Lawmakers react to failed Mayorkas impeachment vote

‘Played a good game’: Lawmakers react to failed Mayorkas vote

House GOP failed to impeach Mayorkas
Morales: 'Nobody is to blame but the Republican extreme right'
Crenshaw: 'Mayorkas will be impeached. This isn’t finished'

FILE – Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill, Nov. 8, 2023, in Washington. House Republicans are marching ahead with impeachment plans, their sights on Mayorkas as “derelict in his duty” over handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Speaker Mike Johnson gave his nod to Wednesday’s hearing at the Homeland Security Committee.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

(NewsNation) — GOP lawmakers are promising the fight to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas isn’t over, though some are calling their efforts political after their first attempt failed Tuesday night.

Before the vote, two Republicans — Colorado Rep. Ken Buck and California Rep. Tom McClintock — said they would vote against Mayorkas’ impeachment, arguing he should not be removed for carrying out the Biden administration’s migration and border policy.

The pair were joined by Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., resulting in a 215-215 tie. A fourth Republican changed their vote to “no” to allow the party to bring the impeachment articles back up at a later date, resulting in a final 214-216 tally.

Texas State Rep. Eddie Morales, a Democrat representing Eagle Pass, has been critical of both President Joe Biden’s and Mayorkas’ job performance on border security. However, he told NewsNation that Republicans aren’t willing to come to the table to fix the issues impacting communities on the border.

“We’re at that point where nobody is to blame but the Republican extreme right for playing politics and putting their particular views over the country first,” Morales said.

House Republicans are expected to bring back the impeachment vote next week.

The vote appears to have been sunk by the last-minute surprise appearance of Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who had surgery scheduled for Tuesday. Instead, he was brought into the House chamber in a wheelchair.

“They played a good game,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., reportedly said of the Democrats’ maneuver.

Democrats have said the impeachment proceedings are politically motivated and a waste of time.

Republicans say Mayorkas is guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors” that amount to a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” on immigration and a “breach of the public trust.”

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, voted to impeach Mayorkas and claims Mayorkas has abandoned his position as DHS secretary.

“He has refused to execute his basic duties under the law and refused to enforce immigration law. Mayorkas will be impeached. This isn’t finished,” Crenshaw wrote.

Republican Texas Rep. Keith Self also voted to impeach Mayorkas.

”The evidence is 8 million illegal immigrants, almost 2 million known gottaways and 100,000 children in the United States. This is intentional, this is not mismanaged. That’s a Biden policy,” Self told NewsNation.

With the return of Majority Leader Steve Scalise next week, House Republicans expect to have the votes to pass the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.