(NewsNation) — A Texas Republican filed articles of impeachment Monday against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of failing to secure the southern border and compounding “already-low morale” among border agents.
The papers, filed by Rep. Pat Fallon, specifically accuse Mayorkas of lying to Congress when he testified earlier this year that the U.S. had operational control of the southern border.
“The record-breaking number of illegal alien encounters, including over 1,000,000 known ‘gotaways,’ as well as the record seizures of deadly fentanyl and other contraband, prove that Secretary Mayorkas has not ensured operational control of the southern border,” Fallon wrote.
The resolution won’t move without action from GOP leadership, according to NewsNation’s partner The Hill reported.
The proposed impeachment comes on the heels of President Joe Biden’s weekend visit to the border.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) claimed El Paso had “been sanitized of the migrant camps” in an attempt to “shield” the president from the chaos.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told NewsNation that patrols in the El Paso area had increased before Biden announced his visit.
October marked the highest level of unauthorized border crossings ever recorded in a fiscal year, as the border saw larger numbers of migrants from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, the Associated Press reported, citing U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
An October NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ survey found that 22.27% of voters believe violence and corruption are most responsible for increases in illegal immigration.