Media

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) voted to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for willfully refusing to comply with federal immigration laws and breaching the public trust. This vote follows an almost year-long investigation by the House Committee on Homeland Security, which found that Mayorkas was “chiefly responsible” for the crisis unfolding at the southern border. 

“Secretary Mayorkas has violated his oath to protect American citizens by ignoring his duty to control and guard the border,” said Rep. Baird. “The Committee on Homeland Security conducted a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the border crisis and came to the inescapable conclusion that Secretary Mayorkas is deliberately refusing to do his job. We cannot allow a man who has ignored numerous calls for action to continue serving in this role. That’s why I voted to keep my promise to the people of Indiana and impeach Secretary Mayorkas.”

Background:

The House Committee on Homeland Security uncovered numerous impeachable offenses during Secretary Mayorkas’ tenure. This includes willfully refusing to comply with detention requirements and instead implementing a mass catch-and-release program. Mayorkas also willfully misused parole authority laid out in the Immigration and Nationality Act, which permits parole “only on a case-by-case basis.” His plan paroled aliens en masse into the country.

The Committee also found that Secretary Mayorkas breached the public trust by violating his oath to protect the homeland. He breached the trust of Congress and the public by knowingly making false statements about his refusal to comply with the law on multiple occasions.

Secretary Mayorkas’ time in office has been defined by an unprecedented rise in illegal border crossings. This includes 6.2 million encounters with illegal immigrants in Fiscal Year 2023 in addition to 1.7 million known gotaways. During that same time, Customs and Border Protection arrested 35,433 aliens with criminal convictions or outstanding warrants and stopped 169 individuals on the terrorist watch list.