intentional. Secretary Mayorkas knows the policy. If the AG knows the policies are the cause, Secretary Mayorkas knows the policies are the cause. He’s doubling down. He’s doing this intentionally, despite the catastrophic harm to our country. 
 
“Our Committee has finished its five-phase investigation. I want to thank the members of the Committee for their hard work and our staff. You will see a lot more coming here very soon. […] Every state and city in this country is a border state, but I want to say a special thank you and salute to Texas. You have borne the brunt of this. We will not let you down. Accountability is coming; I promise.”
 
Read the top coverage of the Committee’s announcement and border press conference below.
 
Punchbowl: House Republicans ready Mayorkas impeachment
“The House Homeland Security Committee is formally moving ahead with impeachment proceedings against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The first hearing will take place on Jan. 10, with a possible second hearing to be held the following week. Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) said the conclusion of the panel’s investigation in December has provided House Republicans with enough evidence to impeach Mayorkas. Green accused Mayorkas of misusing taxpayer dollars and purposefully ignoring border security measures. ‘Our investigation made clear that this crisis finds its foundation in Secretary Mayorkas’ decision-making and refusal to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and that his failure to fulfill his oath of office demands accountability,’ Green told us in a statement. ‘The bipartisan House vote in November to refer articles of impeachment to my Committee only served to highlight the importance of our taking up the impeachment process – which is what we will begin doing next Wednesday.’ This is a major escalation in Green’s nearly year-long probe into Mayorkas, which was split into five phases. The investigation looked at the origins, effects and economic costs of the influx of millions of undocumented migrants who have illegally crossed the U.S. border since Mayorkas has held his post.”
 
Just the News: Mayorkas impeachment hearing scheduled for Jan. 10, House Homeland Security chair says
“The House Homeland Security Committee will hold its first impeachment hearing against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Jan. 10, the committee’s chairman, Tennessee Republican Rep. Mark Green, said Wednesday. After the committee finished its investigation in December, Green said House Republicans have enough evidence to impeach Mayorkas, according to Punchbowl News. Mayorkas allegedly misused taxpayer dollars and ignored border security regulations, Green said. […] The impeachment hearing comes after illegal immigration hit a record high of 3.2 million Customs and Border Protection encounters last fiscal year, which ran from October 2022 through September 2023. This fiscal year appears on track to beat the record, with more than 600,000 encounters of illegal immigrants in the first two months alone.”
 
Reuters: US House Republicans plan impeachment hearing for Biden’s border chief
“The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on Jan. 10 related to the impeachment allegations with witnesses to be announced in the coming days, it said in a press release. Republicans have slammed Democratic President Joe Biden over border control as record numbers of migrants have been caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, with criticism focused on Mayorkas, Biden’s top border official. Republicans blame Biden for rolling back some restrictive border policies of Republican former President Donald Trump…”
 
CNN: House committee to formally begin impeachment proceedings against Biden Homeland Security chief over border policies
“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.”
 
Fox News: House Homeland Security Committee sets first Mayorkas impeachment hearing
“A House committee has set the date for its first impeachment hearing into Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, escalating its push against the Cabinet official. The Homeland Security Committee, led by Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., will hold its first impeachment hearing into Mayorkas on Jan. 10, the committee told Fox News Digital. Green told Fox News Digital that for ‘almost three years, the American people have demanded an end to the unprecedented crisis at the Southwest border, and they have also rightly called for Congress to hold accountable those responsible.’ […] The hearing – titled “Havoc in the Heartland: How Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership Has Impacted the States” – will delve into how Midwestern states have been affected by the growing influx of illegal immigrants at the southern border. If impeached, Mayorkas would be the first Cabinet secretary to receive the black mark since 1876. Fox News Digital has reached out to House Homeland Security Committee Democrats for comment. Mayorkas has been in the sights of congressional Republicans as the crisis at the southern border spiraled out of control. Hundreds of thousands of migrants crossed into the U.S., with Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) sources last month telling Fox News Digital that there were over 276,000 migrant encounters near the end of December.”
 
USA Today: House Republicans to begin impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
“House Republicans are proceeding with impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a massive escalation of their attack on Democrats over the migrant crisis at the southern border. The proceedings will begin Jan. 10, with the House Homeland Security Committee holding a first impeachment hearing, a committee spokesperson told USA TODAY. Punchbowl News first reported the hearing.  The move comes as more than 60 House Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are in Eagle Pass, Texas, to tour the border and hold a press conference on the migrant crisis.”
 
NewsNation: House moves forward with impeachment effort against Mayorkas
“The House will formally move forward with steps to impeach U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green confirmed to NewsNation. Several House Republicans have been pushing to impeach Mayorkas over the past months. They say Mayorkas should be removed from his job due to his handling of the southern border. This comes as Speaker Mike Johnson leads a delegation of House members to the southern border Wednesday. Green announced a full committee hearing for next Wednesday, Jan. 10, to evaluate the impact of ‘Mayorkas’ failed leadership’ on the border.”
 
