WASHINGTON, DC – This morning, Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) testified at the House Committee on Homeland Security, arguing in favor of the impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

Watch Rep. Hern’s remarks here.

Remarks as prepared: 

Chairman Green, I thank you for the opportunity to speak in front of the committee today. 

I was the first Member of Congress to call for Sec. Mayorkas to resign in February of 2022.

In October of that same year, I escalated my demands and called for the impeachment of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Secretary Mayorkas’s tenure has been one of willful destruction to the United States, beyond the point of incompetence. 

On February 2nd, 2021, Secretary Mayorkas swore an oath to “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.” He has failed to uphold his oath, and he has failed to protect the American people. 

The United States is witnessing an invasion, and, instead of fighting it, Secretary Mayorkas is using any means necessary, including violating the Immigration and Nationality Act, to welcome it.

Under Secretary Mayorkas, the United States has suffered record levels of illegal immigration, spikes in fentanyl trafficking and fentanyl-related deaths, and ten-fold increases in encounters with illegal aliens on Terrorist Screening Databases. 

This has resulted in record cartel profits, countless criminal aliens being ferried into cities across the country, increased migrant deaths, and a demoralized Border Patrol.

If Biden is not going to do his constitutional duty and make sure he has the right Cabinet members, then it falls upon the Congress to do their job. 

Secretary Mayorkas has failed the American people. Keeping him in this role would continue to put Americans in danger. 

There is not enough time in the world to list all of Mayorkas’ failures, but I can highlight a few that warrant immediate impeachment proceedings. 

Secretary Mayorkas has consistently ignored rules and laws enacted by Congress, failing on his duty to faithfully execute the law. 

Some of these include: 

·         using a “mass parole” policy, which violates the Administrative Procedure Act, to release record amounts of illegal aliens into the country

·         Abusing the parole system to release hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into the country, violating the Immigration and Nationality Act’s limits on humanitarian parole

·         Refusing to reimplement Remain in Mexico after a federal district court decision ordered him to 

·         Restricting which migrants ICE officials are able to detain and deport

·         Quietly changing the detention policy from “release only if there is a compelling reason” to “release unless there is a compelling reason NOT to” - a change we only know about because a federal district court in Florida caught it 

In addition to ignoring orders from the legislative and judicial branches, Secretary Mayorkas repeatedly lies to Congress and the American people. He has testified to this committee, under oath, that the “border is secure” and that he has “operational control of the Southwest border”. 

No one believes that. 

Biden hasn’t seen the real border crisis, but I have – several times. And thanks to the leadership of Governor Abbott, cities across the nation are getting a small taste of what our border communities have been going through these last three years. 

Even the mayor of New York City has had to admit that there is a crisis at our border. 

If this is what security and operational control look like to Sec. Mayorkas, then it’s no wonder he hasn’t fixed the Democrats’ border disaster. Secretary Mayorkas’ behavior continues to threaten the integrity of the constitution and the rule of law. 

While Impeachment is an extraordinary measure, it is absolutely necessary when faced with a Cabinet Secretary who willfully acts in subversion of the confines of Congressional authority and the letter of the law. 

Mayorkas has shown deliberate negligence in his failure to enforce existing immigration laws, negligence that can be traced all the way back to the White House, because the Biden/Harris Administration has no intention of securing our border. 

Mayorkas will face no consequences from his boss because these failures are intentional, and at the specific request of the President and Vice President of the United States.  

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will never fire Secretary Mayorkas because he is performing exactly as instructed. Therefore, impeachment is the only path forward to secure our border and protect our citizens. 

The House of Representatives should thoughtfully pursue impeachment proceedings against Secretary Mayorkas as his actions meet the constitutional standard of “high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” 

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