Impeaching Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: A missed opportunity

By Mariannette Miller-Meeks

Last week, I voted to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. I cast my vote to send a clear signal that we must stop being desensitized to the unprecedented border crisis.

Even though, Iowa is not a border state, our cities are deeply impacted by the fentanyl crisis, and our communities are being destroyed by the illicit drugs that continue to flood across our border. I fully believe that Biden’s border crisis falls squarely on the shoulders of the President and the Secretary of DHS, and I cannot stand by and let the flow of illicit drugs continue to paralyze our communities.

Last week, the House had the opportunity to change the course of Biden’s border crisis and impeach Secretary Mayorkas. But, unfortunately, the impeachment measure did not pass the House. While, I am disappointed that we could not make changes at DHS last week, I will not stop fighting to call out the Administration’s dereliction of duty and I look forward to the impeachment vote coming before the House again this week.

In Congress, I will continue to advocate for my resolution, H. Res. 461, which condemns the use of elementary and secondary school facilities to provide shelter for aliens admitted to the U.S. The House passed this resolution and now it’s time for the Biden Administration to act.

I will continue to call on the support of my colleagues like I did in November when I spoke on the House floor in support of H.R. 5283, the “Protecting our Communities from Failure to Secure our Border Act of 2023.” This vital legislation passed the House and prohibits the use of American taxpayer funding to house illegal immigrants on federal lands owned by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Finally, I will still support H.R. 2, which passed the House. This historic border and immigration policy strengthens border security and immigration laws, deters illegals from taking advantage of our immigration system, and addresses the humanitarian crisis that the Biden Administration has created.

Bottom line, we need fixes to our legal immigration system that make it easier for people to apply and come in legally and harder for those who are entering the country illegally. But, while there is still so much work that needs to be done to fortify our border, I will continue to put the Biden Administration in check and work to keep our communities safe.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks currently represents Iowa’s First District in the United States House of Representatives.