Fourteen Democratic members of the House of Representatives who condemned Joe Biden’s immigration policies are now facing a major decision regarding the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
As we reported on Wednesday, House Republicans are closer to a full impeachment vote against Mayorkas for “willfully and systematically” flouting federal immigration laws, breaching public trust.
The House Homeland Security Committee voted 18-15 along party lines, affirming that Mayorkas failed to detain migrants crossing the border before deciding on whether to grant asylum.
Representative Jared Golden voted on January 17 for H. Res. 957, which criticized immigration policies, calling for an end to his “open-border policies.”
But Golden has expressed opposition to impeachment.
“The American people largely agree the border should be secured, and they are fed up with politicians’ antics,” Golden said.
“They want a deal done, and so do I. The reported deal between the White House and Senate negotiators may not be perfect, but it would go a long way toward securing the border and slowing the flow of migrants while ensuring our strategic allies in Israel and Ukraine have the tools they need to fend off Hamas and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” he added.
The other 13 Democrats who voted against Biden’s immigration policies include:
Representative Colin Allred of Texas
Yadira Caraveo of Colorado
Angie Craig of Minnesota
Henry Cuellar of Texas
Don Davis of North Carolina
Vicente Gonzalez of Texas
Greg Landsman of Ohio
Susie Lee of Nevada
Jared Moskowitz of Florida
Wiley Nickel of North Carolina
Mary Peltola of Alaska
Marie Perez of Washington
Eric Sorensen of Illinois
Given the potential implications on the Republican majority’s ability to secure the necessary votes, the positions of these 14 representatives are being closely watched.
Representative Wiley Nickel said:
“For too long, the border has been a talking point instead of a policy priority. Addressing the situation at the border and taking up comprehensive immigration reform should not be a Democrat or Republican issue. It’s an American issue.”
“I remain focused on working in a bipartisan way to secure the border and pass comprehensive immigration reform through Congress. I’ll work with anyone to help save lives, improve security at the southern border, and make our communities safer,” Nickel said.
The votes from the 14 Democrats are key and are magnified by the highly narrow Republican majority in the House.
With 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats and three seats empty, Republicans cannot afford to lose more than two of their members’ votes.
House Republican Conference Chairman Elise Stefanik and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer have been major vocal opponents of Bidne’s border policies.
“Mayorkas and Joe Biden have failed the American people, and Secretary Mayorkas is responsible for the devastation and destruction and the implementation of the failed Biden border policies that have led to a crisis in states and communities nationwide,” Stefanik said.
Representative Emmer told House officials:
“Joe Biden and the Democrats’ open borders agenda has created the worst crisis we’ve ever seen. Just look at the numbers.”
“There have been more than 8.3 million illegal crossings nationwide since Joe Biden took office. There have been 1.7 million known gotaways—the keyword here being known. We don’t know how much bigger it might be. And just last month, there were more than 302,000 illegal immigrants encountered at the southern border—the highest single month ever.”
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