House GOP inches closer to Mayorkas impeachment amid discord in conference

House Republicans inched closer this week toward impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, officially launching an investigation that would serve as the basis for any inquiry.

But conservative supporters of the effort still face enormous hurdles, including a reluctance of leadership to take such a drastic step and the continued opposition from more moderate lawmakers in the GOP conference — barriers that even the loudest Mayorkas critics have been forced to acknowledge. 

On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee said they would review Mayorkas’s performance through a five-phase plan, which Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) said could be completed in a matter of 11 or 12 weeks.

“His policies have resulted in a humanitarian crisis this country has never seen,” Green said at a press conference.  

“Today's hearing will begin the process of digging into all of the details. The cause and effect of Alejandro Mayorkas’s dereliction of duty. I hope the American people will listen intently. I hope the press will report this, honestly. I hope the president of the United States, the commander in chief charged with the security and protection of this country, will listen. He can't possibly know of all of these failures of Mayorkas and have not fired him already.”

It’s a process that faces a complex path in the House — and one that’s already highlighted several layers of division within the GOP conference. Not only is there discord between impeachment supporters and opponents, but there’s also growing tension among Mayorkas’s most vocal critics, all of whom seem to want to play a prominent role in the effort to oust him. 

“We don't have the votes,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said Tuesday. Asked what would change the minds of the Republican opponents, he offered a biting criticism of his centrist colleagues.  

“An embrace of logic and reason,” he said.  

Green’s presser was followed by a hearing titled “Open Borders, Closed Case: Secretary Mayorkas’ Dereliction of Duty on the Border Crisis.”

Democrats argued the hearing’s name alone shows Republicans have already reached a conclusion on whether to take the dramatic step of impeaching a cabinet secretary — an action not seen since the 1870s.

“You may have a difference of opinion as to how the United States should process our asylum applicants. But the notion that that difference of a policy opinion would be the basis for a quote unquote, ‘case closed’ that Secretary Mayorkas is violating his duty, is preposterous and it is not any basis for impeachment,” said Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), who before entering Congress worked as lead counsel for the first impeachment inquiry against former President Trump.

The move, six months into GOP leadership of the House, follows wrangling within the conference over how speedily to pursue the topic.

While a slew of lawmakers introduced impeachment resolutions days after the contentious vote to give the gavel to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the most recent effort was offered by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a sign of discontent among those eager to speed ahead.

It also comes as border numbers have dropped in the weeks following the May lifting of a policy that allowed the U.S. to quickly deny entry to would-be asylum seekers, bucking widespread predictions of a surge of migrants. The repeal of that policy, however, was paired with the reintroduction of consequences for those caught wrongly crossing the border.

“The number of Border Patrol encounters have plummeted by 70 percent since the Biden administration ended Title 42 last month. The number of overall border encounters have dropped by 50 percent in that time, due in large part to [Homeland Security's] hard work under Secretary Mayorkas’s leadership,” ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said during the hearing.

“Calling a hearing and saying ‘case closed’ before you’ve heard any testimony is not legitimate oversight. ... It’s about House Republican leadership catering to its most extreme MAGA members, who want to impeach someone — anyone at all. It’s about trying to make good on GOP backroom deals to elect a Speaker, raise the debt ceiling and stave off a mutiny in the Republican ranks.”

The House Homeland Security Committee doesn’t have the power to ignite an impeachment inquiry. That task falls to the House Judiciary Committee.

Green has cast the investigation as an effort that will be handed off to the other panel and ultimately brought to fruition by Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). 

The firebrand Georgia congresswoman, however, offered her impeachment resolution with a tweet that included an emoji of a slice of cake, a reference to earlier comments that the debt ceiling package would be more appealing if it included “dessert” like an impeachment of Mayorkas or FBI Director Christopher Wray. 

The move was a reflection of impatience from some in the GOP, even as McCarthy has largely stuck to comments he made while visiting the border late last year stressing the need to investigate. 

“I know people are very frustrated with [Mayorkas],” McCarthy told CNN last month, but added that any impeachment process shouldn’t be pursued “for political reasons.”

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), former head of the far-right Freedom Caucus, suggested the Speaker is moving closer toward backing the impeachment effort. 

"McCarthy has loosened up on that. Whereas quite some time ago he was a no, now he’s kinda saying — kinda saying — yes,” Biggs said. Other reluctant Republicans are also shifting, he said. 

