Washington D.C. – This past week, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.), alongside Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and 41 Republican colleagues, penned a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), urging the Senate to undertake its constitutional obligation by initiating a trial to consider the impeachment of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The letter, signed by prominent Republican figures including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), highlighted concerns over the state of national security at the southern border. The Senators cited a surge in encounters since President Biden assumed office, with encounters in fiscal year 2023 alone witnessing a staggering 440% increase over fiscal year 2020 figures. They argued that the border situation under Secretary Mayorkas’s leadership has evolved into a national security crisis, necessitating impeachment proceedings.
“The House of Representatives has already taken steps by impeaching Secretary Mayorkas. It’s now the Senate’s turn to fulfill its constitutional duty,” the Senators asserted in their missive, emphasizing the importance of upholding the impeachment process as laid out by the framers.
Senator Britt underscored the urgency of the situation, stating, “Amid an unprecedented national security and humanitarian crisis at the border, it’s imperative that we get answers and accountability for the American people.” She criticized the Biden Administration’s handling of the border situation, asserting that it cannot overlook the dire consequences of its migration policies.
In a subsequent development, Senator Britt, as Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, interrogated Secretary Mayorkas on the Biden Administration’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for DHS. During the questioning, Senator Britt raised concerns regarding the proposed budget’s inadequate provisions for border security and public safety.
Highlighting issues such as the significant number of illegal aliens remaining in the country despite removal orders and the release of previously convicted violent criminals into the nation’s interior, Senator Britt pressed Secretary Mayorkas on the administration’s strategies and policies. She also questioned discrepancies between ICE detention bed funding levels and the administration’s budget proposal for FY25, as well as failures in processing immigration court cases.
The hearing shed light on instances where individuals with questionable backgrounds were released into the country under the Biden Administration’s parole programs, raising further questions about the administration’s approach to border enforcement and public safety.
The call for Secretary Mayorkas’s impeachment and the subsequent inquiry underscored growing concerns among Republican lawmakers regarding the management of border security and immigration policies under the current administration. As the debate intensifies, the Senate faces mounting pressure to address these issues through constitutional means while ensuring transparency and accountability to the American people.
