Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas dodged the question at Thursday’s press conference when asked about Republican calls for his impeachment.
A reporter asked the secretary if he is concerned about House Republicans filing article of impeachment against him now that the party has regained control of the House.
“I’ve got a tremendous amount of work to do … and I will continue to do that work,” he said. “The longevity of these programs is something that of course depends on what we are experiencing at the border and the dynamism, as I mentioned, of the migration challenge that is gripping this hemisphere and frankly the entire world.”
In April, the Republican Study Committee announced that they were preparing to impeach Mayorkas over his handling of the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, the chair of the Republican Study Committee, accused Mayorkas of turning a “secure border into a lawless horror show.” (RELATED: ‘They Believe You’re A Traitor’: Ken Buck Delivers A Fiery Message From His District Straight To Mayorkas’ Face)
Then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also threatened to impeach Mayorkas if he did not resign from his role once Republicans took back the House in the midterms.
“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,” McCarthy said.
Under Mayorkas’ leadership, migrant apprehension numbers surged to record-high levels, exceeding 2.3 million in the 2022 fiscal year, which began in Oct. 2021. He has joined other Biden administration officials in insisting that the border is “secure,” prompting severe backlash from Republican lawmakers.