By Steve Neavling
Facing another impeachment vote this week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas struck back at Republicans on Sunday, blaming them for the border crisis and saying the allegations against him are “baseless.”
“It certainly is a crisis, and, well, we don’t bear responsibility for a broken system,” Mayorkas said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” when asked if he accepts responsibility for record-high migrant crossings. “And we’re doing a tremendous amount within that broken system. But fundamentally, fundamentally, Congress is the only one who can fix it.”
Last week, Republicans in the Senate rejected an agreement that would have strengthened border and immigration policies.
“A bipartisan group of senators have now presented us with the tools and resources we need, a bipartisan group, and yet Congress killed it before even reading it,” Mayorkas said.
The secretary also said he’s not letting the impeachment process sidetrack him because the allegations that he’s “willfully” not following the nation’s immigration laws are unfounded.
“That’s why I really am not distracted by them and focused on the work of the Department of Homeland Security. I’m inspired every single day by the remarkable work that 260,000 men and women in our department perform on behalf of the American public,” Mayorkas said.
The House voted last week to impeach Mayorkas, but the effort failed after a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in voting against it.
Republicans plan to take another impeachment vote this week.
