The US House of Representatives voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. It has happened for the first time in almost 150 years and the second time in the country's history.
The US announced the impeachment of the Minister of Homeland Security
The votes were distributed as follows: 214 for and 213 against. The vote took place against the backdrop of the migration crisis at the US border.
The Department of Homeland Security said House Republicans "will go down in history for violating the Constitution" after the impeachment vote.
House Republicans will be remembered in history for trampling the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious problems at our border. Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue to work every day to keep Americans safe, Department spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg said.
House Republicans say Mayorkas committed serious crimes and misdemeanours while overseeing US southern border security. However, according to experts, Mayorkas did not commit treason or serious crimes, so there are no grounds for his impeachment.
CNN writes that even if Mayorkas is impeached in the House of Representatives, it is highly unlikely that he will face charges in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Last week, the House of Representatives tried to impeach Mayorkas, but the vote failed.
In American history, only one Cabinet official has been impeached: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876.
Biden's reaction to the minister's impeachment
In a statement on the White House website, the US president said that "instead of engaging in political stunts like this, Republicans who are truly concerned about the border should demand that Congress provide more border resources and strengthen border security."
Unfortunately, the same Republicans who are pushing this baseless impeachment are rejecting the bipartisan plans that Secretary Mayorkas and others in my administration have worked hard to build to strengthen border security right now.
Joe Biden
US President
According to Biden, Mayorkas came to the United States with his family as a political refugee from Cuba. He has served the country for over two decades, with law enforcement and public service distinctions.
