Senate Democrats swiftly dismissed two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a quick trial that lasted less than 3.5 hours. The trial’s speed left Republicans embarrassed as they had hoped to delay proceedings, only to see the articles declared unconstitutional by the Democratic majority.
The articles accused Mayorkas of failing to enforce immigration laws and lying to Congress under oath. Despite the serious allegations, Democrats were confident in their decision to quickly dispense with the impeachment, stating that there was never any chance of Mayorkas being convicted.
Republicans, on the other hand, expressed their dissatisfaction with the speedy trial, with Senator Josh Hawley warning that it could set a dangerous precedent for future impeachments. The House GOP impeachment managers had presented the articles to the Senate, calling for a full trial.
However, after the articles were dismissed, GOP leaders criticized Democrats and voiced their support for the Biden Administration’s border policies. In response, DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg brushed off the impeachment as “baseless” and urged Congressional Republicans to stand behind the Department’s mission.
The outcome of the trial highlights the deep partisan divide on Capitol Hill, with Democrats and Republicans at odds over the handling of immigration policies. Despite the dismissal of the impeachment articles, the debate over Mayorkas’s actions and the Biden Administration’s approach to immigration is far from over.
