US Senate swiftly rejects bid to oust homeland security chief Alejandro Mayorkas
- The Democrat-led chamber tossed 2 articles of impeachment against Biden’s border chief, putting an end to the Republican effort
- Immigration looks to be a central issue in November’s election, and the fight against Mayorkas was mainly spearheaded by lawmakers close to Trump
The Democratic-held US Senate rejected a Republican-led bid on Wednesday to oust President Joe Biden’s immigration chief over his handling of the southern border with Mexico.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, 64, was impeached in February by the Republican-majority House of Representatives.
Republicans are seeking to make border security a key issue in November’s election and the impeachment came amid a showdown between the House and Senate over curbing a surge in illegal immigration, which hit a record 10,000 apprehensions a day at the US-Mexico border in December.
Republican lawmakers accused Mayorkas of “wilful and systemic refusal” to enforce immigration law and “breach of public trust,” making him the first cabinet secretary to be impeached in nearly 150 years. The move set up a trial in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 51-49 majority.
But the Senate swiftly disposed of the two articles of impeachment on Wednesday, rejecting them along party lines on the grounds they were unconstitutional.