Congressional Black Caucus members blast GOP efforts to impeach Mayorkas again

“This is a political stunt and a hit job ordered by two people, Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says

Congressional Black Caucus members are slamming Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives for proposing a second vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after a failed attempt last week.

In a statement obtained by theGrio, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., condemned GOP members for attempting to impeach Mayorkas without evidence that he committed an impeachable offense.

“This is a political stunt and a hit job ordered by two people, Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene,” he said.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, theGrio.com
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a news conference during the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Security Dialogue, at the State Department, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“The extreme MAGA Republicans have been directed by Donald Trump not to work together to address the challenges at the border and instead to distract the American people,” he continued.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat of Texas, told theGrio that Republicans’ attempt to impeach Mayorkas is an act of “desperation.”

“The GOP is morphing into the MAGA movement … full of conspiracy theories, lies, misinformation,” she said.

Crockett added that since Republicans failed to impeach President Joe Biden, Mayorkas has become a target.

“They’re not having too much luck with impeaching the president, so the next thing they feel like they can … get rid of is the guy at the head of the border,” she continued.

Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., told theGrio that House GOP members’ efforts to impeach Mayorkas “shows their lack of ability to function as a majority.”

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, theGrio.com
US House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 29, 2023. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, the House voted 214-216, tanking the House GOP-led effort to impeach Mayorkas for allegedly failing to enforce immigration policies and for unsuccessfully securing the southern border. Three Republicans — Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Tom McClintock of California — joined House Democrats in opposing to the measure.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is vowing to continue the impeachment effort.

“House Republicans fully intend to bring Articles of Impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas back to the floor when we have the votes for passage,” Johnson spokesperson Raj Shah said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In November, Republicans introduced articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, arguing that he “willfully and systematically refused to comply with Federal immigration laws” and “breached the public trust” by stating that the U.S.-Mexico border was secure.

House Democrats blasted the move for “wasting time” and not addressing issues that matter to U.S. citizens.

Crockett said terminating Mayorkas from his position would only “exacerbate the issues on the border.”

She added that Republicans are not focused on solving immigration issues after Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan border deal on Wednesday.  

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, theGrio.com
Rep.-elect Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during a news conference with newly elected incoming members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus at the AFL-CIO building in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, November 13, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Horsford told theGrio that Republicans did that because “Trump” told them to.

“They have no vision, they have no track record, and they have made no progress for the American people,” Jeffries said in his statement.

He added that House Democrats will “push back aggressively against” a vote to impeach Mayorkas and “expose this do-nothing Republican Congress.”

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