Daily Mail: Republicans begin process to IMPEACH Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for border crisis as he blames an immigration system broken for 30 years and climate change on surge in migration
“Republicans are taking the first steps to formally impeach Department of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas for his handling of the ongoing southern border crisis. Daily Mail confirmed that the first impeachment hearing into Mayorkas will be held by the House Homeland Security Committee next week on January 10. It comes after officials revealed over 302,000 people crossed the border illegally in December. It is the highest total for a single month ever recorded in history and it marks the first time migrant encounters have reached over 300,000. In 2020 there were only 400,000 crossings for the whole year. The House Homeland Security Committee led by Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., has been investigating Mayorkas and compiling a comprehensive report of his ‘dereliction of duty’ over several months.  Green told DailyMail.com that his committee’s investigation ‘made clear’ that the border crisis ‘finds its foundation in Secretary Mayorkas’ decision-making and refusal to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and that his failure to fulfill his oath of office demands accountability.’”
 
NBC News: GOP puts immigration front and center with border visit and a new impeachment push
“Pushing to make border security a central issue in 2024, Speaker Mike Johnson and dozens of House Republicans headed to the southern border in Texas on Wednesday to draw attention to record migrant crossings and bash the Biden administration’s enforcement of immigration laws. […] Green said the first impeachment hearing, titled “Havoc in the Heartland: How Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership Has Impacted the States,” will take place on Jan. 10, the same week lawmakers return from their holiday break. […] The back-and-forth over the border comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection is experiencing record migrant border crossings. CBP encountered roughly 300,000 migrants at the southwest border in December, a record high, according to two Department of Homeland Security officials. Last month, CBP also saw the highest daily crossings on record at the southwest border, at times eclipsing 12,000 per day.”
 
New York Post: House GOP sets Mayorkas impeachment hearing for next week, alleging ‘failed leadership’ in migrant crisis
“House Republicans are inching forward with impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of dereliction of duty in response to the ongoing migrant crisis. The GOP-led House Committee on Homeland Security announced plans Wednesday to hold a hearing Jan. 10 to evaluate Mayorkas’ “failed leadership and his refusal to enforce” immigration law. “For almost three years, the American people have demanded an end to the unprecedented crisis at the Southwest border, and they have also rightly called for Congress to hold accountable those responsible,” committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) said in a statement. […] The announcement was made the same day a delegation of around 60 House Republicans led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) traveled to the southern border to gauge the situation on the ground. Republicans harbor a long list of grievances against Mayorkas, including the record-breaking number of migrant encounters at the border, the powerful cartel presence there, and alleged abuse of taxpayer dollars in the awarding of contracts to build new housing for migrants rather than using existing ICE detention facilities. During fiscal year 2023, which ended Sept. 30, more than 2.47 million encounters with migrants were reported along the US-Mexico border, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection.” 
 
The Hill: House panel to kick off Mayorkas impeachment hearings next week
“House Republicans will initiate a series of impeachment hearings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas next week, holding the first of four hearings before marking up a resolution that would boot him from office. The House Homeland Security Committee on Jan. 10 will review what it dubs the “havoc in the heartland,” a look at how migration has impacted the Midwest. The hearing is the culmination of a months-long review of Mayorkas’s leadership at the border, one that committee Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) kicked off with a July press conference alleging the secretary had displayed ‘dereliction of duty’ in how he’s handled the border. The announcement of the hearing, first reported by Punchbowl News, also aligns with a House GOP trip to the border Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) first as leader of his conference. […] Green said in an interview on Fox News last month that articles of impeachment for Mayorkas have already been drafted and would be marked up at the end of the process.”
 
Washington Examiner: House Republicans moving swiftly to start Mayorkas impeachment on Jan. 10
“House Republicans are preparing to begin the process of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in the coming weeks, building on a monthslong effort by GOP lawmakers to remove the top border official as the illegal immigration crisis enters its fourth year. The House Homeland Security Committee will hold its first impeachment hearing on Jan. 10, a committee spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. The hearing will examine findings from the committee’s nearly yearlong investigation into the Cabinet official’s handling of the southern border and lay the groundwork for a vote in the coming weeks. […] House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will lead the trip alongside Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) as part of the GOP’s effort to educate members on the impact of unchecked illegal immigration on small and large communities at the border and across the country. Lawmakers are expected to lay blame for the burgeoning situation at President Joe Biden’s and Mayorkas’s feet. Since Mayorkas was confirmed by the Senate in January 2021, more immigrants have been encountered attempting to enter the United States from Mexico without authorization than at any other time in history. Under the Biden administration’s first three years, more than 6.7 million people have been encountered at the southern border.”
 
Washington Times: GOP to begin impeachment of Mayorkas after latest border numbers
“Illegal immigration at the southern border ticked up again in November, continuing the Department of Homeland Security’s string of disastrous months and fueling Republicans’ calls for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Border Patrol agents nabbed more than 191,000 illegal immigrants in the Southwest, and Customs and Border Protection officers encountered 51,000 other unauthorized migrants who showed up demanding entry, many of them welcomed under one of President Biden‘s “parole” programs promising quick “catch and release.” Among the Border Patrol arrests in November were 18 people whose names were on the terrorism watchlist. Through the first two months of fiscal 2024, agents have nabbed 30 terrorism suspects at the southern border, putting the country on pace to break the record of 169 set under Mr. Biden in the previous year. Customs and Border Protection released the numbers Friday afternoon, ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend. […] The border situation is the chief argument Republicans give for impeachment, and the new numbers build on their case. CBP said it detected an increase in fentanyl smuggled across the border in November, along with the terrorism suspects. Meanwhile, the flow of unauthorized migrants continues to defy Mr. Mayorkas’ attempts to rein it in.”
 
Read additional coverage below.

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