“There are people who were an absolute ‘no’ on it even a few weeks ago, and now told me that they're moveable,” he said. “There's probably two or three people that I'm trying to work on, see if I can move them my way. And if those two or three come along, I think then we're ready to go.”

Green sidestepped questions over whether the caucus would be able to secure the votes to impeach Mayorkas. 

“I would say it’s intuitively obvious to the casual observer, that Republicans are individualists and we think independently, we’re not robots being told by a Speaker how to vote,” he said in a nod to the standstill on the House floor led by a group of far-right members who stalled a vote on a GOP bill on gas stoves as a way to voice frustration with McCarthy's handling of the debt ceiling. 

“And so, there are many people with differences of opinions about this. And, you know, I'm in a leadership position, and from my leadership position, the direction of our committee is to get to the facts.”

The Department of Homeland Security has pushed back on GOP arguments and has largely blamed Congress for issues at the border.

“The immigration system has been terribly broken and outdated for decades. That is something about which everyone agrees, and it is my hope that they take that problem, and they fix it once and for all. In the meantime, within a broken system, we are doing everything that we can to increase its efficiency, to provide humanitarian relief when the law permits and to also deliver an enforcement consequence when the law dictates,” Mayorkas said earlier this year during an appearance on MSNBC.

“That is exactly what we are doing, and as far as I am concerned, I will continue to do that with tremendous pride with the people with whom I work."  

Green said his five-point plan includes investigations into cartels as well as the financial cost associated with migration.

“The guy has got to go,” Green said.

“We're going to hold him accountable. And if the president picks another guy that does this kind of stuff, we'll do what we have to do there too.”

Biden marks 20 years at DHS as controversy centers on Mayorkas

President Biden on Wednesday traveled to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to mark 20 years since the creation of the sprawling agency, as its leader, Alejandro Mayorkas, faces a barrage of criticism from Republican lawmakers.

Biden extolled the value of DHS, an agency that has faced its share of controversy since it was formed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to combat terrorism and potential threats against the United States. 

The agency has grown significantly in the 20 years since its creation. It now houses more than a dozen government agencies, and its purview includes matters related to immigration, cybersecurity, election integrity and disaster response. The department as a whole has roughly 260,000 employees, Biden noted.

“In the 20 years since DHS began, the world has become more interconnected, more complicated than ever, and new threats are emerging with the incredible advances in technology,” Biden said in prepared remarks. “Some are frightening ... many are reassuring. And yet because of you, America is safer and stronger and is better prepared to meet whatever threat we face.”

But, the agency’s work securing the southern border has been in the spotlight and the target of intense scrutiny during the past two administrations. 

The focus on the influx of migrants at the southern border has made it tough for other work of the department to get attention, argued Stewart Verdery, a former assistant secretary at DHS under President George W. Bush.

“Twenty years ago at its creation, DHS was supposed to tackle several equally important missions at all once — aviation security, securing international travel and disaster preparedness. Of course the southern border was part of the equation, but it wasn’t the whole equation,” he said. “But the political focus on migrant flows in this hemisphere by both the right and the left has almost made it impossible for the other missions to get any real attention, especially from the Congress.”

During the Trump administration, DHS was frequently at the center of criticism because of its immigration enforcement responsibilities. Former President Trump largely used the agency to implement his crackdown on the flow of immigrants into the country, and some Democrats during the last administration called for defunding Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is housed within DHS.

Trump also publicly clashed with cybersecurity experts who said the 2020 election had been secure as the former president sowed doubt about the results.

Biden said on Wednesday that the work of DHS is now “even more important” than it has been in its 20 years, rattling off its work, notably including “protecting our air, our land, our maritime borders.”

The department was at the center of a firestorm over an order under Trump to separate migrant families who illegally crossed the border, and the government’s inability to reunite hundreds of those families in a timely manner has lingered into the Biden administration.

The department's secretary, Mayorkas, has been closely scrutinized by Republicans who have complained that he has not done enough to secure the southern border and reduce the flow of migrants. Some Republicans have called for Mayorkas’s impeachment over his handling of the border.

But Biden came to do the defense of Mayorkas, who he nominated, calling him a “true patriot” who “decided his career to protecting and serving the American people, while upholding our nation’s laws and standing up for American values.”

The ceremony on Wednesday also included remarks from Mayorkas, as well as recorded messages from former President George W. Bush and Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which was created under Bush's tenure.

