DALLAS — A North Texas congressman is looking to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his response to immigration and the southern border.
Republican Rep. Pat Fallon said on Tuesday that he filed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas for "high crimes and misdemeanors." The articles have been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the resolution's text was not available yet on Congress' website.
Fallon, who represents parts of Collin and Rockwall counties as well as the Sherman area, said last week that he was looking to file impeachment articles amid a continued increase in migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally at the southern border.
"Secretary Mayorkas's willful actions have eroded our immigration system, undermined border patrol morale, and jeopardized American national security," Fallon said in a tweet on Jan. 3, 2023: "He has violated the law and it is time for him to go."
Fallon's resolution was initially filed on Jan. 3, but due to the turbulent voting process in electing a House speaker, the introduction was delayed.
In a statement to ABC News, a DHS spokesperson said:
"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. 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than point the finger at someone else; they should come to the table and work on solutions for our broken system and outdated laws, which they have not updated in over 40 years."
Fallon's move also comes after President Joe Biden made his first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border during his presidency. Biden went to El Paso and walked along the border wall with border agents.
It's also where Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hand-delivered a letter to Biden that contained guiding actions that the president could take to improve conditions at the border.
Fallon was critical of Biden's visit, saying "My Republican colleagues and I have proposed solution after solution, yet we've seen no movement from your Administration."
Biden tweeted about his border visit and said: "We can come together to fix this broken system. We can secure the border and fix the immigration process to be orderly, fair, safe, and humane."