House Homeland Security Committee discusses Impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas
The Border Center for Journalists and Bloggers (BCJB) summarizes the main news on the border for January 11, 2024.
House Republicans start the process to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas
The House Homeland Security committee initiated a series of hearings, possibly leading to articles of impeachment against Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, responsible for handling the southwest border crisis. Chairman Mark Greene accused Mayorkas of refusing to enforce immigration laws, which he claims jeopardizes national security. House conservatives have targeted Mayorkas for the surge of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Local authorities have requested more resources and policy reforms to manage the influx. Democrats dismiss the impeachment process as politically motivated. While additional hearings are expected, it remains uncertain what charges House GOP lawmakers will bring. Senate Republicans disagree with targeting Mayorkas, who supports bipartisan efforts to change immigration policies. The Department of Homeland Security maintains that Mayorkas is enforcing the law, and Congress should address immigration system limitations through legislation rather than pursuing impeachment. It is unlikely that Mayorkas will be removed from office if the House approves articles of impeachment.
Together in San Diego, Bill and Hillary Clinton talk about Gaza, Trump, and everything else
But the former president and one-time secretary of state did say one of the region’s biggest debates wasn’t genuinely intractable.
“We could solve our border problems tomorrow,” Hillary Clinton argued, referring to the large numbers of people regularly seeking to cross over from Mexico. The federal government just needed to boost its manpower and expand immigration courts to speed up both deportations and asylum claims, yet “certain groups are either demanding, ‘my way or no way,’ or don’t want it to be solved,” she said.
The couple spoke before thousands in the San Diego Convention Center about the challenges facing a polarized world, including the Israel-Hamas war and the spread of artificial intelligence, as part of the Professional Convention Management Association’s Convening Leaders conference.
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