“The people who work at DHS come to work every morning knowing their most important job is to protect their fellow citizens," Bush said in a pre-recorded message. "You’ve worked tirelessly and effectively to do just that. I thank you for your service to our country and for the sacrifices you have made in the pursuit of keeping your neighbors safe.”

Updated at 5:30 p.m.

Border Patrol Chiefs To Testify Before House Committee After First Being Blocked By Mayorkas

By Bethany Blankley (The Center Square)

U.S. Border Patrol chiefs will testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on Tuesday after they were first blocked by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from doing so.

Last month, Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, sent a letter to Mayorkas stating the committee would be investigating the “Biden Administration’s creation of and failure to resolve the worst border crisis in American history. … The American people deserve answers about [DHS’] role in undermining Customs and Border Protection agents’ efforts to secure the southern border.”

Four Border Patrol agents overseeing southern border sectors were called to testify: Chiefs Jason Owens, Gregory Bovino, Gloria Chavez, and Acting Chief Patricia McGurk-Daniel. Initially, two were cleared to testify by Mayorkas and two weren’t.

Comer then threatened to use the “compulsory process” to require them to testify. By Jan. 31, Mayorkas agreed to all four testifying and Comer sent another letter to him saying, “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initially sought to prevent Congress from hearing invaluable testimony from Chief Patrol Agents, believing that DHS’s internal protocols superseded Congressional oversight prerogatives. I am pleased that the DHS is no longer taking such a position, and will make available as witnesses” all four agents.

Comer last week told reporters at the National Press Club that the committee requested they testify about “the worst offenses with respect to illegal border crossings are occurring, just to come before the committee. … We need to hear from people on the front lines” to ask their advice and how Congress can help them do their jobs.

Comer’s initial Jan. 19 letter to Mayorkas requested documents and copies of internal communications from DHS including data on border crossers released by DHS into the U.S. and DHS’ plan to terminate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), otherwise known as “Remain in Mexico,” over which Texas sued. A federal court halted the administration’s plan to terminate it although Texas maintains the administration isn’t following the court order.

The letter also requires Mayorkas to provide information about “the effect of historic numbers of illegal border crossings on retention rates, staffing, recruitment and morale among” Border Patrol agents. The National Border Patrol Council, the union representing them, has argued that under this administration more agents are retiring and recruitment and morale is at an all-time historic low.

Comer also requested all documents and information about an ICE memorandum Mayorkas issued in September 2021, which drastically altered enforcement policies. Texas and Louisiana sued to stop it, supported by 19 states that filed a brief with the Supreme Court.

“President [Joe] Biden’s radical open borders agenda has ignited the worst border crisis in American history,” Comer said in a statement last month when he announced the hearing. “The Biden Administration’s deliberate actions are fueling human smuggling, stimulating drug cartel operations, enabling deadly drugs such as fentanyl to flow into American communities, and encouraging illegal immigrants to flout U.S. immigration laws. … Republicans will hold the Biden Administration accountable for this ongoing humanitarian, national security, and public health crisis that has turned every town into a border town.”

In early January, Biden said on his first day in office he sent to Congress a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would extend amnesty to a wide range of people illegally in the U.S. He also announced DHS’ new mobile app that allows foreign nationals to file asylum claims remotely from anywhere in the world as well as expanding the parole process and creating a new visa process. Multiple states also sued over the parole and visas policies, which they argue are illegal.

The hearing comes after Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz testified in a case brought by Florida that Biden policies led to increased illegal crossings and one of his emails revealed the administration’s plan to release people en masse into the U.S. once Title 42 was lifted.

Since Biden’s been in office, over 5 million people from over 150 countries have illegally entered the U.S. while Mayorkas has consistently maintained the southern border is closed. A record 3.3 million people were apprehended or reported evading capture by law enforcement in fiscal 2022, according to Border Patrol data obtained by The Center Square, including nearly 1.8 million in Texas alone.

Several House Republicans have called for Mayorkas’ impeachment; two Republicans from Texas and Arizona each filed separate articles of impeachment. Mayorkas says he isn’t resigning and has blamed the previous administration for the problems he says he’s inherited.

The NBPC disagrees, tweeting on Monday: “Two years ago we ceased to have any semblance of a functioning border. It’s just an out-of-control free-for-all … a disaster zone of massive human misery, death and lawlessness. How much longer can this country continue to absorb millions of illegal aliens?

“Everyday thousands more illegal aliens enter our country by crashing our border between ports of entry. Has Biden thought about how many millions he’s going to shuttle in? Is he even aware enough to realize that many of these people can’t be ID’d and no way to check records?”

Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.

The post Border Patrol Chiefs To Testify Before House Committee After First Being Blocked By Mayorkas appeared first on The Political Insider.

Republicans introduce second impeachment article for Mayorkas

GOP lawmakers banded together to file an additional resolution that would impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, filing a second bill to do so less than a month into the new Congress.

The resolution filed Wednesday comes after its sponsor, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), promised a resolution with “even more justification” than a first resolution filed immediately after the Speaker’s race concluded.

Biggs called Mayorkas “chief architect of the migration and drug invasion at our southern border” in a press release announcing the move and argued the uptick in migration is a result of a “willful and intentional” violation of Mayorkas’s oath of office. 

But Biggs’s efforts clash with those in the party who say impeachment should follow a thorough inquiry, a promise House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made in November when he said the GOP would “investigate every order, every action” to determine whether to begin an inquiry.

House Republicans are split over how to pursue the topic and how speedily to do so. 

“We made the argument that impeachment was rushed — the second impeachment — and I think that’s not who we are as a party,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) previously told The Hill in reference to the second impeachment of former President Trump.

He said it’s the committees of jurisdiction that should be leading the inquiry.

“We need to have hearings on this and we need to gather evidence and facts and, look, do I think the guy has done a terrible job? Yes,“ McCaul said. “Do I think he’s been derelict in his responsibilities? Yes. But we need to get all this together, and do it in a methodical way.”

Biggs's resolution is largely based on the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which requires the Homeland Security secretary “take all actions the Secretary determines necessary and appropriate to achieve and maintain operational control” of the border.

But the law, true to its name, primarily deals with fencing. It says the the secretary should weigh operational control for the border in regards to both surveillance and “physical infrastructure enhancements.”

Only one Cabinet member has been impeached in history — former President Grant’s secretary of war, William Belknap, who was accused of taking kickbacks from a contractor he appointed to run the trader post in Fort Sill, Okla. Belknap resigned before facing an almost-certain Senate conviction, a fate that’s unlikely to play out with Mayorkas given the Democratic majority in the upper chamber.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) didn’t immediately respond to request for comment, but the agency has previously noted Mayorkas has no plans to resign.

“Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of this Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people.  The Department will continue our work to enforce our laws and secure our border, while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system,” DHS said after the introduction of the first resolution. 

“Members of Congress can do better than point the finger at someone else; they should come to the table and work on solutions for our broken system and outdated laws, which they have not updated in over 40 years.”

GOP divided in rush to impeach Mayorkas

Tensions are rising in the GOP House over how to tackle a topic many back enthusiastically: impeaching Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Republicans are largely unified in opposition to the secretary, but while some want to go full bore right away, others see fast-track impeachment as a mistake, warning that it's important to build their case before the public.

“We made the argument that impeachment was rushed — the second impeachment — and I think that's not who we are as a party,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), a former prosecutor, in reference to the second impeachment of former President Trump.

McCaul said it's the committees of jurisdiction that should be leading the inquiry.

“We need to have hearings on this and we need to gather evidence and facts and, look, do I think the guy has done a terrible job? Yes,“ McCaul said. “Do I think he's been derelict in his responsibilities? Yes. But we need to get all this together, and do it in a methodical way.”

In some corners, Republicans are lining up at the chance to impeach Mayorkas.

After Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) filed articles of impeachment against the secretary this week, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) quickly pledged his own resolution while suggesting he was the one who had actually taken the impeachment action first.

“I was the first Member of Congress to introduce impeachment articles against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2021,” Biggs wrote on Twitter. “I will reintroduce these articles with even more justification very soon.”

Balancing the different interests will be another challenge for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has signaled he supports a deliberate approach.

“House Republicans will investigate every order, every action. And every failure will determine whether we can begin impeachment inquiry,” he said in November, during a trip to the border.

Twenty lawmakers have signed on to Fallon’s resolution. While he said he doesn't want to preclude any investigation, Fallon wants to prompt his colleagues to start them immediately. 

“I think it's of vital import to get the ball rolling immediately. Because this is an emergency. This is break glass. This is something that we can't just sit around any longer and say, ‘Well, we'll do it in a month, we'll take it up in four months.’ Let's take it up right now,” he told The Hill.

Building a case for Mayorkas’s impeachment may not be as easy as some of his critics think.

For example, Fallon argues that Mayorkas lied to Congress in two different appearances, when saying both that the Biden administration has maintained operational control of the border and that the border is secure. 

