House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at a press conference in El Paso, Texas on Tuesday called for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to hand in his resignation. He also added that once the GOP takes over the House, they will launch an investigation into his actions and failures regarding his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
McCarthy pointed to the Department of Homeland Security head’s statements to Congress in which he claimed that the border was secure and under control, despite the record number of border crossings. He also cited the ending of the “Remain in Mexico” asylum policy, which was instituted under the Trump administration, as another reason why Mayorkas should resign. McCarthy also noted that it would be tough for the U.S. to recover from Mayorkas’s “dereliction of duty
McCarthy was selected by House Republicans to serve as the Speaker in the next Congress during a closed-door leadership election last week. In order to become Speaker he will need to be formally elected by the House in early 2023.
While McCarthy’s stance regarding Mayorkas has been the hardest he has taken on matters of impeachment, there are still many conservatives who are asking him to act more aggressively regarding the impeachment of Biden administration officials, and even the President himself.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), the former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, had previously challenged McCarthy for Speaker, noting that McCarthy had not taken any action to show that he would pursue impeachment for Mayorkas. Biggs won 31 votes during the House Republican leadership election, while McCarthy won 188 votes.
McCarthy first referred to the possibility of Mayorkas being impeached during a press conference in April.
