Some Senate Republicans want the upper chamber to reconvene “immediately” to proceed with an impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border. The House voted to impeach Mayorkas Tuesday night in a tight 214-213 vote.
Mayorkas is the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached by the U.S. Congress since 1876.
“Schumer should reconvene the Senate immediately and proceed to trial,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote in a post on X Tuesday night.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment and did not hear back by time of publication. But in a statement Tuesday night after the vote, Schumer said the impeachment trial will begin later this month. The Senate is scheduled to return from recess on Feb. 26.
“The House impeachment managers will present the articles of impeachment to the Senate following the state work period,” Schumer said in a statement. “Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the next day.”
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Sen. Josh Hawley sounds off on Secretary Mayorkas after Tuesday’s House vote. (Getty Images/Fox News)
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a post that the Senate “cannot fail” to “uphold” its constitutional duty and “conduct an impeachment trial for Secretary Mayorkas, who has ignored his duty to protect our country.”
“Chuck Schumer is trying to sweep this travesty under the rug by violating the constitution and foregoing a trial. Republican leadership cannot stand idly by and let him,” he wrote.
Echoing the urgency, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. urged the upper chamber to take quick action: “The Senate must take this up immediately.”
“While some in the Senate sided with securing Ukraine’s border before our own, I’m glad to see House Republicans do the right thing and hold this lawless administration accountable,” he wrote Tuesday night.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., compared how Democrats treated Trump’s impeachment trials versus “the cabinet member responsible for 9 million illegal migrant entries on the southern border.”
“They show zero interest in demanding real accountability,” Schmitt said. “This impeachment coming to the Senate will undoubtedly show how unserious Democrats have become when it comes to responsibly leading the country and protecting Americans. Mayorkas’ impeachment proceedings should be brought to the Senate floor ASAP, but don’t hold your breath for any meaningful change at the border while Democrats are in charge.”
Schmitt’s sentiments are shared by several Senate Republicans who opposed the failed border bill that was in the national security supplemental package, citing concerns about increased power for President Biden and Mayorkas. They argued that shifting asylum claim responsibilities to the secretary of Homeland Security undermines immigration court processes.
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Asylum seekers line up in front of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, which was converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families in New York City, on Sept. 27, 2023. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Senate ultimately voted to remove the border bill text and passed a standalone $95 billion foreign aid bill.
“I don’t think it ever made sense to many Americans that we’re negotiating a border deal with the person we’re trying to impeach,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital in an interview ahead of the vote on Tuesday.
“I welcome the impeachment,” Marshall said. “He didn’t enforce the law of the land, he broke his oath to Americans as well. So I think, for all those reasons, he should be impeached.”
Tuesday evening’s vote marked House Republicans’ second attempt at impeaching Mayorkas. GOP lawmakers targeted the Biden official over the ongoing migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border, accusing him of deliberately flaunting existing immigration law and worsening the situation.
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Sen. Roger Marshall said of Secretary Mayorkas, seen here with President Biden, “He didn’t enforce the law of the land, he broke his oath to Americans as well. So I think, for all those reasons, he should be impeached.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS for comment. In a statement following the House’s vote, DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said: “House Republicans will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border. While Secretary Mayorkas was helping a group of Republican and Democratic Senators develop bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security and get needed resources for enforcement, House Republicans have wasted months with this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment.
“Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country. Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe,” Ehrenberg added.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.