Both points are largely a matter of opinion; impeachment statutes are typically reserved for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

“Impeachment is a very serious topic, and it's one where the facts need to lead you to the results, not have a predetermined decision,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales (R), who represents the Texas district with the longest shared border with Mexico.

Homeland Security officials, so far, have not assigned staff to deal with potential impeachment inquiries.

“Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of this Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people.  The Department will continue our work to enforce our laws and secure our border, while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system," said Marsha Espinosa, a spokesperson for DHS.

“Members of Congress can do better than point the finger at someone else; they should come to the table and work on solutions for our broken system and outdated laws, which they have not updated in over 40 years,” she added.

Ultimately, Republicans who support impeachment and those who oppose it will have to make their case to McCarthy and his leadership team, who will weigh the costs and benefits of spending political capital on a historic measure with scant chances in the Senate.

Impeaching Mayorkas in the House would require a majority vote. In the Senate, a two-thirds majority would be necessary to win a conviction — a high bar.

Only one Cabinet member has been impeached in history — former President Grant’s secretary of war, William Belknap, who was accused of taking kickbacks from a contractor he appointed to run the trader post in Fort Sill, Okla. Belknap resigned before facing an almost-certain Senate conviction, a fate that's unlikely to play out with Mayorkas.

Other Republicans who spoke with The Hill stressed the need to go through the proper oversight channels, rather than leap into impeachment.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.), whose panel would be among those with jurisdiction over Mayorkas’s impeachment, was animated when he spoke about the opportunity to remove the DHS chief, pushing their own coming investigation.

“We're going to hold him accountable. That's what we're going to do. We're going to have hearings and dig into what I would say is dereliction of duty,” he said.

“All I can speak about is what we're going to do in the committee and that is a five-phased approach of tackling the fight.”

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said the GOP needed to handle the matter in “the appropriate way.”

“I've been very public about my belief that he has violated his oath, that he has undermined our ability to defend our country,” he said.

“But I'm on the House Judiciary Committee in the majority now and so I'm going to talk to [Chair] Jim [Jordan] (R-Ohio) and talk to people on that committee to make sure that we're going through this and looking at it in the appropriate way.” 

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), who was initially by McCarthy’s side for the November border trip as he stressed an eventual inquiry, has signed onto Fallon’s resolution as a co-sponsor, saying he believes Cabinet secretaries can be impeached over their policies.

“People argue about this legally, you can impeach a president because you just don't like his policies. In theory that could be considered a high crime or misdemeanor according to the current legal analysis,” he said.

“I just decided I agree with Fallon. That's basically as simple as I can put it.”

Report: Border Agents Are Bracing For ‘Disaster,’ Expect 170,000 Illegal Immigrants In Just One Month

Border agents and officials are reportedly concerned about a looming “disaster” of an influx of illegal immigrants once Title 42 is lifted by the Biden administration.

Title 42 is a pandemic-era order that allows border authorities to immediately expel illegal immigrants who attempt to cross the border on public health grounds.

Multiple outlets have indicated the Biden administration is seeking to wind down the policy by May 23 following a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) review.

The New York Post reports that authorities are anticipating a “disaster” at the southern border should that happen.

“Last year, we were calling it a crisis. This year, it will be a disaster. This is the calm before the storm,” warned Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez.

The outlet notes that once Title 42 is lifted, “officials are bracing for an influx of up to 170,000 migrants and up to 13,000 unaccompanied children crossing the border in May alone.”

RELATED: NY Rep. Calls For Biden To Be Impeached After Police Video Shows Feds Flying Illegal Immigrants Into NY

Title 42 Repeal Set to Create a Border Disaster

Perhaps more alarming is a thread provided by Fox News reporter Hillary Vaughn who cites a source from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

That source claims the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “is bracing for as many as 500,000 migrants in the six weeks following Title 42 being lifted.”

That is an alarming number by any administration measuring stick.

The source, according to Vaughn, indicates DHS is struggling to find a solution to provide COVID vaccines to illegal immigrants as has been promised by the administration.

“DHS has been providing the COVID-19 vaccines to noncitizens in ICE custody since summer 2021,” a department spokesperson said, adding that they would be “expanding these efforts.”

But the White House is struggling to attain funding for these vaccines, having urgently requested $22.5 billion “to sustain our nation’s COVID-19 response.”

RELATED: Newly Released Police Video Shows Federal Contractors Flying Illegal Immigrants Into New York Airport

Taking Away From Veterans?

