Ricketts Calls for Full Impeachment Trial of Sec. Mayorkas: “Our Constitutional Duty”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) called for a full Senate impeachment trial for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Ricketts cited Mayorkas’ abuse of parole and asylum and his willful refusal to enforce U.S. law. Ricketts made the comments while on a conference call with Nebraska media.
“The House of Representatives passed two impeachment articles against Secretary Mayorkas,”Ricketts said. “One for ‘willful and systemic refusal to comply with current U.S. immigration laws.’ The second for ‘breach of public trust.’ I believe Mayorkas’ actions warrant a full impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate.”
“There have been more than 9.2 million people either who tried to cross the border illegally or succeeded in crossing the border since Mayorkas was sworn in,” Ricketts said. “More than Trump and Obama’s presidencies combined. This is in large part because Secretary Mayorkas has willfully refused to enforce the law. It has incentivized illegal immigration. He’s abused our parole system and our asylum laws to allow for more illegal immigration.”
“In the private sector, if someone is failing in their job, they are held accountable,” Ricketts closed.“The federal government should work the same way. Congress’ impeachment and removal power is how we do that. But to do so, the Senate must hold a full impeachment trial. It’s our constitutional duty. Anything less than that is a break in precedent. It would be bad for our country and bad for the Senate as an institution.”
TRANSCRIPT:
Senator Ricketts: “The House of Representatives passed two impeachment articles against Secretary Mayorkas. One for ‘willful and systemic refusal to comply with current U.S. immigration laws.’ The second for ‘breach of public trust.’
“The Senate will vote on how to proceed in the next week. I believe Mayorkas’ actions warrant a full impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate.
“President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have had the same tools President Trump did when he brought illegal border crossings to a 45-year low.
“But instead, we have a national security, humanitarian, and drug catastrophe at our southern border.
“These policies have largely been carried out by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“There have been more than 9.2 million people either who tried to cross the border illegally or succeeded in crossing the border since Mayorkas was sworn in. More than Trump and Obama’s presidencies combined.
“This is in large part because Secretary Mayorkas has willfully refused to enforce the law. It has incentivized illegal immigration.
“He’s abused our parole system and our asylum laws to allow for more illegal immigration.
“Look at what he’s done with parole.
“According to our laws, it should only be granted on a case-by-case basis. It’s supposed to be for “urgent humanitarian need” or “significant public benefit.”
“The Obama and Trump administrations paroled an average of about 5,600 people per year. Five thousand six hundred.
“Under Secretary Mayorkas, that number last year alone was 1.2 million. That’s two-thirds of the entire population of Nebraska just released into our country after crossing the border illegally.
“This is a deliberate choice to subvert our laws. It has caused more people to risk crossing our border illegally because they expect they’ll be able to be released into the country through parole.
“And because of Secretary Mayorkas, illegal immigrants know crossing our borders illegally won’t hurt their cases.
“He said as much in 2021.
“In a memorandum Mayorkas sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials he said: “The fact an individual is a removable noncitizen therefore should not alone be the basis of an enforcement action against them.”
“In other words, Secretary Mayorkas decided crossing our borders illegally would no longer be a deportable offense – even though federal law states that it is.
“That’s just wrong.
“In the private sector, if someone is failing in their job, they are held accountable.
“The federal government should work the same way.
“Congress’ impeachment and removal power is how we do that.
“But to do so, the Senate must hold a full impeachment trial.
“It’s our constitutional duty.
“Anything less than that is a break in precedent. It would be bad for our country and bad for the Senate as an institution.
“We must not continue to break the norms in the U.S. Senate.”