IIn the dispute over border policy, the opposition US Republicans have failed in their controversial attempt to initiate impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In the House of Representatives on Tuesday, a corresponding motion from the Conservatives narrowly missed the necessary majority with 214 votes to 216.
The chamber's Republican chairman, Mike Johnson, had previously expressed optimism that the proposal would be passed. For him and his party, the vote means a bitter defeat. Immediately after the vote, Johnson's spokesman announced on
The proposal is also controversial among Republicans
Democrats had condemned Republican efforts to impeach Mayorkas as politically motivated. The approach was also not without controversy among the Republicans – several conservative MPs therefore voted against the so-called impeachment on Tuesday.
Many legal experts are of the opinion that the conditions for impeachment proceedings against the minister responsible for border protection do not exist.
Accusation of incompetence
Republicans accuse Mayorkas of “deliberately” creating a crisis at the US border with Mexico through “gross incompetence” and a “year-long refusal to enforce the laws passed by Congress.”
The arrival of numerous refugees and migrants, especially from South and Central America, has been posing huge challenges for the US authorities for years. Border protection and immigration policy are among the most hotly contested domestic policy issues in the United States.