Vaughn Reports that her CBP source has indicated the administration is considering pulling medical resources from veterans to aid in the effort.

“We’re going to take medical services away from people that really deserve that. Who went to combat … to give free medical attention to illegal migrants,” the source allegedly told her, though no further evidence was provided.

The CBP source tells Vaughn the Biden administration is preparing for double the number of migrants that came in 2021 in a year-long timeframe after Title 42 is lifted.

“I would say its conservative to say double what came in last year,” she quotes them as saying.

No matter how you view the crisis, these reports represent a staggering number of illegal immigrants and would be unprecedented in U.S. history, making last year’s record-breaking border crisis look like the good ole days.

The numbers tell the story:

Earlier this year, Republican Representative Claudia Tenney of New York called for President Biden’s impeachment due to the border crisis.

Tenney’s demands came following the release of a police video showing illegal immigrants being flown by federal contractors into an airport in New York in the dead of night.

“This is a complete, aggravated dereliction of duty, which is why last night on Twitter I called for Joe Biden to be impeached and removed,” Tenney demanded.

“His primary obligation as the commander-in-chief and president of the United States is to enforce our laws, to live up to his oath, to enforce our border security and to tell the truth to the American people,” she added.

Instead, he’s going to lift Title 42 and create a “disaster” at the border some had already assumed had reached a critical tipping point.

The post Report: Border Agents Are Bracing For ‘Disaster,’ Expect 170,000 Illegal Immigrants In Just One Month appeared first on The Political Insider.

CNN Analyst And Former Obama DHS Official Demands Police Slash Tires, Arrest Canadian Truckers

CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem, responding to the ongoing trucker protest at the Ambassador Bridge, demanded police officers take drastic actions including slashing their tires and making arrests.

Kayyem, a lecturer at Harvard University and former member of Barack Obama’s Homeland Security Advisory Council, made her comments in a social media posting about the ‘Freedom Convoy.’

The Canadian ‘Freedom Convoy’ has been a massive and peaceful demonstration against the US-Canada cross-border vaccine mandate.

For roughly five days, truckers have blocked the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, the largest bridge link between the U.S. and Canada.

Kayyem called for drastic measures to be taken by law enforcement.

“The convoy protest, applauded by right-wing media as a ‘freedom protest,’ is an economic and security issue now,” she tweeted. “The Ambassador Bridge link constitutes 28% of annual trade movement between US and Canada.”

“Slash the tires, empty gas tanks, arrest the drivers, and move the trucks,” Kayyem added.

RELATED: DHS Sends Memo Warning Police About US Trucker Protest Hours After Issuing Terrorism Threat Focused On ‘Misinformation’

CNN Analyst Wants Police To Slash Truck Tires

It’s difficult to understand how a former DHS official would think it a good idea to slash the tires and siphon gas from vehicles if the goal is to clear the blockade.

Kayyem probably didn’t think the tweet through very carefully. But she wasn’t prepared to walk away from her ridiculous ideas. In fact, she expanded on them in a follow-up tweet.

“Trust me, I will not run out of ways to make this hurt: cancel their insurance; suspend their drivers licenses; prohibit any future regulatory certification for truckers, etc.,” she continued.

“Have we learned nothing? These things fester when there are no consequences.”

Needless to say, there was some outrage over her suggestions.

Political commentator Stephen Miller asked, “You think you’re the good guy here?”

“Yes,” she replied. “This isn’t about vaccines. Stay unvaccinated. Your choice. Bad choice. Deadly one. Just don’t close an international border with your whining. So many emotions with you guys. It’s not personal.”

Sure thing. Kayyem is calling on police to respond like a scorned girlfriend in a Carrie Underwood song … but it’s everybody else who is emotional.

RELATED: CNN Personality Claims Trump Is ‘Leader Of A Terrorist Organization’

Unhinged

Juliette Kayyem is yet another example of the type of unhinged extremists CNN has hired as analysts for their programming for years, and at least partially a reason they can’t get intelligent people to watch their shows.

This isn’t the first time she’s engaged in extreme rhetoric and hyperbole to get attention.

Kayyem, days after the Capitol riot, referred to then-President Trump as the “leader of a terrorist organization.”

“Trump is the spiritual, but I will also say operational leader of this domestic terrorism effort,” she ranted. “He tells them where to go. He tells them what to do. He tells them why they’re angry.”

