The House of Representatives recently voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on two articles: willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and breach of public trust.

The Senate is now responsible for holding a thorough trial and showing the evidence to the American people.

From Texas to New York, every state in the nation has felt the impact of Mayorkas’ abject failure to secure the border and stem the tide of illegal immigration.

When the Homeland Security Committee, of which we are members, voted to send articles of impeachment to the House floor, we did so informed by significant evidence and witness testimony gathered throughout a months-long investigation.

Now we urge our counterparts in the Senate to give these articles of impeachment due consideration so that they, and the American people, can hear the truth of how this crisis came to be. 

As congressmen from a border state and a northern state both greatly impacted by the rise of illegal immigration, we know first-hand the far-reaching consequences of the crisis under Mayorkas.

New York, a state nearly 2,000 miles from the southern border, has seen an unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants — straining the state’s resources and drawing services away from American citizens.

Indeed, the costs of accommodating these people are putting massive stress on both the city and state budgets: The city estimates $10 billion in new costs over three years; Gov. Hochul set aside $2.4 billion for them in her spending plan.

Police officers have been violently assaulted by illegal immigrants in the city, and migrant crime waves are threatening the public.

New York has effectively become a border state due to Mayorkas’ actions.  

Texas remains on the front lines, forced to foot the bill for over $450 billion in costs, not to mention the destruction of personal property, increase in crime and drugs and more.

Within the last year, a 71-year-old grandmother and her 7-year-old granddaughter were killed instantly when a human smuggler trafficking 11 illegal immigrants in the back of his vehicle smashed into them during a high-speed chase.

Their family will never be the same.

Unfortunately, there are similar examples across Texas and the nation, with families torn apart because of this crisis.

The latest: the murder of 22-year-old University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley at the hands of an illegal immigrant.

Mayorkas bears responsibility for the influx of illegal immigrants.

From his first day in office, he has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws and encouraged illegal immigration.

On March 16, 2021, Mayorkas welcomed illegal migration by stating that Homeland Security would focus on “processing” illegal immigrants — i.e., catch-and-release.

He abused his parole authority, which by law should be used “only on a case-by-case basis,” to grant it for millions.

He repeatedly violated the Immigration and Nationality Act, made multiple false statements to Congress and obstructed lawful oversight of his department.

History tells us the constitutional basis for impeachment of “high crimes and misdemeanors” was not meant to encompass only indictable crimes, but also the broader concepts of abuse of power and injury to the nation, which the secretary has certainly inflicted.

While the border was secure under President Donald Trump’s leadership, under Mayorkas and the Biden administration we’ve seen a record-breaking number of illegal crossings.

The secretary’s policies have led to more than 9 million migrants entering this country illegally, including known and suspected terrorists, drug and human traffickers and known MS-13 gang members.

This includes over 1.5 million illegal gotaways who evaded arrest and are living in the interior of the United States.

The federal government and law-enforcement agencies have no idea who these people are or what their intentions are inside this country. 

Over 300 known and suspected terrorists have entered illegally, and many more are sure to be a part of the 1.5 million known gotaways.

Having 300 terrorists here is a terrifying thought, considering it took only 20 to pull off 9/11.

Americans deserve to hear the House’s evidence showing why Mayorkas’ actions warrant his impeachment, trial and removal from office.

We call on every senator to vote for a trial and hear our case.

If the Democratic-controlled Senate dismisses this impeachment effort, it’s dismissing the concerns of millions of Americans about the crisis along our border and disregarding our national security. 

Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and August Pfluger (R-Texas) have been selected to serve as House impeachment managers in the Senate.