HIAS “Profoundly Disappointed” by Mayorkas Impeachment

SILVER SPRING, Md. — HIAS is condemning the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by the U.S. House of Representatives.

“At a moment when Congress urgently needs to partner with the administration to achieve meaningful solutions to the very real challenges at our southern border, we are profoundly disappointed by the misguided and dangerous distraction this impeachment represents,” said HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield. “At a time when there is broad consensus across the nation that we need to fix our broken asylum and immigration system, a thin and partisan majority in the House have regrettably chosen to instead engage in an act of political theater — further fanning the flames of resentment against immigrants and asylum seekers.

“Given the House’s clear abuse of its impeachment powers in the absence of high crimes and misdemeanors, we urge the Senate to reject this impeachment in its trial of Secretary Mayorkas,” Hetfield said. “It is Congress, not Secretary Mayorkas, that has abdicated its responsibility to ensure that we have the functioning immigration and asylum laws which are an essential element to protecting our nation’s borders. It has been nearly four decades since the enactment of any comprehensive immigration legislation, necessary to protect our borders while ensuring a just, humane, and orderly process for vulnerable people seeking protection in this country.”