CNN’s Juliette Kayyem calling on law enforcement to slash the tires of truckers isn’t the only one calling for a muscular response to the ‘Freedom Convoy.’

POLL: Would you support an American trucker convoy?

By voting, you agree to receive email communication from The Political Insider. Click HERE for more information.

The Biden administration has urged Canada to use its “federal powers” to end the protest.

“(DHS) Secretary Mayorkas and (DOT Secretary Pete) Buttigieg each spoke with their Canadian counterparts, urging them to use Federal powers to resolve this situation at our joint border,” a White House official said in a statement.

Can you even imagine the outrage if Trump had told a foreign nation to put down a leftist protest?

The post CNN Analyst And Former Obama DHS Official Demands Police Slash Tires, Arrest Canadian Truckers appeared first on The Political Insider.

Border Report: Worst December Numbers In History, Nearly 2 Million Illegal Immigrants Since Biden Took Office

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics showing the worst December numbers at the border in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) history.

According to the report, there were 178,840 illegal immigrants apprehended at the border in December, breaking the previous record under DHS for that month by over 100,000.

All told, nearly 2 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the border since Biden took office just over one year ago.

The numbers also show an increase in illegal border crossing from November which saw 173,620 illegal immigrants apprehended.

RELATED: Biden Calls Fox News Reporter ‘Stupid Son of a B*tch’ At Press Conference

Numbers Show Out Of Control Border

News of the record number of border crossings come as Fox News has obtained exclusive footage of a mass release of single adult illegal immigrants into the country.

“Fox News footage shows several federally contracted buses dropping off dozens of mostly male migrants at a parking garage in Brownsville, Texas,” they report.

After being dropped off at the garage, taxi cabs allegedly arrived and transported the illegal immigrants to a nearby airport where they claimed they were being sent “to destinations including Miami, Houston and Atlanta.”

Fox News reporter Bill Melugin states that CBP is not involved in the release shown in the video.

“CBP tells me they had no involvement with these releases,” he tweeted. “An ICE source tells me these were ICE releases.”

Melugin adds that he is waiting on confirmation.

RELATED: Newt Gingrich Says Some Members Of January 6 Committee Could Face Jail Time – Cheney, Kinzinger Fire Back

No Control

The latest staggering border numbers show that a full year into his term, President Biden is making absolutely no headway in addressing the ever-expanding humanitarian crisis.

In an interview earlier this month, Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Col. Heston Silbert described Biden’s border crisis as “untenable” and “not manageable.”

“Border Patrol’s overwhelmed,” he explained.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) described the latest numbers as a “record-breaking (border crisis)” created by “record-breaking incompetence.”

Vice President Kamala Harris is again opting to skip a visit to the southern border and will be traveling instead to Honduras later this month for the inauguration of President-elect Xiomara Castro in an effort to “address the root causes” of illegal immigration.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently argued that the border crisis and the current administration’s “decision to just defy immigration laws” are grounds for impeachment.

“I think there are potentially multiple grounds to consider for impeachment,” Cruz has said. “Probably the most compelling is the utter lawlessness (of) President Biden to enforce the border.”

The post Border Report: Worst December Numbers In History, Nearly 2 Million Illegal Immigrants Since Biden Took Office appeared first on The Political Insider.

Border Report: Worst December Numbers In History, Nearly 2 Million Illegal Immigrants Since Biden Took Office

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics showing the worst December numbers at the border in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) history.

According to the report, there were 178,840 illegal immigrants apprehended at the border in December, breaking the previous record under DHS for that month by over 100,000.

All told, nearly 2 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the border since Biden took office just over one year ago.

The numbers also show an increase in illegal border crossing from November which saw 173,620 illegal immigrants apprehended.

RELATED: Biden Calls Fox News Reporter ‘Stupid Son of a B*tch’ At Press Conference

Numbers Show Out Of Control Border

News of the record number of border crossings come as Fox News has obtained exclusive footage of a mass release of single adult illegal immigrants into the country.

“Fox News footage shows several federally contracted buses dropping off dozens of mostly male migrants at a parking garage in Brownsville, Texas,” they report.

After being dropped off at the garage, taxi cabs allegedly arrived and transported the illegal immigrants to a nearby airport where they claimed they were being sent “to destinations including Miami, Houston and Atlanta.”

Fox News reporter Bill Melugin states that CBP is not involved in the release shown in the video.

“CBP tells me they had no involvement with these releases,” he tweeted. “An ICE source tells me these were ICE releases.”

