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Spectrum News NY1
By Kevin Frey

Pushing ahead with their plan to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, House Republicans are putting New York’s migrant crisis front and center.

“Our governor has said flat out there’s no room left in New York. There’s no room at the inn. Don’t send migrants here anymore,” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito said Wednesday at the first impeachment hearing.

Preliminary reports released by the House GOP as part of their case for removing Mayorkas repeatedly cite conditions in New York City, highlighting violent crimes allegedly committed by migrants and the financial burden the surge of asylum seekers is imposing on the city. 

What You Need To Know

• Preliminary reports released by the House GOP as part of their case for impeaching Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas repeatedly cite conditions in New York City tied to the influx of migrants
• New York’s swing district Republicans are so far all indicating they will support ousting MayorkasRep.
• Dan Goldman, who served as counsel for Democrats during the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump, said what Republicans are alleging does not approach a high crime or misdemeanor
• Across Capitol Hill, a group of Senate Democrats and Republicans are continuing negotiations toward a possible border policy deal

“He has taken an oath. He’s failed his oath, and he deserves to be impeached,” D’Esposito said in an interview outside the hearing room.

New York’s swing district Republicans are so far all indicating they will support ousting Mayorkas. Some were at the border last week alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson and dozens of their House GOP colleagues. 

Rep. Marc Molinaro said in a statement that “if [Mayorkas] worked for me — and he wouldn’t — I’d have fired him.”

In a post on social media, Rep. Nick LaLota called Mayorkas the “worst cabinet Secretary in our nation’s history,” while Rep. Brandon Williams called him a “failure” who “needs to go.”

In an interview during the border trip, Rep. Mike Lawler told Spectrum News that “Mayorkas has failed in his responsibilities to secure our border and protect the homeland.”

“He has lied before Congress on numerous occasions,” Lawler said.

Across the aisle, Rep. Dan Goldman, who served as counsel for Democrats during the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump, said what Republicans are alleging does not approach a high crime or misdemeanor and instead amounts to a policy disagreement. 

“It is bastardizing and denigrating the impeachment clause of the Constitution,” Goldman said in an interview. 

He accuses the GOP — including those from New York — of playing politics in the lead up to November. 

“Let’s stop using this as political theater and as a political weapon so that you can get reelected, and let’s actually do the work that the American people sent us here to do, which is to solve the problems,” Goldman said.

Across Capitol Hill, a group of Senate Democrats and Republicans are continuing negotiations toward a possible border policy deal. But Republicans in the House are already warning they may not accept such an agreement.