Melugin adds that he is waiting on confirmation.

RELATED: Newt Gingrich Says Some Members Of January 6 Committee Could Face Jail Time – Cheney, Kinzinger Fire Back

No Control

The latest staggering border numbers show that a full year into his term, President Biden is making absolutely no headway in addressing the ever-expanding humanitarian crisis.

In an interview earlier this month, Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Col. Heston Silbert described Biden’s border crisis as “untenable” and “not manageable.”

“Border Patrol’s overwhelmed,” he explained.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) described the latest numbers as a “record-breaking (border crisis)” created by “record-breaking incompetence.”

Vice President Kamala Harris is again opting to skip a visit to the southern border and will be traveling instead to Honduras later this month for the inauguration of President-elect Xiomara Castro in an effort to “address the root causes” of illegal immigration.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently argued that the border crisis and the current administration’s “decision to just defy immigration laws” are grounds for impeachment.

“I think there are potentially multiple grounds to consider for impeachment,” Cruz has said. “Probably the most compelling is the utter lawlessness (of) President Biden to enforce the border.”

The post Border Report: Worst December Numbers In History, Nearly 2 Million Illegal Immigrants Since Biden Took Office appeared first on The Political Insider.

Ted Cruz: Biden Impeachment Likely If Republicans Win Back The House

Senator Ted Cruz is optimistic about a Republican takeover of the House in 2022, something he believes will lead to the impeachment of President Biden.

The Texas Republican made the comments in the latest episode of his podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz.

The first step in the possible impeachment of the President requires the House falling back under Republican control after the midterms, something Cruz describes as a nearly 100 percent likelihood.

“I’m very optimistic about 2022,” he said. “I put the odds of the Republicans winning the house at 90/10 and it may even be higher than that.”

It is an assessment with which oddsmakers tend to agree.

RELATED: Marjorie Taylor Greene And Lindsey Graham Call For Biden To Be Impeached Over Afghanistan

Biden Impeachment on the Table

Senator Cruz went on to suggest once the House is in Republican hands several investigations would be opened into the Biden administration.

“If we take the House, which I said is overwhelmingly likely, then I think we will see serious investigations of the Biden administration,” Cruz said.

The Political Insider reported last month that the GOP is planning investigations on seven fronts should they prevail in the midterms: The IRS, the National Security Agency, parents of school children, the border crisis, COVID response, Afghanistan and JEDI.

That report has more detailed explanations of the investigations that will, according to Republicans, begin on Day 1.

On whether or not Republicans would turn investigations into impeachment action against President Biden, Cruz could envision such a scenario and reminded Democrats that they set the precedent.

“I do think there’s a chance of that,” Cruz said. “Whether it’s justified or not, the Democrats weaponized impeachment. They used it for partisan purposes to go after Trump because they disagreed with him.”

“One of the real disadvantages of doing that is the more you weaponize it and turn it into a partisan cudgel, you know what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” he continued.

RELATED: MAGA Rep. Boebert Calls For Biden And Harris Impeachment, Pelosi To Be Removed Over Afghanistan Withdrawal

Will They Win the Senate?

Ted Cruz stated that the odds of Republicans winning the Senate, the chamber required for conviction after the House votes to impeach, isn’t quite as high.

“I put our odds at 50/50,” he said of potential GOP control of the Senate. “I think it’s going to be a really good year but it’s a bad map.”

Cruz went on to explain that the border crisis and Biden’s “decision to just defy immigration laws” are the most likely grounds for impeachment.

The crisis at the southern border continues to worsen with more than 173,000 illegal immigrants apprehended in November according to preliminary reporting.

That marks the highest total for November in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) history.

Cruz’s colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), believes the botched Afghanistan withdrawal is the most pressing need when discussing impeachment.

“I think Joe Biden deserves to be impeached because he’s abandoned thousands of Afghans who fought with us and he’s going to abandon some American citizens because he capitulated to the Taliban to a 31 August deadline,” Graham said as the withdrawal was taking place.

The evacuation and ceding control to the Taliban led to a suicide bombing killing 13 service members, a retaliatory drone strike by the United States that killed 10 civilians – including an aid worker and 7 children – and hundreds of Americans being left behind in the hostile country even to this day.

Cruz said no matter the focus, “there will be enormous pressure on a Republican House to begin impeachment proceedings.”

The post Ted Cruz: Biden Impeachment Likely If Republicans Win Back The House appeared first on The Political Insider.